Ralph Really Wrecks It!
Disney took a trip to the arcade with the 3D computer-animated WRECK-IT RALPH, and easily got the high score with a $49.1 million opening.
The movie took a dive into the universe of videogame characters (both classic and modern), with John C. Reilly voicing the titular 80s-style game villain who turns the tables and strives to become a hero. Like most major CG features now, it wasn’t cheap (a reported $165M budget), so we’ll see if Ralph can climb high enough to return for another digital adventure. But the reviews and audience response are certainly pushing the joystick in that direction, with an 84% Rotten Tomatoes rating and an ‘A’ Cinemascore from moviegoers.
Going up against Disney’s lovable building-breaker was Denzel Washington’s latest acting showcase FLIGHT, in second place with $25 million (on around half the screens as the weekend winner). After a decade in (arguably creepy) “performance capture” animation, filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ dark return to live-action movies came with an ‘R’ rating and a reasonable budget ($31M), and already seems queued for some award nominations.
Equally ‘R’-rated but less likely to be in Oscar contention was RZA’s new kung fu movie THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, which opened in fourth with $8.2 million. The Wu-Tang Clan rapper and afficionado of martial arts flicks made his directing debut (with some assistance from Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino) with this over-the-top homage to old-school kung fu, which also started on about half the screens as WRECK-IT RALPH but had a modest $15M cost.
RZA and his intriguing collection of talent couldn’t bust the hirsute chops of Ben Affleck, whose ARGO held in third with another $10.2 million and a $75.8M total after four weeks (including its #1 placement last weekend). Liam Neeson is still cracking heads with TAKEN 2 in fifth with another $6 million (on a weekend where three of the top five movies were R-rated), but the narrative-twisting epic CLOUD ATLAS slid from second down to sixth with $5.2 million. It may be remembered when awards season rolls around, but right now audiences seem to be passing on the Wachowskis’ latest in favor of less complex entertainment.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 and SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D took a post-Halloween hit on the chart (while SINISTER and FUN SIZE disappear entirely, taking Tyler Perry’s ALEX CROSS with them). The current $49.5M total for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 4 isn’t even halfway to the last entry’s $104M domestic take, but the series is massively profitable anyway thanks to its miniscule budget. Speaking of horror, director Amy Heckerling reunited with her CLUELESS star Alicia Silverstone for VAMPS, which was shown in a single theater and made a toothless 500 bucks.
James Bond’s latest mission is already bringing in big money around the world, but 007 doesn’t return to North America until next weekend when SKYFALL lands. And for new releases, the suave superspy basically has the weekend to himself (Spielberg’s LINCOLN strolls into a handful of theaters before its wide release the following week).
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wreck-It Ralph | $49.1 M | NEW |
| 2 | Flight | $25 M | NEW |
| 3 | Argo | $10.2 M | $75.8 M |
| 4 | The Man with the Iron Fists | $8.2 M | NEW |
| 5 | Taken 2 | $6 M | $125.6 M |
| 6 | Hotel Transylvania | $4.5 M | $137.5 M |
| 7 | Cloud Atlas | $5.2 M | $18.2 M |
| 8 | Paranormal Activity 4 | $4.3 M | $49.5 M |
| 9 | Here Comes the Boom | $3.6 M | $35.5 M |
| 10 | Silent Hill: Revelation 3D | $3.3 M | $13.9 M |