Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig and Dwayne Johnson from Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain." (AP Photo/Disney, Ron Phillips)Movies: 'Watchmen' is No. 2, `Last House' is at No. 3 and `Miss March' is No. 10.
By Derrik J. Lang
Associated Press
Disney's "Race to Witch Mountain" rushed to No.1 at the weekend box office, bypassing expectations with $25 million in ticket sales.
The PG-rated sci-fi flick starring Dwayne Johnson as a cab driver with a pair of alien teenagers along for the ride topped the R-rated superhero epic "Watchmen," which earned $18.1 million in its second week.
Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group, said analysts had predicted that "Race to Witch Mountain," director Andy Fickman's re-imagination of the 1975 live-action film "Escape to Witch Mountain," would fly away with $20 million or less. Now he expects this "Witch Mountain" to maintain a high orbit in theaters with kids on spring break.
"I think audiences this weekend were really drawn to the action adventure of `Race to Witch Mountain,"' said Zoradi. "There was also this element of parents over 30 who remembered the original and were drawn to this one, so I think that combination is what helped us exceed what folks in the industry thought this movie was going to do."
Ticket sales for "Watchmen" plummeted 67 percent from last weekend's $55.2 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. Jeff Goldstein with Warner Bros. said the studio anticipated the big dip for director Zack Snyder's comic book adaptation about a team of subversive superheroes.
"It's very common with higher profile, highly anticipated movies," said Goldstein.
Also opening this weekend in wide release was "The Last House on the Left," the Universal horror remake, which turned up at No. 3 with $14.7 million in ticket sales, and "Miss March," the Fox Atomic comedy in the No. 10 spot with $2.4 million. 20th Century Fox's thriller "Taken" remained at No. 4 with $6.7 million in its seventh weekend in theaters.
Factoring in 2009's higher admission prices, the weekend box office total was down 16 percent compared with last year, making it the first down weekend in six weeks.
BOX OFFICE TOP 10
1. "Race to Witch Mountain," $25 million.
2. "Watchmen," $18.1million.
3. "The Last House on the Left," $14.7 million.
4. "Taken," $6.7 million.
5. "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," $5.1 million.
6. "Slumdog Millionaire," $5 million.
7. "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," $3.1 million.
8. "He's Just Not That Into You," $2.9 million.
9. "Coraline," $2.7 million.
10. "Miss March," $2.4 million.
Based on the reviews the movie is getting, I figured it would do well, but I didn't think that it would do better than Watchmen. Kind of surprising to see that happen this weekend.