Box Office: 'Twilight Saga: Eclipse' rules them all

David Slade's sequel "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" easily smashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a solid $69 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Eclipse" reached a domestic total of $161 million after five days, scoring a weekend average of $15,443 per theater at 4,468 locations. "New Moon" managed to grab $164 million after five days in release.

Also doing surprisingly well was M. Night Shyamalan's big-screen adaptation of "The Last Airbender," which finished second with a three-day gross of $40.6 million. The film's total stands at $57 million.

It really was a busy weekend at the movies, and Pixar's "Toy Story 3" was far behind with its earnings of $30.1 million. The third installment in the animated series finished third with a cume of $289 million.

Slipping to No. 4 was Adam Sandler's comedy "Grown Ups," which took $18.5 million for a domestic total of $77 million. Following with $10.2 million was "Knight and Day," which reached $45.5 million.

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Slow start for 'Knight and Day' at box office

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are back together on the big screen in James Mangold's "Knight and Day," but the action comedy is having a relatively slow start at the box office with $7.2 million in two days.

"Day" opened at 3,024 locations in North America Wednesday, scoring $3.8 million. On Thursday, the film bagged $3.4 million via an average of 1,143 per theater. That was enough to secure the No. 2 spot.

The big winner this week was "Toy Story 3," which continued to grow fast at the box office. Pixar's third installment in the popular series took home $13 million Thursday, lifting its total gross to $167.5 million.

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Box Office: 'Toy Story 3' is a hit with $109M!

The toys are back in action, and they're taking the world by storm. Pixar's "Toy Story 3" took the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend with $109 million in ticket sales, according to estimates.

The third installment in the series opened in 2D and 3D at 4,028 locations, scoring a massive average of $27,061 per theater. Lee Unkrich's film scored the highest opening ever for a film released in June.

Meanwhile, "Jonah Hex," this week's second wide release, only made it to No. 8 after a disappointing performance at 2,825 locations. Starring Josh Brolin, the film pulled $5 million only.

At No. 2, "The Karate Kid" bagged another $29 million, reaching a total of $106.5 after only a little more than one week in release. The remake delivered an average of $7,917 per theater at 3,663 locations.

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'Toy Story 3' leads Friday box office with $41M

Pixar's "Toy Story 3" is officially a hit! The third installment in the popular series of animated flicks debuted at the North American box office with a fantastic $41 million in ticket sales, according to estimates.

That's a big bowl of wow right there, even though we have to remember 3D ticket prices helped boost the opening day gross a lot. "Toy Story 3" scored an average of $10,179 per theater at 4,028 locations.

"Toy Story 3" also brought in a lot more than last year's "Up," which opened at 3,766 locations only back in May 2009. The Lee Unkrich-directed film is likely to generate $120 million this weekend. Nice!

Things aren't looking that well for "Jonah Hex," which tanked with only $1.9 million Friday. The lame action western with Josh Brolin and Megan Fox opened at 2,825 locations, making it only to No. 5.

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'Karate Kid' sequel coming soon?

I know this post almost seems unnecessary, but what the heck. Yes, "The Karate Kid" brought in tons of moola this weekend, and that's the reason Sony is already developing a sequel to the remake.

So, that means we will most likely get to see Jaden Smith battling more bad boys while caring for his mentor and trying to hook up with a chick at the same time. I mean, what else would they shoot for?

Needless to say, Deadline New York says Sony's folks are in talks with writers to come up with the story. I'm sure they couldn't care less about quality, so I guess they're focusing on a delivery dates first.

I admit I didn't hate the "Karate Kid" remake, but I see no reason whatsoever to revisit the punching kung fu dude. Okay, maybe the kids do, but who cares? Read my review of the film right here.

Movie Review: "The Karate Kid"

Seen on: June 13, 2010

The players: Director: Harald Zwart, Writer: Christopher Murphey, Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson

Facts of interest: Zwart also helmed "One Night at McCool's."

The plot: Dre and his mom move to China, where is beaten to the ground and ends up learning kung fu to fight back once and for all.

Our thoughts: In the mood to watch some kids beating the hell out of each other? Then Harald Zwart’s remake of “The Karate Kid” is just the right movie for you. There is indeed a solid dose of hardcore punching and kicking in this family film, and yet viewers young and old keep clapping until the last kid on the big screen is knocked to the ground hard. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

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Box Office: 'Karate Kid' triumphs with $56M!

Sony Pictures's remake of "The Karate Kid" delivered a superb start at the North American box office this weekend with a surprisingly strong $56 million in ticket sales, according to estimates Sunday.

Things didn't go that well for Fox's "The A-Team," which came in second with a total of only $26 million. The adaptation of the former TV series scored an average of $7,355 per theater at 3,535 locations.

Count me among those surprised by the performance of "Karate Kid." The film, which runs 140 minutes, only cost $40 million to make, but with this weekend's take, it's already a proftable reboot.

At No. 3, "Shrek Forever After" finished with $15.8 million, reaching a cume of $210 million. Following in fourth place with $10.1 million was "Get Him to the Greek," which reached a total of $36.5 million.

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What? 'The Karate Kit' is a big hit?

All signs point to it. The reboot of "The Karate Kid" is on a roll, and early estimates show the 140-minute movie starring Jaden Smith bagged a surprising $19 million at the North American box office Friday!

Yep; I agree I didn't see that one coming. I also didn't expect Joe Carnahan's "The A-Team" to disappoint, but according to Deadline Hollywood, the action flick managed to pull only $9.5 million Friday.

All this means "The Karate Kid" could end up taking $52 million this weekend, with "A-Team" making up to $27 million. It will be a step up from what other recent releases have earned on opening weekend.

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New 'Karate Kid' trailer is nothing special

Let me tell you this right away: I've pretty much hated the idea of a new "The Karate Kid" ever since I first heard about it. After a couple of trailers, I still haven't changed my mind, and, oh surprise, this brand-new feature preview hasn't won me over either.

The film, a remake of John G. Avildsen’s 1984 version, follows a boy (Jaden Smith) who gets his ass kicked by some mean Chinese kids and eventually learns all there is to know about karate with the help of a tough but enthusiastic mentor (Jackie Chan).

I agree this trailer boasts some decent visuals in terms of landscapes, but that's pretty much it. Tons of fighting won't do the trick anymore, and at this stage, the new "Karate Kid" looks like it lacks punch and fun. The film is set to open everywhere June 11, 2010.

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'The Karate Kid' remake gets lame trailer

Columbia Pictures decided to develop an unnecessary remake of "The Karate Kid," and a first trailer for the upcoming flick has hit the Web. See it below if you dare, because in my book, this looks lame!

The film, a remake of John G. Avildsen’s 1984 version, follows a bullied boy (Jaden Smith) who learns all there is to know about karate with the help of an enthusiastic mentor (Jackie Chan).

As you can see in this trailer, Smith fancies a chick but gets beat up by a bunch of kids, which leads to a tough training with karate master Chan, who puts on his regular show. None of this looks compelling at all.

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