Box Office: "21" holds on to No. 1, beats "Leatherheads"

 

By Franck Tabouring 

Weekend of April 4 - 6

George Clooney’s sports comedy “Leatherheads” failed to kick Robert Luketic’s gambling drama "21" off the throne at the North American box office this weekend.

Universal’s screwball comedy, which stars Clooney as a football coach struggling to save his team from financial ruin, debuted in second place with a weekend gross of $13.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Meanwhile, Sony’s crime drama “21” claimed the top spot for a second straight week with a three-day total of $15.1 million. Starring Jim Sturgess as a talented MIT student who spends his weekend cashing in at Vegas’ hottest casinos, “21” lifted its domestic total to $46.5 million after a strong two-week run.

New entry “Nim’s Island” opened at No. 3, earning $13.3 million from ticket sales at 3,513 locations. Based on a novel by Wendy Orr and directed by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, the family film tells the adventure of a courageous girl who lives on a remote island with her scientist father.

At No. 4, 20th Century Fox’s “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” collected $9.1 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $131.6 million after only four weeks in release. Directed by Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino, the computer-generated film features the voice of Jim Carrey as an eccentric elephant protecting a microscopic community from the brink of disaster.

Paramount’s “The Ruins,” this weekend’s third wide release, debuted in fifth place with $7.8 million. The Carter Smith-directed horror thriller focuses on four American friends who fall victim to an evil force at an archaeological site in Mexico.

“Superhero Movie” slipped to No. 6 this weekend, taking home $5.4 million admissions at 2,965 sites. Craig Mazin’s slapstick comedy, which takes great pleasure in spoofing action blockbusters such as “Batman Begins” and “Spider-Man,” reached a domestic total of $16.8 million after a weak two-week run.

“Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” tumbled to No. 7, pulling $3.5 million and lifting its total haul to 37.7 million. Lionsgate’s family drama stars Angela Bassett as a single mom whose life takes a drastic turn after she inherits a house from a father she’s never met.

At No. 8, Paramount’s comedy “Drillbit Taylor” brought in $3.4 million, while Fox’s horror remake “Shutter” took home $2.8 million in ninth place.

Rounding out the top 10 was Roland Emmerich’s historical epic “10,000 B.C.” which earned $2.7 million and brought its cumulative to $89.3 million after five weeks in release.

Also opening this weekend was Martin Scorcese’s documentary “Shine A Light,” which earned $1.5 million from ticket sales at only 276 theaters. Distributed by Paramount Classic, the film focuses on the Stones’ 2006 concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York.

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

Update on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 6:56AM by Franck Tabouring

Final numbers showed Monday that "Nim's Island" has indeed beaten "Leatherheads at the North American box office this past weekend. "Island" snatched $13.2 million, while Clooney's sports comedy took in $12.7 million.