Holiday weekends have not been terribly festive for Hollywood lately, but this Easter proved an exception, with all three of the top movies bringing in healthy returns. Falling off just 31% from its opening, the animated time-passer Rio collected $26.8 million in its second weekend, and should cross the $100 million threshold by this time next week. The news was even better for Tyler Perry’s Medea’s Big Happy Family, which likely cost a quarter of Rio’s budget, but very nearly took #1 with $25.75 million, despite being more or less the same movie Perry has made 17 times already. The adaptation of the best-selling Water For Elephants overcame tepid notices to score $17.5 million for third—not world-beating numbers, but a solid start for a drama that’s likely to hold a steadier audience than, say, a Scream 4.
In limited release, Atlas Shrugged, Part I added screens yet dropped nearly 50% in grosses anyway, adding less than $1 million to a paltry $3 million in cumulative grosses. Happily, Tea Party types have found ways to make $3 million sound like $300 million, so a Part II seems likely, in defiance of free market principles. There was bad news on the other side of the political spectrum, too, as Morgan Spurlock’s latest, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, netted a relatively shaky $7,500 per screen, despite kinder-than-usual reviews and a marketing blitz about its marketing blitz. (Though the product placement seems likely to offset any losses.) The Oscar-nominated Incendies fared better, scoring a week-best $18,200 per screen on three screens.
For more detailed numbers, visit Box Office Mojo.