Weekend Box Office: June 22-24

  

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  Brave - $66.7 million

2.  Madagascar 3:  Europe's Most Wanted - $20.2 million

3.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - $16.5 million

4.  Prometheus - $10 million

5.  Rock of Ages - $8 million

6.  Snow White and the Huntsman - $8 million

7.  That's My Boy - $7.9 million

8.  The Avengers - $7 million

9.  Men in Black 3 - $5.6 million

10.  Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - $3.8 million

So who said that Pixar couldn't do a princess movie?  Hope you're enjoying your crow right now, since Pixar's Brave opened with a spectacular $66.7 million this weekend.  That's the fifth-best start for a Pixar film, and it continues their perfect streak of opening in first place.  For those keeping score, that's now 13 movies in a row.

With their first female heroine, a stubborn Scottish princess named Merida who must save her family from a witch's curse, cynics still stinging over the disappointment that was last year's Cars 2 cried foul that we might have another dud on our hands, based on the film's admittedly confusing ad campaign.  Certainly, it appeared the critics rather grumpily agreed.   

But they seemed forget a simple fact:  little girls love princess movies, and that moms (and quite a few dads at the show I saw) love having a movie to take their girls to see, which doesn't happen all that often.  Plus, there was plenty in Brave for the whole family, so it had a much wider appeal than originally predicted.  So that's another win for Pixar, and deservedly so.  Brave should hold up nicely in the next few weeks before Ice Age 4 takes over the multiplexes next month.

The news wasn't that great for this weekend's other new releases:  despite the popular novel it's based upon, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter had all kinds of trouble winning audiences with it's bizarre premise, managing only $16.5 million.  It couldn't even outdo Madagascar 3, which in its third weekend earned another $20.2 million.

But even that looked good next to Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, which went almost unnoticed in tenth place with just $3.8 million.

Prometheus passed the $100 million mark this weekend (having sole possession of the IMAX screens at most theaters certainly helps).  At $108.5 million, it's still somewhat of a disappointment domestically, although it has grossed an additional $152 million overseas.  Whether that leads to a sequel is anyone's guess at this point.

Last week's double duds, Rock of Ages and That's My Boy, continued to disappoint this weekend with $8 million and $7.9 million, respectively.  They're also about even with Snow White and the Huntsman, so they may all switch places in the top ten when the actuals come in tomorrow.

Next weekend will be a battle between strippers and foul-mouthed teddy bears (wasn't this what Times Square was like back in the 80s?), as Channing Tatum's Magic Mike and Seth MacFarlane's Ted open in theates.  Also opening is the family drama (comedy?) People Like Us, and the latest in Tyler Perry's Madea saga: Madea's Witness Protection.  So you can't say you don't have some interesting choices next weekend.