FINAL WEEKEND BOX OFFICE

The entire U.S. box office this past weekend didn’t earn as much as a single film did during the same weekend a year ago. Warner Bros.’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II in 3D opened with $169.2 million after taking in $91.1 million in a single day. By contrast, all of the films in every theater this weekend earned $164.7 million. That was 37 percent below the year-ago weekend. It wasn’t a question of this weekend’s films performing poorly. Indeed, several releases came in well ahead of tracking projections. For example, 20th Century Fox’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, the No. 1 film, which was supposed to take in around $30-35 million, actually earned $46.6 million. Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man, after a solid Fourth of July start, dropped a modest 44 percent to place second with $34.6 million and pass the $200 million mark. And Universal’s Ted, dropped just 30 percent in its third week to wind up with $22.4 million and raise its total to $159.3 million. And, despite the competition from the new Ice Age sequel, Disney’s Brave collected $11.2 million to put its four-week total just shy of $200 million ($196.1 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. Ice Age: Continental Drift, Fox, $46,629,259, (New); 2. The Amazing Spider Man, Sony/Columbia, $34,628,104, 2 Wks., ($200,500,351); 3. Ted, Universal, $22,410,855, 3 Wks., ($159,257,250); 4. Brave, Disney, $11,160,522, 4 Wks., ($196,061,319); 5. Savages, Universal, $9,393,840, 2 Wks., ($32,125,290); 6. Magic Mike, Warner Bros., $9,021,123, 3 Wks., ($91,841,198); 7. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection, Lionsgate, $5,584,027, 3 Wks., ($55,611,721); 8. Katy Perry: Part Of Me, Paramount, $3,800,607, 2 Wks., ($18,653,544); 9. Moonrise Kingdom, Focus Features, $3,704,507, 8 Wks., ($32,483,002); 10. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Paramount/Dreamworks Animation, $3,669,675, 6 Wks., ($203,901,397