Ron Howard’s Angels & Demons topped the North American box office with $48 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The latest big-screen adaptation of one of Dan Brown’s popular novels struggled to beat J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek (above, top photo), which came in a close second with another $43 million this weekend. The sci-fi reboot’s domestic total currently stands at $147.6 million.
In Angels & Demons, Tom Hanks (above, lower photo, with Ayelet Zurer) reprises his role as professor Robert Langdon, who heads to the Vatican to solve a murder and help prevent a ruthless terrorist attack. The film scored $29 million less on opening weekend than its predecessor, The Da Vinci Code.
At No. 3, Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, and Liev Schreiber, collected $14.8 million, lifting its total haul to $151 million after three weeks in release. The film’s domestic gross has already surpassed its estimated $150 million budget.
Meanwhile, Mark Waters’ latest romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner, dropped to fourth place with $6.8 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $40 million after a decent three-week run.
Following at No. 5 with a weekend gross of $4.5 million was Obsessed, which brought its cume to $62.5 million. In the thriller, Beyoncé Knowles goes head to head with Ali Larter, who plays a temp stalking Knowles' husband.
Zac Efron’s teen comedy 17 Again took home another $3.4 million in sixth place, reaching a domestic total of $58.3 million. At No. 7, Monsters vs. Aliens picked up $3 million for a cumulative gross of $190.5 million.
At No. 8, Joe Wright’s drama The Soloist earned $2.4 million for a cume of $27.5 million. Robert Downey Jr. stars as a Los Angeles Times columnist who befriends a homeless man with a striking musical talent (Jamie Foxx).
Rounding out the top 10 were Next Day Air, which reached a domestic total of a paltry $7.6 million after weekend earnings of $2.2 million in ninth place, and Earth, which pulled $1.6 million for a total of $29 million at No. 10.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
Hmm…I think Tom Hanks perfectly suits the role of Robert Langdon but Angels could have been prologue of Code…and what an awesome movie!! I like the character of Robert Langdon very much. Angel and Demons surely is in my top list too. Star Trek has maintained its spellbound special effects as always. But where Angels and Demons score over Star Trek is the story. The story is quit thrilling and makes you sit all throughout the movie.
http://www.trackle.com/catalog/movies