Proving once and for all that, yes, Americans will go see a new movie in theaters, Oblivion trounced its competition, of which there was none. Like Tom Cruise's lonely droid-repairman, the handsomely shot IMAX opus faced the world alone: It was the only wide release of the weekend, which slightly diminishes the impact of the film's solid $38.2 million opening. Worldwide, Oblivion has already recouped its $120 million budget, though that's not taking into account the amount of money Universal has spent plastering Cruise's too-unblemished-for-the-apocalypse mug all over buses, billboards, and prime-time television.
Given the choice between helping fund the future war against Lord Xenu and commemorating an American hero, a heathy number of moviegoers took the latter route. 42, the Jackie Robinson biopic that topped last weekend's box-office, slid into second place with $18 million, bringing its total to about $54 million. That's a little soft for a picture with an "A+" Cinemascore, though bean counters should probably still clear a spot for it in the baseball-movie Hall of Fame. (A League of Their Own's record take of $107 million is within reach.)
America's pastime made a second appearance on the charts in the form of Home Run, a Christian sports drama that managed to rack up $1.6 million in limited release. That was a cool million more than Rob Zombie could manage with his latest, the toil-and-trouble indie The Lords of Salem. The two films opened in roughly the same number of theaters—381 for Home Run, 354 for Lords—which forces us to consider this a victory for good, honest Christian values over faceless, masturbating demon priests. Better luck next time, Satan.
For more detailed numbers, visit Box Office Mojo.