Box Office Number One Green Lantern Earns Less Green Than Expected

Two weekends ago saw Super 8 at the top of the box office, earning more than most people expected and proving wrong the skeptics who doubted that a movie that left its flashiest special effects–and basic plot information–out of its marketing campaign could possibly have a big opening weekend. Last weekend’s heavily-hyped number one, Green Lantern (weekend gross $52.6 million), earned much less than anticipated, considering its budget (an estimated $150 million) and all-star cast (which includes Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively). Super 8 came in second, with its weekend gross of $21.2 million bringing its total so far to $72.7 million. Third place went to new release Mr. Popper’s Penguins ($18.2 million), with X-Men: First Class (weekend gross $11.5 million, total gross $119.9 million) and The Hangover Part II (weekend gross $9.6 million, total gross $232.6 million) rounding out the top five.

Other new releases were The Art of Getting By ($700,000), Buck ($67,500), Jig ($38,600) and Page One: Inside the New York Times ($30,100).

Out next weekend in wide release are Bad Teacher and Pixar’s Cars 2. Limited releases include A Better Life, Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, The Best and the Brightest, General Orders No. 9, Fading of the Cries, A Love Affair of Sorts, The Names of Love, Raw Faith, Turtle: The Incredible Journey and Leap Year. The last of these is a sexually explicit drama that won the Caméra d’Or Award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival–not last year’s PG-rated road trip movie starring Amy Adams as a woman who tries to trick her boyfriend into marrying her. Same title, different movie. You’re welcome.