Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Hall Pass
Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly’s Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, and Richard Jenkins, topped the tepid North American box office for the fourth day in a row on Thursday, Mar 3. The lowbrow comedy took in $1.04m according to Box Office Mojo.
No doubt, that was Hall Pass‘ last day at the top. Featuring the voices of Johnny Depp and others, the Paramount/DreamWorks animated feature Rango is expected to be no. 1 — with anywhere between $35m and $45m — on the first weekend of March. Matt Damon’s The Adjustment Bureau should land in second place with about $17m-$20m.
Also debuting this weekend are Take Me Home Tonight, with Topher Grace, and Beastly, starring Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens. Each is expected to gross $6m-$8m.
At no. 2 on Thursday, Jaume Collet-Serra’s thriller Unknown, starring Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella, Sebastian Koch, and Bruno Ganz, collected $833k.
Tom Hooper’s Best Picture Oscar winner The King’s Speech, starring Best Actor winner Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, drew $750k.
Up one spot, the Jennifer Aniston-Adam Sandler comedy Just Go with It pulled in $712k at no. 4.
Down one spot at no. 5, D. J. Caruso’s I Am Number Four grossed $702k. The sci-fi-thriller features Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, and Dianna Agron.
I Am Number Four was followed by Gnomeo & Juliet, featuring songs by Elton John, and the voices of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Matt Lucas, and Maggie Smith, with $601k at no. 6.
Next in line were the 3D Justin Bieber documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never with $389k at no. 7 and the Nicolas Cage action-comedy Drive Angry 3D with $363k at no. 8.
Rounding out the top twelve were Martin Lawrence’s Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son with $300k, Jeff Bridges-Hailee Steinfeld’s True Grit with $142k, Channing Tatum’s The Eagle with $137k, Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher’s No Strings Attached with $135k.
The Eagle’s return to the top-twelve chart — even if only for one day — was unexpected. It replaced Mark Wahlberg-Amy Adams‘ The Fighter, down at no. 13 on Thursday.
Among the top-twelve movies, Hall Pass had the highest per-theater average, $354. The Eagle had the lowest, $88.
Also among the top-twelve, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never posted the highest Wednesday-to-Thursday attendance increase, +9%. Hall Pass and Drive Angry 3D were the only two movies among the top-twelve to be (slightly) down on Thursday, -0.5% and -4%, respectively.
Photo: Hall Pass (Peter Iovino / Warner Bros.)