BRIDESMAIDS SURPRISES AT BOX OFFICE

Lightning struck for a second weekend in a row as Thor easily held on to its top position at the box office with $34.7 million, bringing its total after ten days to $119.5 million. But the result that surprised most box-office analysts turned out to be the $26.3 million nabbed by Bridesmaids. Not only was that result substantially higher than the $15-20 million that many analysts had forecast and the $20 million that its studio, Universal, had projected, but also the $24.4 million estimate that the studio had issued on Sunday. It was the best opening for a Judd Apatow-produced comedy since 2008’s Step Brothers. BoxOfficeMojo.com also noted that it set a record for a first movie by a Saturday Night Live cast member (Kristin Wiig) in a non-SNL starring role. Priest, the only other film to open wide, also had a better-than-expected debut with $15 million, placing fourth. After drawing some of the most caustic reviews of the year, Priest was not expected to crack more than $10 million. In its third week, Fast Five slipped to third place with $20.4 million, bringing its total to $169.7 million.

<

B>
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. Thor, Paramount, $34,703,035, 2 Wks. ($119,455,352); 2. Bridesmaids, Universal, $26,247,410, (New); 3. Fast Five, Universal, $20,444,270, 3 Wks. ($169,690,470); 4. Priest, Sony, $14,953,664, (New); 5. Rio, 20th Century Fox, $8,275,058, 5 Wks. ($125,243,198); 6. Jumping the Broom, Sony/Tristar, $7,066,190, 2 Wks. ($25,760,004); 7. Something Borrowed, Warner Bros., $6,872,221, 2 Wks. ($25,518,733); 8. Water for Elephants, 20th Century Fox, $4,203,095, 4 Wks. ($48,578,875); 9. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family, Lionsgate, $2,214,033, 4 Wks. ($50,232,182); 10. Soul Surfer, Sony/Tristar, $1,826,788, 6 Wks. ($39,232,956).