TWO NEW MOVIES TAKE A DIVE — AS DOES BOX OFFICE

Disappointing performances by two debuting films featuring stars who are usually guaranteed winners pushed the box office into the losing column again over the weekend. Final figures showed that Warner Bros.’ Rock of Ages, which featured Tom Cruise as an ’80s rock star collected only $14.4 million, while Sony’s That’s My Boy, starring Adam Sandler, flopped with just $13.5 million. Last week’s leaders retained their top positions, with Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted coming in at No. 1 with $34.1 million (a figure that was nearly $1.5 million below the studio’s Sunday estimate), and Prometheus coming in at No. 2 with $20.7 million. Overall, the box office was down 30 percent from last weekend and down 16 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago when Warner Bros.’ The Green Lantern opened with $53.2 million.

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. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Paramount/DreamWorks Animation, $34,055,474, 2 Wks. ($119,006,006); 2. Prometheus, 20th Century Fox, $20,712,174, 2 Wks. ($89,370,301); 3. Rock of Ages, Warner Bros., $14,437,269, (New); 4. That’s My Boy, Sony, $13,453,714, (New); 5. Snow White and the Huntsman, Universal, $13,265,635, 3 Wks. ($122,062,670); 6. Men in Black 3, Sony, $10,047,575, 4 Wks. ($152,726,558); 7. The Avengers, Disney, $8,905,467, 7 Wks. ($586,794,371); 8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Fox Searchlight, $2,283,218, 7 Wks. ($35,216,713); 9. Moonrise Kingdom, Focus Features, $2,237,726, 4 Wks. ($6,839,462); 10. Battleship, Universal, $1,284,150, 5 Wks. ($62,151,820).