Entertainment: NEW YORK: The shirtless warriors of the 300 sequel Rise of an Empire ravaged the post-Oscars box-office weekend with a domestic debut of $45.1 million but an even bigger international haul of $87.8 million. Seven years after the original 300 became an unlikely, ultra-stylish, blood-soaked sensation, Warner Bros. 3-D follow-up showed considerable might at the box office. While 300: Rise of an Empire didnt come close the North American debut of Zack Snyders 2007 original ($70.9 million and without the benefit of 3-D ticket prices), it performed like a blockbuster overseas. Rise of an Empire, which with flexed torsos and R-rated bloodshed further chronicles the ancient battles of the Greeks and Persians, led a busy box-office weekend that also saw an Academy Awards bump for 12 Years a Slave and one of the highest per-screen averages ever for Wes Andersons European caper The Grand Budapest Hotel. Though 300: Rise of an Empire is excessively macho, Eva Green - the films fiercest presence - may have drawn females for what was always going to be a male-centric release. Whereas the female audience for the first 300 was only 29 percent, it was 38 percent for Rise of an Empire. Talk about female empowerment, said Jeff Goldstein, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros., said of the Casino Royale actress. Noting the popularity of 3-D and IMAX screenings for the movie, Goldstein credited the visual panache of producer Snyder (Noam Murro took over directing), who drew directly from Frank Millers graphic novels: He brings a lot to the screen that mesmerizes you. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak, said the 300 franchise translates to virtually every culture. Every country can appreciate the visuals of these movies. The weeks other new wide release, 20th Century Foxs animated Mr. Peabody & Sherman, opened in second with $32.5 million. Though the performance was better than some expected, its a relatively low total for a film that cost about $140 million to make. The film is based on the cartoon about a time-traveling boy and his brilliant dog from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Some of the family film market was likely taken by Warner Bros. hit The Lego Movie, which added $11 million in its fifth weekend. The Liam Neeson thriller Non-Stop slid to third place with $15.4 million in the Universal releases second weekend after topping the box office last week. In limited release, The Grand Budapest Hotel made an astounding average of $200,000 on four screens in New York and Los Angeles. Fox Searchlight will expand the film by 65 to 75 theaters next week. The specialty studio also celebrated the best picture Oscar win for 12 Years a Slave with a notable bump of $2.2 million, even though it was released on DVD and video-on-demand Tuesday. That was up 123 percent on the prior weekend for the film, which first opened in November. 12 Years a Slave drew even more international interest, where it made $9.1 million as moviegoers flocked to see the Academy Award winner.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 05:03:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015