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‘Boxtrolls’ Opens with $17.3 Million; Laika’s Best-Ever U.S. Opening
Laika’s third feature film, “The Boxtrolls,” distributed by Focus Features, opened in third place in the United States with an estimated $17.3 million.
Box Office Report
‘Boxtrolls’ Opens at #1 in the UK and #2 in Mexico
While there are currently no wholly animated films in the top ten of the U.S. box office, Laika’s “The Boxtrolls” began its foreign rollout in eight territories last weekend.
‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Overtakes ‘Rio 2’ As Top-Grossing Animated Film of 2014
“How to Train Your Dragon” has surpassed “Rio 2” as the top-grossing animated feature of 2014 to date.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Open In 1st; Sequel Announced
Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” opened with an estimated $65 million in the United States.
‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’ Opens With $18 Million, But The Real Money Is Elsewhere
Like its predecessor, “Planes: Fire & Rescue” opened in third place at the U.S. box office. The new film, however, grossed only $18 million, or 19% less than the opening of the first “Planes.”
‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Earns $25 Million in Second Weekend
In its second weekend, “How to Train your Dragon 2” eased 49% to an estimated $25.3 million. The drop was significantly greater than the 34% second-weekend decline of the original film in the series. Combined with the lower-than-expected opening weekend, the sequel is now all but guaranteed to finish below the original film’s $217.6 million domestic gross.
‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ Launches with $50 Million
DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” opened in second place this weekend with an estimated $50 million. The film trailed the $60 million debut of another sequel, the R-rated “22 Jump Street,” directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who also directed “The LEGO Movie,” which opened to $69 million earlier this year.
‘Maleficent’ A Hit, Seth MacFarlane Western Flops
Last weekend at the U.S. box office, two films with strong animation ties opened in very different fashions. Disney’s “Maleficent,” a dark fantasy reimagining of the 1959 animated feature from the perspective of the villain, launched with $69.4 million.
Japanese People Can’t Let Go of ‘Frozen’
Every time you want to stop writing about “Frozen,” it breaks another record. This weekend, the Disney smash hit remained in first place at the Japanese box office for an incomprehensible eleventh weekend in a row.
‘Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return’ Has Record-Breaking Bad Debut
If you didn’t hear about last weekend’s opening of “Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return,” don’t worry because no one else in America did either. Opening in 2,575 theaters, the film eked out $3.7 million, which is the worst opening ever for an animated feature in saturated release (over 2,500 theaters). The previous animation record holder in this dubious category was the 2011 Weinstein Company release “Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil,” which grossed $4.1M from 2,505 theaters.
Blue Sky’s ‘Rio 2’ Opens In Second Place in the U.S.
Blue Sky’s “Rio 2” failed to unseat “Captain America 2” at the box office last weekend and settled for a second-place opening of $39.3 million.
‘Frozen’ Just Became The Highest-Grossing Animated Film Ever
This weekend, Disney’s “Frozen” became the highest grossing animated film of all time. Its $1.072 billion worldwide gross has surpassed the $1.063 billion of “Toy Story 3,” which was the previous record-holder for biggest animated feature.
‘Muppets’ Stumble in the US, ‘Rio 2’ Is #1 in Russia
No new animated movies debuted in the United States this weekend, although Disney’s family-oriented “Muppets Most Wanted” opened. The film opened in second place with a disappointing $16.5 million (estimated), far below the $29.2M opening of the franchise reboot “The Muppets” in 2011. That earlier film plummeted at the box office, too, after its opening, suggesting that the Muppets franchise isn’t as relevant to kids today as it was with earlier generations.
‘Mr. Peabody & Sherman’ Top Dog at Box Office
The DreamWorks feature “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” moved from second to first place in its sophomore weekend with a modest gross of $21.2 million (estimated)
‘Mr. Peabody & Sherman’ Opening Continues DreamWorks’ Mild Streak
The DreamWorks feature “Mr. Peabody & Sherman,” directed by Rob Minkoff, opened in the United States this weekend with an estimated $32.5 million. The film settled for second place behind “300: Rise of An Empire.”
‘Frozen’ Crosses $1 Billion Mark On The Day It Wins Oscar
It’s a special day for directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. Their film “Frozen” will win the Best Animated Feature Oscar on the day that it crosses $1 billion in global box office revenue. It becomes, along with “Toy Story 3,” only the second animated feature to achieve this distinction, and the 18th film overall.
“LEGO Movie” Tops Box Office Again; “Wind Rises” Doesn’t Excite Americans
The LEGO Movie crushed its live-action competition at the box office and remained in 1st place for the third weekend in a row with $31.5 …
“LEGO Movie” Destroys Competition In It Second Weekend
Remember last year when the mainstream media started writing about the glut of animated features and questioning whether the industry was producing too much animation? As usual, they underestimated the animation medium and the connection that audiences have with the art form.
“The LEGO Movie” Opens with A Record-Setting $69.1 Million
As anticipated, Warner Bros.’ The LEGO Movie, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, destroyed the box office with a $69.1 million opening.
“Frozen” Jumps to Second Place In Its 10th Weekend
Boosted in part by a sing-along version that was released into theaters, Disney’s “Frozen” jumped back into second place this weekend, an amazing feat for a film now in its 10th weekend of wide release.
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