Box Office: "10,000 B.C." crushes competition

By Franck Tabouring

Weekend of March 7 - 9

Roland Emmerich’s prehistoric epic “10,000 B.C.” squashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $35.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Released by Warner Bros., the film follows the adventures of a mammoth hunter who embarks on a perilous journey to free his tribe and rescue his loved one. “10,000 B.C.” also opened in 20 international markets, pulling in an additional $25.3 million.

Walt Disney’s “College Road Trip” debuted in second place with an opening weekend gross of $14 million. The Roger Kumble-directed family comedy stars Martin Lawrence as an overprotective father who volunteers to help his daughter (Raven-Saymone) pick the right college.

Dropping to No. 3, Pete Travis’ terrorism thriller “Vantage Point” picked up $7.5 million from ticket sales at 3,163 locations. The Sony action spectacle, which focuses on eight individuals who get tangled up in an assassination attempt on the U.S. president, has lifted its domestic gross to $51.6 million after three weeks in release.

Last week’s box office champion “Semi-Pro” ranked in fourth this weekend, earning $5.9 million. Starring Will Ferrell as the owner of a basketball team, New Line Cinema’s sports comedy reached a total gross of $24.8 million, which is an unusually weak result for a Ferrell flick. 

Opening in fifth place was Lionsgate’s crime thriller “The Bank Job,” which collected $5.7 million. Jason Statham stars as the leader of a gang of amateur robbers who break into the Lloyds Bank in London.

At No. 6, “The Spiderwick Chronicles” took home $4,8 million, bringing its total haul to $61.7 million after a solid four-week run. Directed by Mark Waters, the Paramount family adventure tells the story of three siblings who must protect a magical book from the claws of a ruthless ogre.

Meanwhile, Justin Chadwick’s period drama “The Other Boleyn Girl” tumbled to No. 7 with $4 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $14.6 million. Released by Focus Features, the film stars Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson as two sisters competing for the affection of King Henri VIII (Eric Bana).

Doug Liman’s action blockbuster “Jumper” slipped to No. 8 with $3.7 million, while “Step Up 2 the Streets” finished in ninth place with a weekend gross of $3 million.

Warner’s adventure comedy “Fool’s Gold” rounded out the top ten with $2.8 million. The Andrew Tennant-directed film starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey reached a domestic total of $62.8 million after five weeks in release.

The only other new release this weekend was Focus Features’ “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,” which debuted in eleventh place with $2.5 million in ticket sales from 535 locations.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)