While many wondered whether the opportune time had passed to capitalize on the massive success of 2006’s 300 with a sequel, it appears that a sizable audience for the franchise still exists. 300: Rise of an Empire earned an impressive $17.7 million on Friday, and while that won’t come close to 300’s insane $70 million weekend, it should be enough to hit a solid $40-$45 million for the weekend. Again, that’s a notable feat given the large time gap in between the original film and the pic’s R-rating, but it was no doubt given a boost by 3D ticket prices. The other new wide release of the weekend was DreamWorks Animation’s Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which debuted with $8 million on Friday and is on track for a modest $30 million weekend. DreamWorks has been pretty hit and miss at the box office lately, but Peabody and Sherman looks to fall somewhere in between.
On the returning films front, Non-Stop dipped 54% in its second week and took in $4.6 million on Friday, while the Biblical saga Son of God saw a large 70% drop from its opening weekend to a $3.2 million take on Friday.
Title |
Friday |
Total |
|
1. |
300: Rise of an Empire |
$17,705,000 |
$17,705,000 |
2. |
Mr. Peabody & Sherman |
$8,000,000 |
$8,000,000 |
3. |
Non-Stop |
$4,700,000 |
$41,439,000 |
4. |
Son of God |
$2,700,000 |
$34,195,000 |
5. |
The LEGO Movie |
$2,660,000 |
$216,627,000 |