Weekend Box Office: March 2 - 4

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Lorax - $70.7 million

2.  Project X - $20.7 million

3.  Act of Valor - $13.7 million

4.  Safe House - $7.2 million

5.  Tyler Perry's Good Deeds - $7 million

6.  Journey 2: The Mysterious Island - $6.9 million

7.  The Vow - $6.1 million

8.  This Means War - $5.6 million

9.  Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - $4.7 million

10.  The Artist - $3.9 million

His name is The Lorax, and he speaks for the trees...and a crapload of people showed up to listen this weekend as the animated version of Dr. Suess' classic environmental tale earned a whopping $70.7 million this weekend.  That's the biggest opening of 2012 so far, and the sixth-biggest opening for an animated film of all time.  Lou Dobbs must be pissed.  But I bet Universal has already started looking into how to stretch Green Eggs & Ham into a full-length animated movie next.

Project X proved yet again that people are not quite sick of the whole found-footage genre, as that house-party-gone-viral project earned $20.7 million, make it it third straight shaky cam film (behind The Devil Inside and Chronicle) this year to open with more than $20 million.  With a budget of only $12 million, this is already a nice little hit.

Last week's winner, Act of Valor, only dipped a respectable 44% in its second weekend, earning $13.7 million to bring its domestic total up to $45 million.  This one is also budgeted at $12 million, so that's a big win for the Navy SEALs action spectacle.

Denzel Washington is still cleaning up the box office with Safe House, as that film has now grossed a very successful $108 million.

This is also marks the first time a Tyler Perry movie didn't fade into obscurity in its second weekend, although Good Deeds is not big hit for a Perry film with only $25 million earned so far.

And...is that The Artist I see in the top ten?  It's about time.  Fresh off its Best Picture win at the Oscars last week, the little silent film that could has earned just $37 million. 

Next week could be a tough one for 2012's excellent box office streak, as the big-budgeted John Carter is expected to be a spectacular misfire on its opening weekend.  But there's a little movie called The Hunger Games not too far away, so if John Carter flops as predicted, just consider it a bump in the road.