The Green Hornet Cruises to MLK Weekend Box Office Victory

Though it wasn’t a spectacular opening weekend take The Green Hornet turned in results in line with expectations. The film was able to make $34 million for the three days and is expected to cross $40 million over the four day holiday weekend.

The Green Hornet becomes the third highest opener in January history, trailing just Cloverfield and the 1997 re-release of Star Wars. Sony did their best to make the film feel like a summer blockbuster with a heavy marketing push. Reviews were mixed but audience response has been mostly positive which bodes well for the weeks ahead which is light on competition.

In second the Ron Howard comedy The Dilemma started with a disappointing $17.4 million over the three day period. With stars Vince Vaughn and Kevin James hopes were high as both have consistently delivered movies that open over $30 million. Somehow the two together cut that typical take in half. Reviews were poor (usually not a big factor in these comedies) but the marketing was confusing and unfunny.

Holdovers saw True Grit continue its incredible run with a third place finish and it has now crossed $126 million. The King’s Speech surged in expansion as did Black Swan as they ride awards season buzz as they rounded out the top five. Little Fockers, Tron: Legacy, Yogi Bear, The Fighter, and Season of the Witch (down 57% in second weekend) filled out the top 10.