RODRICK RULES AND SO DOES HIS MOVIE

It was supposed to be a neck-and-neck race at the weekend box office, according to analysts, with Sucker Punch edging out Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. It didn’t turn out that way. Wimpy Kid was the winner by a wide margin, taking in $23.8 million versus $19.1 million for Sucker Punch, which was helped by IMAX surcharges. Indeed IMAX-equipped theaters accounted for 21 percent of the movie’s total take — a record. Two holdovers from last weekend also performed respectably. Limitless dropped just 20 percent from last week to $15.1 million, while The Lincoln Lawyer dropped just 19 percent to $10.8 million. Overall, the box office was down 7.2 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago when it was led by the opening of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon with $43.7 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. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, 20th Century Fox, $23,751,502, (New); 2. Sucker Punch, Warner Bros., $19,058,199, (New); 3. Limitless, Relativity Media, $15,055,249, 2 Wks. ($41,111,231); 4. The Lincoln Lawyer, Lionsgate, $10,750,365, 2 Wks. ($28,717,548); 5. Rango, Paramount, $9,772,822, 4 Wks. ($106,335,987); 6. Paul, Universal, $7,856,800, 2 Wks. ($24,960,970); 7. Battle: Los Angeles, Sony, $7,582,566, 3 Wks. ($72,562,110); 8. Red Riding Hood, Warner Bros., $4,311,312, 3 Wks. ($32,424,769); 9. The Adjustment Bureau, Universal, $4,290,795, 4 Wks. ($54,916,865); 10. Mars Needs Moms, Disney, $2,258,428, 3 Wks. ($19,224,641).