ALIENS - BOX OFFICE CRASHES

BOX OFFICE CRASHES

The box office, which started off the year like Michael Phelps diving into an Olympic pool, stalled badly over the weekend. The top movie, Funny People , which, according to studio estimates on Sunday, had been expected to earn around $23.4 million, actually did worse. It managed only $22.7 million. Another newcomer, Aliens in the Attic debuted with $8 million, and a third film, the Collector opened with $3.6 million. The story wasn't much better among the holdovers. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came in second with $17.9 million, despite being launched on 166 IMAX screens. The latest Potter sequel has earned less than its predecessor, Order of the Phoenix , every day since its big opening.

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. Funny People , Universal, $22,657,780, (New); 2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince , Warner Bros., $17,909,385, 3 Wks. ($255,672,245); 3. G-Force , Disney, $17,515,489, 2 Wks. ($66,918,912); 4. The Ugly Truth , Sony, $13,187,433, 2 Wks. ($54,668,841); 5. Aliens in the Attic , 20th Century Fox, $8,008,423, (New); 6. Orphan, Warner Bros., $7,525,419, 2 Wks. ($27,066,812); 7. Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs, 20th Century Fox, $5,526,015, 5 Wks. ($182,068,804); 8. The Hangover, Warner Bros., $5,194,475, 9 Wks. ($255,890,892); 9. The Proposal, Disney, $4,931,064, 7 Wks. ($148,964,741); 10. Transformers Revenge of the Fallen , Paramount/DreamWorks, $4,688,329, 6 Wks. ($388,189,320).

04/08/2009