June 10, 2012 by Vinnie Leduc
A big battle between two 3D newcomers at the domestic box office last weekend ended with a clear winner once the dust settled: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. DreamWorks Animation’s latest CGI family film sequel overcame Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated return to sci-fi in Prometheus, but both films opened strongly.
Madagascar 3 matched Snow White and the Huntsman‘s feat last week, when the darker and hotter version of the classic Grimm fairy tale debuted as the fourth highest opening of 2012 so far (behind The Avengers, The Hunger Games, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax). Prometheus‘ opening was the third-best second-place opening of all time (behind The Day After Tomorrow and Sherlock Holmes) and the 10th highest all-time for an R-rated movie.
The slugfest at the top of the box office left last week’s champ, Snow White and the Huntsman, settling for third place this week. The film is set to already cross the $100 million mark today. Men in Black 3, which has long hit that mark, fell to fourth, and The Avengers rounded out the top five as it nears the $600 million mark. Meanwhile, The Hunger Games became the 14th movie to hit the $400 million mark.
Here were the top five via BOM:
- Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted — Weekend Gross: $60.3 million — Total Gross: $60.3 million (new)
- Prometheus — Weekend Gross: $51.1 million — Total Gross: $51.1 million (new)
- Snow White and the Huntsman — Weekend Gross: $98.5 million — Total Gross: $553 million (#1 last week)
- Men in Black 3 — Weekend Gross: $13.9 million — Total Gross: $135.9 million (#2 last week)
- The Avengers — Weekend Gross: $11.2 million — Total Gross: $572.3 million (#3 last week)
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