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'Watchmen' saves weekend box office at No. 1
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Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) and The Comedian
(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) celebrate the success of
Warner Bros. Pictures' Watchmen.
As expected, Watchmen saved the weekend box office, breaking numerous records on its path to glory.
Based on one of the most popular graphic novels of all time, Watchmen stars an ensemble cast that includes Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode and Patrick Wilson as a batch of masked vigilantes. The Warner Bros. motion picture rounded up $55.7 million during the past three days, according to studio estimates.
With those numbers, the flick managed the 12th-highest grossing opening weekend for the comic book genre. It also had the sixth-highest grossing opening weekend for any R-rated movie. In the film, a plot to kill and discredit all superheroes is uncovered as a group of retired vigilantes attempt to track down the mastermind behind the plan and decide whether the world's dismal future is worth saving.
It was a long way down to second place, where Madea Goes to Jail took in $8.8 million, suffering yet another 46 percent dip from last week. The Lionsgate comedy, which stars Tyler Perry in the popular role of Madea – a tough grandmother who winds up behind bars as a result of anger mismanagement – now has a more than respectable three-week total of about $76.5 million.
Twentieth Century Fox's Taken rose back up to third place after six weeks in theaters. Its $7.5 million weekend brings its total gross so far to more than $118 million. The nonstop action thriller features Liam Neeson as a former “preventer” with the United States government who sets off on a destructive mission to save his kidnapped daughter.
Fox Searchlight's Slumdog Millionaire dropped one spot on the chart and now sits at No. 4. Still reaping the benefits of eight Oscar wins – including best picture, the romantic drama brought in another $6.9 million this weekend. Its new total sits at $125.4 million. The motion picture tells the uplifting story of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who somehow manages to find himself one question away from winning 20 million rupees on India's Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Like Taken, Sony Pictures' comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop continues its eight-week winning streak, rounded out the top earners in fifth place with about $4.2 million. The Kevin James-led movie has made $133.6 million to date. It is the highest grossing motion picture of 2009 so far.
In other news, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, which is in only its second week in theaters, dropped a dismal 78 percent. Coming in at ninth place, the Walt Disney Pictures flick only added $2.8 million to its total this weekend. Twentieth Century Fox's Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li suffered a nearly equally depressing drop – 71 percent – clocking in at No. 14 with less than $1.4 million.
Rounding out this weekend's top 10 were Warner Bros. Pictures' He's Just Not That Into You with $4 million at No. 6, Focus Features' Coraline with $3.3 million at No. 7, Buena Vista's Confessions of a Shopaholic with $3.1 million at No. 8 and Screen Gems' Fired Up with $2.6 million at No. 10.
1. Watchmen, $55.6 million
2. Madea Goes to Jail, $8.8 million
3. Taken, $7.5 million
4. Slumdog Millionaire, $6.9 million
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop, $4.2 million
6. He's Just Not That Into You, $4 million
7. Coraline, $3.3 million
8. Confessions of a Shopaholic, $3.1 million
9. Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, $2.8 million
10. Fired Up, $2.6 million
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