In the run up to the release of The Lego Movie, many wondered whether it would work, but as the ecstatic reviews came in, in seemed Warner Bros might have something special. Audiences seem to have agreed as the film has had a huge US opening, taking $69.1 million in its first three days in cinemas.
It’s the second biggest February opening ever after The Passion Of The Christ and one of the best starts for an animated movie ever. With the film receiving huge amounts of praise it should continue to do well over the coming weeks.
The Monuments Men opened in second spot with $22.7 million. It’s the biggest start for a George Clooney directed film, although with a strong marketing campaign some had expected it to do better. It’s about in line with other recent adult dramas though.
The only other new entry in the top 10 was Vampire Academy, which placed seventh with $4.1 million. Like Beautiful Creatures and Mortal Instruments, it’s another film based on a popular young adult book series that many thought might have franchise potential, but with much buzz it’s sunk without trace.
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of February 7th-9th.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) | Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | The LEGO Movie | $69.1 | $69.1 |
| 2 | The Monuments Men | $22.7 | $22.7 |
| 3 | Ride Along | $9.3 | $105.1 |
| 4 | Frozen | $6.9 | $368.6 |
| 5 | That Awkward Moment | $5.4 | $16.8 |
| 6 | Lone Survivor | $5.2 | $112.5 |
| 7 | Vampire Academy | $4.1 | $4.1 |
| 8 | The Nut Job | $3.8 | $55.0 |
| 9 | Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | $3.6 | $44.4 |
| 10 | Labor Day | $3.2 | $10.1 |
Going into the weekend many had expected That Awkward Moment to top the US box office, but in the end Ride Along hit number 1 for the third week in a row. It took $12.3 million over the weekend, with $92 million in the bank so far. Frozen took second place with $9.3 million, thanks to the release of a sing-along version which pushed its gross up a little from last weekend.
Animation is such a long and expensive process it’s normally only the big boys such as Disney and Pixar who can take on feature-length projects, but a few others do manage to get made, and that’s just what Peter Lepeniotis is doing with The Nut Job.