the top ten movies in north america

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Following are ticket sales for the top 10 movies 
at the North American box office for the April 8-10 weekend, according to 
studio estimates issued Sunday. Final data will be issued Monday.

[***] 1 (1) Hop ............................. $21.7 million   68.2 million
[***] 2 (+) Arthur .......................... $12.6 million   12.6 million
[***] 3 (+) Hanna ........................... $12.3 million   12.3 million
       4 (+) Soul Surfer ..................... $11.1 million   11.1 million
[***] 5 (3) Insidious ........................ $9.7 million   27.1 million
[***] 6 (+) Your Highness .................... $9.5 million    9.5 million
[***] 7 (2) Source Code ...................... $9.1 million   28.6 million
[***] 8 (5) Limitless ........................ $5.7 million   64.4 million
[***] 9 (4) Diary of a Wimpy Kid: ... ........ $4.9 million   45.5 million
[***] 10(6) The Lincoln Lawyer ............... $4.6 million   46.5 million

NOTE: Last weekend's position in parenthesis. + indicates a new release.
Figures are rounded.

- - -

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/brand-doubles-up-hop-arthur-lead-weekend-ap

LOS ANGELES - The good news for Russell Brand is that his animated comedy 
"Hop" remains the top movie for the second-straight weekend with $21.7 
million.

The bad news is that his new live-action comedy "Arthur" could not jump as 
high as "Hop."

The Warner Bros. remake of Dudley Moore's 1981 romance about a rich, 
drunken man-child finally learning to grow up, "Arthur" was a distant 
second with a modest debut of $12.6 million, according to studio estimates 
Sunday.

Opening close behind at No. 3 with $12.3 million was Focus Features' 
"Hanna," the tale of a teenager trained as a killing machine that stars 
Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan.

Sony's "Soul Surfer" debuted at No. 4 with $11.1 million. The movie 
features AnnaSophia Robb in the real-life story of a surfer struggling 
toward a comeback after losing an arm in a shark attack.

The weekend's other new wide release, Universal's medieval action comedy 
"Your Highness," opened at No. 6 with $9.5 million, weak results given a 
cast that includes James Franco and Natalie Portman.

With a solid second weekend, Brand's Easter bunny tale "Hop" raised its 
10-day total to $68.2 million. With Easter two weeks away, the Universal 
release still has room to roam at the box office.

"I'm so thrilled that we're so far ahead of the pack," said Nikki Rocco, 
head of distribution at Universal.

The poor results for "Your Highness" dimmed the mood at the studio, which 
had hoped more young males would turn out for the tale starring Franco, 
Portman and Danny McBride in a blend of supernatural action and frat-boy 
raunchiness.

"It was a risky concept. It was a very outrageous movie," Rocco said. "I 
wish more of the male audience had turned out. We always want it better, 
but it's not a total disaster."

Warner Bros. also had hoped for more out of "Arthur," whose revenues came 
in on the low side of the studio's expectations.

According to the studio's exit surveys, younger crowds liked "Arthur" much 
better than those over 50, who likely were comparing it unfavorably to 
Moore's beloved original version.

"Younger people that went in who probably weren't around to see the 
original came in with a fresh approach," said Dan Fellman, Warner's head 
of distribution. "We really have to maintain the campaign to keep it young 
and keep rolling into the spring holidays."

"Hanna" and "Soul Surfer" were drastically different portraits of young 
women, the former a tale of a girl raised to kill, the latter an 
inspirational drama of a competitor fighting back against the odds.

Both movies found solid audiences amid another weekend of declining 
business for Hollywood, whose revenues are down 20.5 percent so far this 
year compared to 2010's.

Despite the slowdown, "Soul Surfer" managed to come in a bit ahead of the 
studio's expectations for the weekend.

"It's a movie that people love. It's prevailing over adversity in a really 
big way, and a movie with tremendous heart," said Rory Bruer, head of 
distribution at Sony.

Revenues have been down virtually every weekend since last November, a 
prolonged decline that has left Hollywood looking toward the 
blockbuster-packed summer season to turn things around.

Last year, Hollywood started strongly then saw business fade over the 
summer and through the holidays. This year, analysts say the opposite may 
happen, with a strong summer and holiday lineup potentially putting 
Hollywood back in the black.

"We're a month from the start of the summer movie season, and that's a big 
deal," said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker 
Hollywood.com. "We need summer now more than ever to get us out of the 
box-office doldrums."

