User blog:Ceauntay/'Sonic' tumbles 'Thor' and 'Bridesmaids' at box office

--- “Sonic X: The Final Stand”, has broken about five box office records especially for its own franchise. This made this film along with the predesessors a blockbuster hit. Sonic enters the big screen for the last time. ---

The 20th Century Fox film starring voice cast Miranda Cosgrove and Taylor Lautner grossed an estimated dollar 125.1 million according to studio estimates Sunday.

This made it the biggest opening ever for a 2011 movie since "Scooby-Doo! The Movie" which gained dollar 114.3 million a month ago. Also, it's a triple gross to "Shrek the Third" which brought in dollar 122 million four years ago.

“Sonic X: The Final Stand's” opening is huge, and has already become the seventh biggest opening for a movie in the world. Also, its overseas opening is double times huge making in dollar 214 million, giving it a worldwide total of dollar 339 million. Thats twice as much as its predesessor "Sonic X: Return to Soleanna" which opened in only dollar 94 million, and dollar 199 million worldwide. Also, it became the biggest worldwide opening for an animated movie in the world.

“Thor” starring Australian Chris Hemsworth as Marvel’s hammer-toting god of thunder earned dollar 34.5 million in its second weekend.

That brings the total haul of ”Thor” to dollar 119.2 million, though not quite as impressive as fellow comic book hero ”Iron Man 2,” which earned dollar 211.2 million by its second weekend the same time last year.

”’Thor’ had a really great playing field to work on for its second weekend in theaters,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. ”For a big-budget Marvel Comics film that opened very solidly to drop only 48 per cent indicates some very strong word of mouth. I think Kenneth Branagh being the director really brought a lot to the table.”

Universal’s ”Bridesmaids,” the raunchy comedy starring Kristen Wiig as a down-on-her-luck maid of honor, debuted above expectations in second place with dollar 24.4 million. Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, attributed the movie’s good reviews and word of mouth to wide audience appeal: 67 percent of the audience was female; 33 percent male.

”That’s pretty good considering this is a picture titled ‘Bridesmaids,”’ said Rocco. The next adversary for ”Thor” arrives next week with the opening of ”Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” the fourth film in the blockbuster Disney franchise starring Johnny Depp as mischievous pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow. On Memorial Day weekend at the end of May come the sequels ”The Hangover Part II” from Warner Bros. and ”Kung Fu Panda 2” from Paramount.

”The cavalry is about to arrive,” said Dergarabedian. ”We’re poised for a strong Memorial Day weekend. We’re down year-to-date about 13 percent on revenue. A month ago, we were down 20 per cent. We’re making up ground, and this weekend was down only 3 percent, which is impressive considering the strength of ‘Iron Man 2′ in its second weekend a year ago.”

Universal’s car-racing sequel ”Fast Five” with Dwayne Johnson shifted into the third position with dollar 19.5 million in its third weekend in theaters.

Sony’s 3-D vampire-hunting graphic novel adaptation ”Priest” opened in fourth place with dollar 14.5 million, while Fox’s animated bird tale ”Rio” landed at fifth place with dollar 8 million in its fifth weekend in theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “Sonic X: The Final Stand,” dollar 125.1 million. 2. ”Thor,” dollar 34.5 million. 3. ”Bridesmaids,” dollar 24.4 million. 4. ”Fast Five,” dollar 19.5 million. 5. ”Priest,” dollar 14.5 million. 6. ”Rio,” dollar 8 million. 7. ”Jumping the Broom,” dollar 7.3 million. 8. ”Something Borrowed,” dollar 7 million. 9. ”Water for Elephants,” dollar 4.1 million. 10. ”Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family,” dollar 2.2 million.