Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is no longer king at the box office. That honor belongs to 21 Jump Street, the new action comedy starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. The film based on the late eighties/early nineties television series earned $35 million this weekend, besting The Lorax by over $10 million.
“The guys, Jonah and Channing, were just killer together,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. “They had incredible chemistry and certainly were the attraction for younger crowds.’’
The Lorax still performed well, placing second with earnings of $22.8 million. Though no longer number one, the film has performed spectacularly with total gross earnings of $158 million. Taylor Swift and Zac Efron lend their voice to the quirky flick.
As for the other box office performers, Disney’s John Carter placed third with earnings of $13.5 million, while Project X placed fourth with a take of $4 million. Eddie Murphy’s A Thousand Words, which placed sixth last week, rounds out the top five with $3.7 million in gross earnings.
Act of Valor fell to number six ($3.6 million), while Safe House placed seventh ($2.8 million). Meanwhile, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island spent its sixth week at the box office at number eight with earnings of $2.4 million.
Newcomer Casa Mi Padre placed ninth over the weekend, raking in $2.2 million. Though that number might sound low, it isn’t bad considering the Spanish-language flick starring Will Ferrell only opened in 382 theatres. All of the other films on the list appeared in at least 1,600 theatres, with many playing in at least 3,000 (or nearly so). This Means War rounds out the list of top ten box office earners with a weekend gross of $2.1 million.
The Hunger Games opens in theatres this Friday, and the film’s box office figures are supposed to be huge. Perhaps even Twilight huge. If the film doesn’t easily open at number one I’ll eat my hat and dance naked in rush hour traffic.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Boston.com