- - -

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.reuters.com/hop-still-tops-box-office-while-arthur-stumbles-reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Moviegoers would rather hear Russell Brand than 
see him.

The brash English comic claimed the top two spots at the North American 
box office -- as the voice in the live-action/animated family film "Hop," 
which led the field for a second weekend, and as the star of the "Arthur" 
remake, which opened poorly at No. 2, according to studio estimates issued 
on Sunday.

"Hop" earned $21.7 million during the three days beginning Friday, taking 
its 10-day total to $68.2 million. The Easter-themed family picture was 
produced by Illumination Entertainment, the animation firm behind last 
year's hit "Despicable Me."

"Arthur," in which Brand takes over the title role originated by Dudley 
Moore 30 years ago, earned just $12.6 million during its first three days.

The film's distributor, Warner Bros., said it had hoped for an opening in 
the mid-teen millions. The film cost in the mid-$60 million range to make.

Three other films entered theaters on Friday. "Hanna," an action movie 
starring 16-year-old Saoirse Ronan as an assassin, was No. 3 with $12.3 
million; "Soul Surfer," the true-life story of a young girl who lost her 
arm to a shark, followed with $11.1 million; and "Your Highness," a 
medieval comedy starring newly minted Oscar winner Natalie Portman, bombed 
at No. 6 with just $9.5 million.

"Hop" and "Your Highness" were released by Universal Pictures, and "Hanna" 
by Focus Features. Both are units of NBC Universal, which is controlled by 
Comcast Corp.

Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

"Soul Surfer" was released by TriStar Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Eric Beech)

- - -

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2011&p=.htm

The Domestic Top 10 of 2011 (as of April 10, 2011)

[***] 1 (1) Rango (PG)                                      $117.5 million
[***] 2 (2) Just Go with It (PG-13)                         $101.7 million
[***] 3 (3) The Green Hornet (PG-13)                         $98.5 million
[***] 4 (4) Gnomeo and Juliet (G)                            $97.1 million
[***] 5 (5) Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13)                      $81.3 million
       6 (6) Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (G)               $72.7 million
[***] 7 (7) No Strings Attached (R)                          $70.7 million
[***] 8(16) Hop (PG)                                         $68.2 million
[***] 9(10) Limitless (PG-13)                                $64.4 million
[***] 10(8) Unknown (PG-13)                                  $62.8 million

- - -

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic/

The Domestic Top 10 of All Time (as of April 10, 2011)

[*2*] 1  Avatar (2009)                                      $760.5 million
[*2*] 2  Titanic (1997)                                     $600.8 million
[***] 3  The Dark Knight (2008)                             $533.3 million
[*7*] 4  Star Wars (1977)                                   $461.0 million
[***] 5  Shrek 2 (2004)                                     $441.2 million
[*4*] 6  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)                  $435.1 million
[*3*] 7  Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)   $431.1 million
[***] 8  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)  $423.3 million
[***] 9  Toy Story 3 (2010)                                 $415.0 million
[*2*] 10 Spider-Man (2002)                                  $403.7 million

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/

The Worldwide Top 10 of All Time (as of April 10, 2011)

[*2*] 1  Avatar (2009)                     760.5 + 2021.7 = 2782.2 million
[*2*] 2  Titanic (1997)                    600.8 + 1242.4 = 1843.2 million
[*4*] 3  The Lord of the Rings: ... (2003) 377.0 +  742.1 = 1119.1 million
[***] 4  Pirates of the ... Chest (2006)   423.3 +  642.9 = 1066.2 million
[***] 5  Toy Story 3 (2010)                415.0 +  648.2 = 1063.2 million
[***] 6  Alice in Wonderland (2010)        334.2 +  690.1 = 1024.3 million
[***] 7  The Dark Knight (2008)            533.3 +  468.6 = 1001.9 million
[*2*] 8  Harry Potter and the ... (2001)   317.6 +  657.2 =  974.7 million
[***] 9  Pirates of the ... End (2007)     309.4 +  651.6 =  961.0 million
[***] 10 Harry Potter and the ... (2010)   295.0 +  657.2 =  952.2 million

--- Peter T. Chattaway ------------- http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/ ---
Nothing tells memories from ordinary moments; only afterwards do they
    claim remembrance, on account of their scars. -- Chris Marker, La Jetee

-- 
dadl-ot mailing list
http://mail.thehood.us/mailman/listinfo/dadl-ot_thehood.us
http://news.gmane.org/gmane.music.dadl.ot