HOP CAN’T BOOST BOX OFFICE

Hop didn’t jump quite so far as Universal had estimated. Still, with $37.5 million, it performed better than analysts had predicted going into the weekend. Weekend estimates, which are released on Sunday, are based on actual figures for Friday and Saturday and an informed guess for Sunday. The film had opened on Friday with $11.5 million, but on Saturday, when the family audience makes its presence felt, Hop leaped to $15.5 million. It was therefore understandable that Universal executives concluded that the movie would at least come close to duplicating its Friday figures on Sunday, even though the family audience diminishes by nightfall on that day. However, ticket sales on Sunday fell to $10.5 million. While its gross was slightly below the $38.1 million recorded for Rango last month, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year, it was far overshadowed by last year’s Clash of the Titans, which opened during the same weekend (Easter weekend) with $61.2 million. Indeed, the total domestic box office this weekend came in at 29.6 percent below the same weekend a year ago. For the year, total box-office revenue is down 20.3 percent, while attendance is down 21.5 percent.

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. Hop, Universal, $37,543,710, (New); 2. Source Code, Summit, $14,812,094, (New); 3. Insidious, Film District, $13,271,464, (New); 4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, 20th Century Fox, $10,040,822, 2 Wks. ($38,196,168); 5. Limitless, Relativity Media, $9,307,896, 3 Wks. ($55,509,640); 6. The Lincoln Lawyer, Lionsgate, $6,829,050, 3 Wks. ($39,416,066); 7. Sucker Punch, Warner Bros., $6,020,403, 2 Wks. ($29,811,118); 8. Rango, Paramount, $4,505,572, 5 Wks. ($113,728,874); 9. Paul, Universal, $4,245,560, 2 Wks. ($31,844,445); 10. Battle: Los Angeles, Sony, $3,536,435, 4 Wks. ($78,502,566).