The Hunger Games has cemented its position as a true movie powerhouse, managing the increasingly rare feat of staying top of the US box office for three weeks, passing through the $300 million mark as it did so. That puts it ahead of all the Twilight movies’ final tallies, suggesting Lionsgate has something truly exceptional on its hands.
However the real battle of the weekend was between Titanic and American Reunion, with many questioning which would end up in the second spot at the US bo office. In the end it was American Reunion with $21.5 million that won out, which was a long way off the last two theatrical Pie movies, but that’s perhaps not unexpected for a franchise that’s been out of cinemas for a decade.
Titanic came third with $17.3 million over the weekend and $25 million since it opened last Wednesday. It’s not an amazing box office take, but with the Titanic anniversary still to come and overseas reporting healthy business, it’s still likely to be viewed as a success by the end of its run.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of April 6th-8th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | The Hunger Games | $33.5 | $302.8 |
| 2 | American Reunion | $21.5 | $21.5 |
| 3 | Titanic 3D | $17.3 | $25.7 |
| 4 | Wrath Of The Titans | $15.0 | $58.8 |
| 5 | Mirror Mirror | $11.0 | $36.4 |
| 6 | 21 Jump Street | $10.2 | $109.5 |
| 7 | Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax | $5.0 | $198.2 |
| 8 | Salmon Fishing In The Yemen | $0.97 | $4.6 |
| 9 | John Carter | $0.82 | $67.9 |
| 10 | Safe House | $0.58 | $124.7 |
While it dropped nearly 60% from its record-breaking opening, The Hunger Games easily topped the US box office for a second weekend with $61.1 million, marking the seventh highest second-weekend ever.
It’s not often that a studio will come out and say how much money they’re expecting to lose on a particular movie, but it seems Disney knows their losses on John Carter are going to be so big they need to tell investors in the hope of warding off future anger. As a result, the company has released a statement that essentially tells shareholders the film has single-handedly shoved the studio into the red for the next few months.
Thanks to great reviews and strong word of mouth (as well as a lack of other major new openers), 21 Jump Street got off to a great start at the US box office with $35 million, which is one of the biggest openings ever for an R-rated comedy and Jonah Hill’s career best start.
With Disney having spent an estimated $250 million making John Carter, there’s been a lot of eyes on just how much it would make in its opening weekend. There’s no doubt there’ll be some disappointment today at Disney that it didn’t top the US box office in its first three days, which is partly down to a soft opening and partly due to The Lorax continuing to overperform.
From the moment pictures from John Carter started popping up online, it was clear this was Disney’s latest love letter to the male torso, following the Jake Gyllenhaal shirtlessness of Prince Of Persia. However if Prince Of Persia was about lightly furred pecs, John Carter is all about the abs. Indeed, if you look at the costume Taylor Kitsch has to wear when he gets to Mars, it’s pretty much designed to frame his six-pack and give him an excuse not to wear many clothes. He sure looks good though.
