The Lego Movie, the animated film from Warner Bros., held off two new releases and returning features to lead ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian cinemas for a third straight weekend.
The movie, based on the building blocks, collected about $31 million in domestic sales, Rentrak Corp. said. Two new films, Relativity’s 3 Days to Kill and Columbia’s Pompeii, opened in second and third place, respectively.
The Lego Movie is the top release of 2014, with about $183 million in domestic revenue as of Saturday, according to Box Office Mojo, another researcher.
The picture features the voices of Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman in a story about an evil tyrant, Lord Business, who tries to glue the universe together.
The movie includes appearances by Lego versions of Batman, Abraham Lincoln, the Green Lantern and figures from Star Wars, bringing in characters that appeal to older audiences as well as children. Chris Pratt supplies the voice of Emmet Brickowoski, the ordinary Lego figure thought to be crucial to saving the block toy world.
3 Days to Kill, featuring Kevin Costner, opened with weekend sales of about $12 million.
Costner plays an international spy, Ethan Renner, who is giving up his life of intrigue to build a closer relationship with his estranged daughter. First he must complete a mission: hunting down a ruthless terrorist while looking after his teen daughter Zoey, played by Hailee Steinfeld.
Pompeii, distributed by Columbia, generated ticket sales of about $10 million in its debut, compared with the $9 million estimate of BoxOffice.com. The film features Kit Harington as the slave-gladiator Milo in A.D. 79 as Mount Vesuvius erupts.
Milo is in a race to save his true love, Cassia, played by Emily Browning, who unwillingly weds a corrupt Roman senator.
Among returning films, RoboCop, Columbia’s remake of the 1987 thriller, produced $9.8 million in weekend sales to place fourth in its second weekend. BoxOffice.com was projecting $11.5 million for the film, which was produced with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Strike Entertainment, according to Imdb.com.
The picture, about a part man, part-machine police officer, stars Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) in the title role. Critically injured in the line of duty, he is rebuilt by a technology conglomerate that sees the chance to profit by providing a RoboCop in every city. The movie also features Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton. The Monuments Men, a returning movie, directed by, co-written by and starring George Clooney, took in $7.9 million to place fifth for Columbia. Set during World War II, it follows a group of aging museum directors, curators and art historians in a race to rescue art trapped behind enemy lines as the Third Reich falls. The movie, which also stars Matt Damon and Bill Murray, has taken in $57.8 million in three weeks.
About Last Night, also from Columbia, generated sales of about $7.5 million to place sixth in its second weekend in theaters. BoxOffice.com had forecast revenue of $10.5 million.
The film, starring Kevin Hart, is a remake of the 1986 romantic comedy that starred Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. The new film moves to Los Angeles from Chicago and follows two couples who see their relationships tested in the real world.
MovieStyle, Pages 34 on 02/28/2014