Wreck-It Ralph certainly got a good start this weekend, with the highest opening ever for a non-Pixar Disney animated movie. The film took $49.1 million, just ahead of Tangled’s $48.8 million debut. It’s a great start, helped by the fact it appealed to both boys and girls, and with little to challenge it in the family demographic over the next few weeks, it should have strong legs.
Robert Zemeckis’ return to live action, Flight, was no slouch either, with the Denzel Washington starring film taking a far better than expected $25.1 million in its first three days. On a per-theater average, that’s actually better than Wreck-It Ralph, as going against the conventional wisdom that for a big opening you need 3000+ screens, Flight opened on just 1800. It’s particularly good as well for an R rated movie with mixed reviews.
The final new entry on the chart was RZA’s directorial debut, The Man With The Iron Fists, which placed fourth with $8.2 million. Although about what was expected, it’s not a great start, although it’s always been thought the stylised kung-fu action would play better outside the US.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of November 2nd-4th:
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | Wreck-It Ralph | $49.1 | $49.1 |
| 2 | Flight | $25.0 | $25.0 |
| 3 | Argo | $10.2 | $75.8 |
| 4 | The Man With The Iron Fists | $8.2 | $8.2 |
| 5 | Taken 2 | $6.0 | $125.6 |
| 6 | Cloud Atlas | $5.2 | $18.2 |
| 7 | Hotel Transylvania | $4.5 | $137.4 |
| 8 | Paranormal Activity 4 | $4.3 | $49.5 |
| 9 | Here Comes The Boom | $3.6 | $35.5 |
| 10 | Silent Hill: Revelation | $3.3 | $13.9 |
It was certainly a slow weekend at the US box office, with no new movie coming that really excited audiences. It allowed Argo, which has been showing strong legs, to top the box office on its third week of release. Ben Affleck’s film dropped only 24% from last weekend to add another $12 million, for a total of $60 million so far.