Max Irons, Shiloh Fernandez, Red Riding Hood
If the North American box-office was sleepy on Wednesday, it was snoring on Thursday, March 17. Perhaps the blame should be placed on St. Patrick’s Day, as most people surely chose partying over moviegoing. Every single movie was down on the top-twelve chart, even though generally box-office figures are up on Thursdays. Even so, figures were up 28% compared to Thursday last week.
Of note, Gore Verbinski’s animated feature Rango topped the chart for the first time since last Thursday. Featuring the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fischer, Abigail Breslin, and Ned Beatty, Rango collected $2.04m according to Box Office Mojo.
Down one spot at no. 2, Battle: Los Angeles took in $2.02m The action-sci-fier features Aaron Eckhart, Ramon Rodriguez, Gino Anthony Pesi, Cory Hardrict, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, and Michelle Rodriguez. On Thursday, Battle: Los Angeles was down 33% compared to Monday.
Directed by Twilight’s Catherine Hardwicke, and starring Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman, Red Riding Hood brought in $1m at no. 3. Also in the Red Riding Hood cast: The Twilight Saga’s Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, Lukas Haas, Julie Christie, Max Irons, and Shiloh Fernandez.
The Adjustment Bureau, starring Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and veteran Terence Stamp, drew $897k at no. 4. Damon’s thriller thus fell below the $1m-per-day mark for the first time on Day 14.
At no. 5, Disney’s animated 3D feature Mars Needs Moms grossed $720k. After seven days, the Robert Zemeckis-produced, Simon Wells-directed, $150m-budgeted Mars Needs Moms has finally passed the $10m mark domestically. Total: $10.08m. Overseas (up to March 13), Mars Needs Moms has taken in $2.1m in seven (mostly small to mid-sized) territories.
Next in line were James McAvoy’s Gnomeo & Juliet with $514k at no. 6 and Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens‘ Beastly with $485k at no. 7.
Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly’s Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis, scored $423k at no. 8.
Rounding out the top twelve were Jennifer Aniston-Adam Sandler’s Just Go with It with $393k, Liam Neeson-Diane Kruger‘ Unknown with $318k, Colin Firth-Helena Bonham Carter’s The King’s Speech with $317k, Alex Pettyfer’s I Am Number Four with $280k.
Among the top twelve movies, Battle: Los Angeles had the highest per-theater average, $592. Unknown had the lowest, $138.
Also among the top-twelve, Battle: Los Angeles posted the steepest Wednesday-to-Thursday drop-off rate, -21.5%. I Am Number Four posted the lowest, -10%.
Photo: Red Riding Hood (Kimberley French / Warner Bros.)