Three New Openers Led by Hop Start Strong at Box Office

All three new films to open this weekend targeted a different audience and have seen successful returns especially considering their respective budgets. The animated-live action mix Hop came in first place as a family film, Source Code finished second with its sci-fi action, and Insidious brought the horror for third place.

A successful streak for family targeted films (with one exception being the bomb Mars Needs Moms) continues as Hop opened to $38.1 million and slightly exceeding expectations. Reviews were generally poor and there was no big name voice talent to push it but the appealing main character, effective marketing, and Easter theme connected with audiences. The film should have a second strong weekend before giving way to Rio which could open even bigger.

Director Duncan Jones has successfully transitioned to a more mainstream market with Source Code coming off his terrific debut with the tragically under-seen Moon. Critical response was surprisingly positive as it currently holds 89% on Rotten Tomatoes though the ads leading up to release have been cited by many as underwhelming. Source Code made $15 million and on its reasonable $32 million budget it should have no problem reaching profitability.

Insidious came from the makers of Saw and Paranormal Activity and hit the jackpot in the same manner by keeping the budget very low. The movie cost only $1 million to make and after three days has already made $13.5 million.

Last week’s top film Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 fell a heavy 57%, due in part to Hop‘s arrival, and finished in fourth with $10.2 million. In its third week the hit Limitless finished in fifth collecting another $9.4 million. The Lincoln Lawyer finished in sixth followed by last week’s runner up Sucker Punch which is now looking like a big disappointment as it fell a sharp 68%. Rango, Paul, and Battle: Los Angeles round out the top ten.