Spongebob floats to the top!
It took an animated aquatic character to knock the legendary sharpshooter off his perch, as THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER won the box office this weekend with an estimated $56 million!
Spongebob certainly is resilient — it's been 15 years since he premiered on Nickelodeon and over a decade since his previous big-screen adventure, which opened with $32 million. The latest movie brings CGI versions of the titular character and his undersea pals into the real world, on the same weekend that last year's computer-animated THE LEGO MOVIE opened with $69 million.
In addition to soaking up enough cash to take #1, the movie also absorbed a 75% average from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 'B' CinemaScore from moviegoers.
Relinquishing the top after three weekends was AMERICAN SNIPER in second with another $24.1 million. With a domestic total of $282.2 million, the Clint Eastwood-directed Oscar contender is now the third highest-grossing 2014 release behind THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.
Opening in third was the grandiose sci-fi adventure JUPITER ASCENDING with $19 million. So far the Wachowskis haven't been able to replicate the success of THE MATRIX series — SPEED RACER started out with $18.5 million and the sprawling CLOUD ATLAS began with $9.6 million.
The directing duo's $175 million Channing Tatum/Mila Kunis space spectacle was originally due in theaters last July, but the extra time in development didn't seem to help its box office chances or its critical and crowd reception (22% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 'B-' CinemaScore).
In fourth place was another delayed release, the action-fantasy SEVENTH SON with $7.1 million. Between this and RIPD, star Jeff Bridges hasn't really had the best luck with big-budget genre material lately, although SEVENTH SON has already brought in an additional $83 million from international audiences (it cost a reported $95 million).
Adapted from Joseph Delaney's book "The Spook's Apprentice", the PG-13 movie collected a dismal 10% critical average on Rotten Tomatoes and a 'B-' CinemaScore from crowds.
Furry little legs brought PADDINGTON down to fifth place with $5.3 million, followed closely by the found-footage time-travel movie PROJECT ALMANAC with $5.3 million, a 35% drop from its opening last weekend. Oscar nominee THE IMITATION GAME is once again in seventh place with $4.8 million.
Kevin Hart's comedy THE WEDDING RINGER, Kevin Costner's melodrama BLACK OR WHITE and Jennifer Lopez's thriller THE BOY NEXT DOOR fill out the list, while TAKEN 3, THE LOFT and STRANGE MAGIC slid off the chart.
Next weekend brings the BDSM bestseller adaptation FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and Matthew Vaughn's over-the-top espionage action flick KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE.
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| # | MOVIE TITLE | WKND $ | TOTAL $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water | $56 M | NEW |
| 2 | American Sniper | $24.1 M | $282.2 M |
| 3 | Jupiter Ascending | $19 M | NEW |
| 4 | Seventh Son | $7.1 M | NEW |
| 5 | Paddington | $5.3 M | $57.2 M |
| 6 | The Imitation Game | $4.8 M | $74.7 M |
| 7 | Project Almanac | $5.3 M | $15.7 M |
| 8 | The Wedding Ringer | $4.8 M | $55 M |
| 9 | Black or White | $4.5 M | $13.1 M |
| 10 | The Boy Next Door | $4.1 M | $30.8 M |
