SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN: A SLEEPER HIT

Snow White and the Huntsman could turn out to be the sleeper hit of the year. No one had expected that the Universal movie wound wind up with anything close to the $56.21 million that it took in, especially given its widely derided trailer, so-so tracking, and a less-than-stellar opening of just $18.13 million for Mirror Mirror two months earlier. That film took in just $62.91 million over its entire domestic run. Huntsman should exceed that number before it goes into its second weekend, perhaps as early as today (Tuesday) or tomorrow. Men in Black 3, by contrast, is performing just the way pundits had predicted, taking in $28.08 million in its second weekend to bring its ten-day domestic total to $111.08 million. That compares with $115.65 million for the second MIB movie after ten days — but ticket prices have risen exponentially since that film was released ten years ago, and it did not have the benefit of 3D surcharges to boost its take as the new one does. Overseas, however, the MIB3 is an undisputed champ, with its box-office foreign gross now standing at $275 million. Meanwhile, in its fifth week, Disney/Marvel’s The Avengers remains a significant contender, adding $20.49 million to its earnings, which now stand at $552.95 million domestically, making it the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind only Avatar and Titanic.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Box Office Mojo (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. Snow White and the Huntsman, Universal, $56,217,700, (New); 2. Men in Black 3, Sony, $28,075,210, 2 Wks. ($111,078,763); 3. The Avengers, Disney, $20,486,418, 5 Wks. ($552,950,398); 4. Battleship, Universal, $5,092,295, 3 Wks. ($55,405,145); 5. The Dictator, Paramount, $4,702,004, 3 Wks. ($50,812,364); 6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Fox Searchlight, $4,483,083, 5 Wks. ($23,379,688); 7. What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Lionsgate, $4,408,741, 3 Wks. ($30,702,100); 8. Dark Shadows, Warner Bros., $3,703,205, 4 Wks. ($70,677,046); 9. The Chernobyl Diaries, Warner Bros., $3,127,107, 2 Wks, 14,498,221); 10. For Greater Glory, Arc Entertainment, $1,885,608, (New).