Weekend Box Office Report: June 28-30, 2013

Monsters are feeling The Heat!

In its second weekend, Pixar's MONSTERS UNIVERSITY scared up enough business to retain the #1 position, taking in an additional $46.1 million!

The prequel, offering a glimpse at the early scream curriculum of MONSTERS, INC stars Mike and Sully, dropped just 44% from its opening weekend, and has already collected $171 million domestically and crossed $300 million worldwide.

But chomping at Sully's fuzzy heels were Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy with their R-rated buddy-cop comedy THE HEAT, in a close second with an impressive $40 million.

Looking at the ingredients, an opening that size shouldn't be too shocking — Bullock's last major release THE BLIND SIDE pulled in $255.9M, director Paul Feig's BRIDESMAIDS went on to $169.1M, and McCarthy started the year with the R-rated hit IDENTITY THIEF, which made $134.5M. The movie also generated a strong 'A-' CinemaScore, and since it effectively made back its budget in three days, it's no surprise that a sequel is already in the works.

As the ladies got all that attention with THE HEAT, tanktop-wearing hero Channing Tatum got burned — the expensive new actioner WHITE HOUSE DOWN got shoved down to fourth place with $25.7 million. Tatum's good fortune from last year (MAGIC MIKE, 21 JUMP STREET and THE VOW all crossed $100M) obviously didn't carry into Summer 2013, and even President Jamie Foxx couldn't assist despite the $162.8M total of his recent DJANGO UNCHAINED. Additionally, March's similarly themed OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (which opened to $30.3M and nearly hit $100M) may have also knocked the wind out C-Tates.

That's also a weak start for a movie by blockbuster director/demolitionist Roland Emmerich — even his star-free prehistoric epic 10,000 BC had a bigger opening ($35.8M). Still, WHITE HOUSE DOWN was graded with a solid 'A-' CinemaScore from paying crowds, and Emmerich's movies tend to strike it rich internationally (nearly 80% of disaster flick 2012's $769M worldwide total came from overseas), but right now the $150+ million production cost might seem like a risky investment.

Globetrotting zombie-fighter Brad Pitt held his ground in third place with $29.8 million for WORLD WAR Z, a not-too-frightening drop of 55% from its first weekend. The undead pandemic has already hit $259 million worldwide, so star/producer Pitt and the filmmakers must be breathing a small sigh of relief that their problematic production is successfully infecting audiences around the planet.

MAN OF STEEL is still flexing in the Top 5 with another $20.8 million (Superman has reached $520 million worldwide), while THIS IS THE END and NOW YOU SEE ME (which crossed the $100M mark this week) continue to be sleeper hits of the summer. FAST & FURIOUS 6, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and THE INTERNSHIP fill up the bottom, while THE PURGE and IRON MAN 3 get pushed from the chart.

Next weekend basically starts on Wednesday to take advantage of the Fourth of July period, with Steve Carell's reformed villain and his minions returning in DESPICABLE ME 2, Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp riding the wild west in THE LONE RANGER, and some comedy being performed while standing up in KEVIN HART: LET ME EXPLAIN.

Halfway through the summer movie season, what has been your favorite release so far? VOTE HERE!