May 26, 2012

Dolphin Tale Makes a Splash

by Rebecca Pahle | Published October 3, 2011

The reign of The Lion King has come to an end, but it wasn’t a new release that stepped into its place. Last weekend’s third-place finisher, Dolphin Tale (weekend gross $14.2 million, total gross $37.5 million), ascended to the throne, while Moneyball (weekend gross $12.5 million, total gross $38.4 million) held steady in second place and the aforementioned Disney classic dropped to spot number three. The Lion King‘s weekend gross of $11 million brings its total gross (including the $312.8 million from its original 1994 run) to $408.1 million. 50/50 was the weekend’s highest-grossing new release, and though its $8.84 million gross slightly edged out that of fellow new release Courageous ($8.8 million), the fact that the faith-based drama played in fewer than half as many theaters as Jonathan Levine’s cancer comedy is certainly of note.

New wide releases Dream House ($8.2 million) and What’s Your Number? ($5.6 million) both failed to crack the top five, coming in at spots six and eight, respectively. Out in limited release were Tucker & Dale vs. Evil ($59,500), Take Shelter ($56,171), Munger Road ($38,855), Margaret ($7,496), Sarah Palin: You Betcha! ($7,374) and Benda Bilili! ($1,722).

Out in wide release next weekend are the political drama The Ides of March, starring George Clooney (who also directed the film) and Ryan Gosling, and Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman and a slew of robot boxers. Limited releases include Blackthorn, Dirty Girl, The Women on the 6th Floor, The Swell Season, The Way, 1911 and Human Centipede II (Full Sequence).