Brand doubles up as Hop, Arthur lead weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The good news for Russell Brand is that his animated comedy Hop remains the top movie for the second-straight weekend with $21.7 million.
The bad news is that his new live-action comedy Arthur could not jump as high as Hop.
The Warner Bros remake of Dudley Moore’s 1981 romance about a rich, drunken man-child finally learning to grow up, Arthur was a distant second with a modest debut of $12.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Opening close behind at No 3 with $12.3 million was Focus Features’ Hanna, the tale of a teenager trained as a killing machine that stars Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan.
Sony’s Soul Surfer debuted at No 4 with $11.1 million. The movie features AnnaSophia Robb in the real-life story of a surfer struggling toward a comeback after losing an arm in a shark attack.
The weekend’s other new wide release, Universal’s medieval action comedy Your Highness, opened at No 6 with $9.5 million, weak results given a cast that includes James Franco and Natalie Portman.
With a solid second weekend, Brand’s Easter bunny tale Hop raised its 10-day total to $68.2 million. With Easter two weeks away, the Universal release still has room to roam at the box office.
“I’m so thrilled that we’re so far ahead of the pack,” said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal.
The poor results for Your Highness dimmed the mood at the studio, which had hoped more young males would turn out for the tale starring Franco, Portman and Danny McBride in a blend of supernatural action and frat-boy raunchiness.
