Listen closely and you can hear the womp wooommp coming out of Universal HQ from miles away -- that's the refrain of the day as Tower Heist underperformed its way into second place behind the incredibly resilient Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots. Faring as well as could be reasonably expected in both films' shadows, find the latest Harold & Kumar installment. Your Weekend Receipts are here.
1. Puss in Boots
Gross: $33,000,000 ($75,500,000)
Screens: 3,963 (PSA $8,927)
Weeks: 2 (Change: -2%)
First, I need to admit that I was wrong last week when writing about the audience for this film. It's bigger than my hunch allowed, and I apologize to you, to Jeffrey Katzenberg, to Antonio Banderas and everyone offended by my gross misjudgment. Now that we've cleared that up, holy shit, America, a 2 percent drop? I know this nation loves its 3-D animated saber-wielding feline Lotharios and everything, but wow. Anyway, DreamWorks Animation might as well get a Donkey spinoff going, because...
2. Tower Heist
Gross: $25,100,000 (new)
Screens: 3,367 (PSA $7,454)
Weeks: 1
...Eddie Murphy needs a little more muscular image boost ahead of the Oscars. Brett Ratner's cross-promotional awardscast/blockbuster master plan is looking like a whiff presently; it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, either. Ahem. Ron Meyer holding on line one.
3. A Very Harold & Kumar 3-D Christmas
Gross: $13,100,000 (new)
Screens: 2,875 (PSA $4,556)
Weeks: 1
Don't let the middling per-screen average fool you: As films in the burgeoning "Get the Toddler High" subgenre of stoner flicks go, this is a box-office milestone. Coming soon: Three Men and a Crack Baby. In 3-D!
4. Paranormal Activity 3
Gross: $8,500,000 ($95,300,000)
Screens: 3,286 (PSA $2,586)
Weeks: 3 (Change: -54%)
Whatever.
5. In Time
Gross: $7,700,000 ($36,000,000)
Screens: 3,127 (PSA $2,462)
Weeks: 2 (Change: -36%)
Not a bad hold for week two -- and it didn't even need 3-D or a cat with a sword or a number in the title. I guess I owe Justin Timberlake an apology now, too. My bad, JT! You should still make a new album, though.
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