'Rock of Ages,' 'That's My Boy' no match for holdovers

This weekend's two wide releases both tanked, failing to unseat either of last week's debuts.

"Rock of Ages" had to settle for third.

"Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" remained at the top, dropping only 41 percent from its opening tally with $35.5 million. It's 10 days total now sits at $120 million.

Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" also held onto its number two position, picking up $20 million (a drop of 60 percent) for a total of $88 million.

The musical adaptation of "Rock of Ages," featuring an ensemble cast led by Tom Cruise, had to settle for third place with $15 million. The musical was made for $75 million.

"Snow White and the Huntsman" fell one spot from last week, grossing $13.8 million for a three week total of $122 million.

Adam Sandler's latest comedy "That's My Boy" rounded out the top five in its debut, picking up $13 million on a budget of $70 million.

Meanwhile, Marvel's "The Avengers" continues to close in on $600 million, grossing $8.8 million in its seveth weekend for a domestic total of $586 million.

The only film to see a week-to-week increase in its returns was Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom," which is continuing its slow expansion, adding 82 theaters this weekend and taking home $2.1 million for a total of $6.7 million.


The complete list of the weekend's top 10 grossing films is:

1. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," $60.3 million (Total: $120.4 million)
2. "Prometheus," $50 million (Total: $88.8 million)
3. "Rock of Ages," $15 million (New)
4. "Snow White and the Huntsman," $13.8 million (Total: $122.6 million)
5. "That's My Boy," $13 million (New) 
6. "MIB 3," $10 million (Total: $152.6 million)
7. "Marvel's The Avengers," $8.8 million (Total: $586.7 million)
8. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," $2.2 million (Total: $35.1 million)
9. "Moonrise Kingdom," $2.1 million (Total: $6.7 million)
10. "What to Expect When You're Expecting," $1.3 million (Total: $38.7 million)

'Madagascar' ecapes from 'Prometheus' to earn top spot at weekend box office

Two new movies left their mark at the domestic box office this weekend with the animated "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" topping Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" $60 million to $50 million.

The film grossed $60 million.

For the former, the receipts were down slightly from 2009's "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," which earned $63 million on a much less crowded February weekend. That film went on to gross $180 million domestically and $423 million worldwide.

As for "Prometheus," the sci-fi thriller's $50 million was the fourth highest opening weekend ever to not land in the top spot behind "The Day After Tomorrow," "Sherlock Holmes" and "Wanted." Compared to the "Alien" films, it is by far the highest opening weekend, but since the last film hit theaters 15 years ago, it's not exactly a fair comparison (that's leaving out the "AVP" films, but "Prometheus" dominated them as well).

Last week's number one, "Snow White and the Huntsman," fell to third with $23 million, a 59 percent drop from its debut. It has held up solidly overseas, and the film has grossed $182 million worldwide to date on a reported budget of $170 million (excluding marketing). That should make Universal feel better about its decision to pursue a sequel to the fairy tale film.

"MIB 3" earned $13.5 million for a total of $135 million in domestic markets, but it's done much better overseas, grossing $352 million for a worldwide total of $487 million. The film reported cost $225 million.

Rounding out the top five was Marvel's "The Avengers," which continued to pad its position as third on the all-time domestic and worldwide lists with another $10.8 million over the weekend. It's totals now stand at $571 million domestically and $1.39 billion worldwide. It trails only "Titanic" and "Avatar" on both lists.

Also worth noting is director Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom," which has been turning heads by grossing massive amounts of money in only a handful of screens. It expanded slightly this weekend to 96 theaters, where it grossed $1.5 million, good enough to crack the top 10.

The complete list of the weekend's top 10 grossing films is:

1. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," $60.3 million (New)
2. "Prometheus," $50 million (New)
3. "Snow White and the Huntsman," $23 million (Total: $98.5 million)
4. "MIB 3," $13.5 million (Total: $135.5 million)
5. "Marvel's The Avengers," $10.8 million (Total: $571.8 million)
6. "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," $3.2 million (Total: $31 million)
7. "What to Expect When You're Expecting," $2.7 million (Total: $35.7 million)
8. "Battleship," $2.2 million (Total: $59.8 million) 
9. "The Dictator," $2.1 million (Total: $55.1 million)
10. "Moonrise Kingdom," $1.5 million (Total: $3.7 million)

Ridley Scott returning to 'Blade Runner'

Director Ridley Scoot looks to continue his trip down memory lane with the announcement today he is set to helm a follow up to his own ground-breaking 1982 science fiction classic “Blade Runner” for Warner Bros-based financing and production company Alcon Entertainment (“The Blind Side,” “The Book of Eli”).

The original film was released in 1982.

According to a release from the studio, Alcon co-founders and co-chief executive officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove will produce with Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin, along with Scott. Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEOs of Thunderbird Films, will serve as executive producers.

The filmmakers have not yet revealed whether the theatrical project will be a prequel or sequel to the renowned original. There is also no word whether Harrison Ford, who played Richard Deckard in the original, will be involved with the new project.

Scott's "Prometheus" is currently in post-production. The film, starring Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Wilson, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and Noomi Rapace, was originally going to be a prequel to Scott's "Alien," but "Lost" writer Damon Lindelof came on board offering a fresh take and the project went into a different direction. According to reports, the film will still contain some ties to the "Alien" universe, but is now considered an original work.