Woo-hoo.  Folks, it looks like 2011 has indeed soared to its first big weekend win in months on the wings of Fox’s Rio.  The 3D animated toon rose from the ashes of a lower than expected Friday figure to earn an estimated $40 million for the three day frame.  Unfortunately, there was not a lot of love left over for Wes Craven’s Scream 4 but, no matter!  The weekend should still end up ahead of last year by approximately 12%.

Remember how box office watchers were counting on this weekend to become 2011’s very first big winner?  A frame whose combined grosses would finally top 2010’s?  With two high profile releases – Rio and Scream 4 – that seemed a reasonable conclusion and it still appears doable.  Unfortunately, Friday’s estimates suggest that it will not be the unqualified rout we expected considering that last April’s strongest contender was Kick-Ass.  Fox is reporting a $10.2 million opening for Rio from 3,826 locations (well over half of those in 3D).  That is not much above the $9.6 million debut of the year’s top opener Rango, which had no 3D price boost in its favor.  Projections originally put Rio above Rango’s weekend total but it now appears that the toon will end up well below that $38.1 figure.  Meanwhile Scream 4, which many believed would win Friday, pulled in an estimated $8.3 million from 3,305 locations.  That puts the sequel on track for a $22 million weekend – well below even the most conservative early projections.  Finally, three films are statistically tied for fourth place with Soul Surfer, Hanna and Arthur all estimated in the $2.1 million range for Friday while The Conspirator debuted at number ten with $1.7 million.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

Universal’s Hop has just earned 2011’s highest debut weekend – if today’s estimate of $38.1 million from 3,579 locations proves accurate. For now the three-day estimate for the live-action/CGI-animated comedy stands less than one million ahead of Rango’s record from five weeks back.

The international trailer for 20^th Century Fox’s upcoming animated film Rio has been released. This trailer delves rather deeply into the plot and gives a sense of what the actual movie will be like (two rare birds must mate, but one is super awkward, both get kidnapped, etc.). From the creators of Ice Age, the film features the voice talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez. Rio hits theaters in 3D on April 8^th. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

If you skipped Super Bowl XLV but wanted to see all the movie ads, you’re in the right place.  That’s because while we already posted Super 8, Captain America: The First Avenger, Transformers: Dark of The Moon, Cowboys & Aliens, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Thor, the studios also aired ads for Battle: Los Angeles, Priest, Limitless, Rio, Rango, Fast Five, The Adjustment Bureau, Drive Angry 3D, and Just Go With It.  If you’d like to check them out, hit the jump:

People love the video game Angry Birds and they love Super Bowl ads so Fox is hoping that love spills over to their upcoming animated film Rio.  In an inventive bit of marketing, the 4th quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV will have an ad for the upcoming Angry Birds Rio game.  The ad will include a code that will unlock a secret level in Angry Birds.  The LA Times reports that the unlockable level will also “take Angry Birds users to a Rio sweepstakes, which features a prize of a trip to the “Rio” movie world premiere in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 22 — the same day the Angry Birds Rio game launches.”  If you miss the ad during the game, it will be posted on YouTube after it airs on TV.

Rio is due out in 3D on April 15th.  The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Leslie Mann, Jermanine Clement, and Rodrigo Santoro.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of the film.

The other day, 20^th Century Fox hosted a special presentation of footage from the upcoming animated feature Rio, due out in theaters on April 15^th. Prior to a Brazilian celebration that kept in theme with the event, director Carlos Saldanha (known for the Ice Age films) enlisted the help of voice actors Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez to introduce clips of each of the main characters and give members of the press an overview of what audiences can expect from the vibrant and fun film that includes song and dance numbers, featuring its stars.

Rio tells the story of Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, who travels to Rio de Janeiro, where he meets the fiercely independent Jewel (Hathaway). The two take off on an adventure that will lead them to make new friends, band together to fight common enemies, explore their feelings for each other, and follow their dreams.

Following the presentation, the director and actors held a press conference to discuss the process of making the film, the appeal of voice-over work and recording the music that gives the story a real flavor. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

The first two minutes of the upcoming animated film Rio have been released by 20^th Century Fox. The film follows a pair of two rare birds who must meet up in order to mate. Rio features the voice talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez. The film hits theaters in 3D on April 8^th. Hit the jump to watch the opening two minutes of the film.

We have a slew of new posters for you today from three animated films opening this year. Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 opens in 3D on June 24^th and features Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy and Michael Caine as voice actors. Mater and Lightning McQueen travel across the globe to compete in the World Grand Prix, getting caught up in international espionage along the way. Walt Disney Pictures’ Winnie the Pooh returns to the screen after 35 years with an all new adventure on July 15^th.

Finally, 20^th Century Fox and the team behind the Ice Age movies brings us Rio, featuring the voice talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and Neil Patrick Harris. The film tells the story of a rare bird (Eisenberg) who must learn to fly in order to reach Rio de Janero where he must mate with the last remaining female of his kind. Rio opens on April 15^th.

Hit the jump to check out a new international poster and character shots for Cars 2, a new poster for Winnie the Pooh, and four new character posters for Rio.

20th Century Fox has moved two of its April 2011 releases back a week. Rio has been moved to April 15th, where it faces Scream 4 and Soul Surfer.  The animated film centers on two rare macaws — the last of their kind — on an adventure in Brazil.  Rio features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx.

Water for Elephants has been bumped to April 22nd, where it faces African Cats, Born to Be a Star, and Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family.  The period piece is an adaptation of the acclaimed bestseller about a young veterinary student who falls in love with a circus performer.  Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, and Christoph Waltz star.  Hit the jump for the official synopses.

A new trailer has gone online for the animated film Rio.  Like this year’s animated family film Alpha and Omega, Rio centers on a pair of animals who are trying to fuck.  Okay, that might be a bit of an over-simplification.  They’re a pair of rare macaws (voiced by Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg) who are brought together to mate but are then kidnapped so they can be sold on the bird black market.  Judging by the trailer, it could be amusing.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars the voices of George Lopez, Jemaine Clement, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, and Jamie Foxx.  It’s set to open in 3D on April 8th.

The teaser trailer for Rio, the new film from Blue Sky (they made the Ice Age movies), has gone online.  The 3D animated film is a comedy-adventure-love story between two rare macaws (voiced by Neil Patrick Harris and Anne Hathaway).  The film is set in Rio de Janeiro.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed for City of God references.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with the official synopsis.  Rio is slated to hit theaters in 3D on April 8, 2011.