Box Office: The Lego Movie Has “Awesome” Weekend, Monuments Men A Solid #2, Vampire Academy Bites

Box Office, Columns, News, Top Story

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Emmet seems super excited about being the star of the #1 Movie in America.

The Lego Movie (read my review) is what happens when nostalgia and pop culture collide to make something awesome. You can try to sell a movie property on nostalgia alone, but oftentimes people won’t buy it. It takes a person (or in this case, persons) who can subvert a property and make it something truly unique. Those interlocking plastic bricks have been around over a half century to become part of pop culture. And if these estimated box office results remain, well, it would seem that every family went to see Warner Bros.’ Lego feature. With an estimated take of $69.1 million – including a phenomenal $30.9 million on Saturday – we got the best performing February release in a decade. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ opened to $83 million back in 2004. With strong word-of-mouth, critical buzz and an aggravating yet catchy theme song, which coincidentally sums up the film perfectly (“Everything Is Awesome”), you can expect this one to be in the Top 5 well into March. It’s only true competition in the weeks to come is DreamWorks’ Mr. Peabody & Sherman (March 7th) and Muppets Most Wanted (March 21st).

Coming in a distant second with $22 million, but still a solid debut was George Clooney’s The Monuments Men (read Scott Sawitz’s review). With families venturing to The Lego Movie, it meant that older folks without children in tow went to see this World War II dramedy. Playing well to the over-35 crowd with half being female, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox better hope those ladies tell their gal pals to see it if there’s a chance to recoup its reported $70 million budget.

Also opening, but to dismal returns was The Weinstein Company’s Vampire Academy. Barely promoted and not-screened-for-press, this Young Adult hopeful proved that vampires aren’t “so fetch” anymore. It finished with a disappointing $4.1 million. In terms of milestones, the Kevin Hart/Ice Cube comedy Ride Along coasted through the $100 million mark. Frozen is now tied with the likes of Toy Story and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for spending 12 consecutive weeks in the Top 10, it’s tied with Avatar and a few others with spending 12 consecutive weeks in the top five. If it can hold out for two more weeks, it will become the first animated feature to spend the most consecutive weeks in the top five.

A complete breakdown of the Top 10 below.


1. The Lego Movie (Warner Bros.) – $69.1 Million
2. The Monuments Men (Sony) – $22.7 Million
3. Ride Along (Universal) – $9.3 Million ($105.1M)
4. Frozen (Buena Vista) – $6.9 Million ($913.7M worldwide)
5. That Awkward Moment (Focus Features) – $5.5 Million ($16.8M)
6. Lone Survivor (Universal) – $5.2 Million ($112.5M)
7. Vampire Academy (The Weinstein Company) – $4.1 Million
8. The Nut Job – $3.8 Million ($55M)
9. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Paramount) – $3.6 million ($44.4M)
10. Labor Day (Paramount) – $3.2 Million ($10.1M)

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!