Box office will continue to be down from last year though...
I'm sure Universal is very relieved right now, because their fantasy/fairy-tale adaptation Snow White and the Huntsman debuted with an estimated $20.3 million on Friday. With mixed critical reception and a "B" CinemaScore from audiences, the film should be able to eke out about $57 million for the weekend, much higher than the mid-30's millions Universal was expecting.
Men in Black III held decently, down 53% from last Friday to an estimated $8.3 million, in what should be a weekend close to $30 million. If that happens, that would be an excellent hold for a major sequel. The film also continues to over-perform internationally.
The Avengers, while it had to settle for third place on the weekend, passed The Dark Knight's $533 million total to move into third place on the all-time list. It also passed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part II's $1.328 billion worldwide total to move into third place on the all-time worldwide list (three is its' lucky number this weekend!). The superhero ensemble film eased 40% to an estimated $5.7 million in its' fifth Friday, in what should be a $21 million weekend.
Battleship and The Dictator rounded out the Top 5 with $1.4 million and $1.39 million, down 54% and 48% from last Friday. Both should wind up with about $5 million for the weekend.
