Clash of the Titans Delivers Big Weekend But Shows Signs of 3D Fatigue

As expected Clash of the Titans easily topped the box office this weekend as it took in $64 million which includes late shows on Thursday night. This actually puts it at the low end of industry expectations but almost precisely where I predicted it would finish. It is a solid opening but not as spectacular as some were looking towards. It saw steeper drop-offs than usual from each day to the next.

This could be the first crack in the 3D armor. There is a sense that audiences may have hit a wall in terms of the new experience and are now displaying signs of 3D fatigue. Clash, in particular, has been criticized for its poor 3D conversion. Combined with another raise in ticket prices people are starting to become more selective. 3D doesn’t always mean it will be a better experience, with numerous reports of the 2D version actually being preferred in this case.

All that being said, Clash still did make slightly more from its 3D screens than it did from its 2D screens. According to the studio it was a pretty even split between the two with 52% seeing the 3D version.

In second place it was Why Did I Get Married Too? with $30.1 million. The sequel to the 2007 film has provided Tyler Perry with his second biggest opening to date. His movies have consistently opened in the low-mid 20’s but having the built-in audience a sequel provides, plus landing on Easter weekend which is traditionally strong in urban areas, helped provide a boost over that.

The Last Song finished the weekend right at the predicted $16 million, and since opening on Wednesday has taken in nearly $26 million. That is above the expectations that were had prior to release and represents another strong adapted novel from Nicholas Sparks.

How to Train Your Dragon, last week’s top film, dropped only 33% which shows that it has a long run ahead. It will reach $100 million by the end of the week. Hot Tub Time Machine actually held up pretty well falling just 42%. Good word of mouth has kept it from tumbling the way many high concept movies do.

1- Clash of the Titans $64.1 (OPEN)
2- Why Did I Get Married Too? $30.1 (OPEN)
3- How To Train Your Dragon $29.2 ($92.3)
4- The Last Song $16.2 ($25.6)
5- Alice in Wonderland $8.2 ($309.8)
6- Hot Tub Time Machine $8.0 ($27.8)
7- The Bounty Hunter $6.2 ($48.9)
8- Diary of a Wimpy Kid $5.5 ($46.2)
9- She’s Out of My League $1.4 ($28.6)
10- Shutter Island $1.4 ($123.4)