Weekend Box Office Report: March 29-31, 2013

Yo, Joe!

Knowing may be half the battle, but grabbing mad stacks must be the other half, as G.I. JOE: RETALIATION demonstrated this weekend by shooting to #1 with $41.2 million (and a $51.7 million total since its Thursday opening).

The 3D sequel, delayed from its planned release last June (and moved just a month before it was due in theaters), came up short of G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA, which opened (in 2D only) in August 2009 with $54.7 million. Perhaps unsurprisingly, critics weren’t crazy about G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (29% on Rotten Tomatoes) but paying audiences handed it an ‘A-‘ CinemaScore.

For comparison, last year’s Easter weekend had THE HUNGER GAMES at #1 (in its third weekend of release) with $33.1 million.

The action flick’s opening is better than stars Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis could manage on their own with SNITCH (now at $41.3M total) and A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (which ended up with $66.5M domestic). The Rock still has another couple of good cracks at the box office with his string of 2013 releases that includes next month’s PAIN & GAIN and May’s FAST & FURIOUS SIX.

G.I. JOE also appears to be a Real International Hero as well, as RETALIATION rounded up an additional $80.3 million overseas for an opening weekend worldwide total that clears its reported $130M production cost.

Coming in second was last week’s winner, the 3D computer-animated THE CROODS with another $26.5 million. Family crowds looking for alternatives to big bullet-riddled action didn’t have a lot of options. The caveman comedy hasn’t topped the $100 million mark domestically, but it’s already gathered $227.2M total worldwide.

In third place was Tyler Perry’s latest marquee-stretching movie TYLER PERRY’S TEMPTATION: CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR, opening with $22.3 million. The new drama (the filmmaker’s fourth Easter Weekend release) came up behind the opening of last year’s TYLER PERRY’S MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION ($25.3M) but ahead of TYLER PERRY’S GOOD DEEDS ($15.5M).

Last weekend’s runner-up OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN had to make way for Cobra’s own takeover of the White House, dropping to fourth place with $14 million. Sam Raimi’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL was in fifth with $11.6 million, nearing the $200 million mark after a month as it hits a global total of $412M.

It seems like “From the Creator of the TWILIGHT Saga” doesn’t hold quite the appeal that the makers of THE HOST obviously hoped — the adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s non-vampire book got dissed in sixth with just $11 million. Looks as though Meyer’s target audience is more interested in dreamy bloodsuckers and werewolves than alien parasites. THE HOST’s opening is even lower than director Andrew Niccol’s last sci-fi effort IN TIME, which started with $12 million (but somehow ended up with $173M worldwide).

Closing out the list with meager money was the Halle Berry thriller THE CALL, the Rudd/Fey romance ADMISSION, the college criminals of SPRING BREAKERS, and the tragic magic of THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE, getting ready disappear with a paltry per-screen average of just $825.

Outside the chart, IDENTITY THIEF, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER and SNITCH called it quits, while the limited release of the Ryan Gosling/Bradley Cooper drama THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES gained some interest and a handsome $67k per-screen average.

Next week brings the remake of EVIL DEAD and the 3D reissue of JURASSIC PARK, plus limited releases of director Danny Boyle’s crime thriller TRANCE and the Robert Redford/Shia LaBeouf face-off THE COMPANY YOU KEEP.

What April release are you most looking forward to seeing? VOTE HERE!