"Ride Along" has won the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend box office defeating "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" and "The Nut Job."
The Kevin Hart and Ice Cube film made an impressive $41.2 million in 2,663 theaters. The opening broke the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend record and also had the highest opening for an original comedy since "Ted," which opened to $54.4 million, back in June 2012.
In second place, "Lone Survivor" continued to do solid business and grossed an estimated $23.2 million. The Afghanistan war drama has earned now $74 million and is expected to pass the $100 million mark.
Meanwhile, "The Nut Job" opened in third place to a surprising $20.6 million. Although the film scored terrible reviews, the film scored the highest debut ever for Open Road Films. With the lack of kids films in the market, the movie should continue to surprise at the box office.
The other new film opening was "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit." The film opened to a disappointing $17.2 million. The film was made for $60 million but could have a hard time turning a profit given the competition.
"Frozen" continued strong even though "The Nut Job" threatened to take its audience away. After being nominated for the Best Animated film at the Oscars, the movie made an estimated $12 million and broke the record for the fourth-highest eighth weekend ever. "Frozen" has now earned $332 million and remains on pace to eventually beat "Despicable Me 2," which earned $368 million.
The last newcomer, "Devil's Due," bombed with an estimated $8.5 million. The film is unlikely to garner an audience as horror movies rely on opening weekends.
The weekend saw a number of Oscar nominees re-open and some continue to do solid business. "American Hustle" led the way with $10.6 million and brought its total to $116.4 million. The film is currently on track to make $150 million.
Harvey Weinstein expanded "August: Osage County to 2,051 theaters and mad $7.6 million. The film has already scored $18.2 million and is on the road to making at least $40 million.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" earned $7.5 million and has now made $90 million. The film will easily surpass the $100 million mark and will become Leonardo DiCaprio's third straight film to break $100 million. Spike Jonze's "Her" had a hard time garnering audiences, only taking in $4.1 million, bringing its total to a weak $15 million.
"Gravity" reopened in 944 theaters and added $1.95 million for a new total of $258.4 million. The film is scheduled to be re-released in IMAX on Jan. 31 and may continue to make money for at least the next month. Steve McQueen's drama "12 Years a Slave" also received a nationwide re-release and made $1.5 million. The film has already surpassed the $40 million mark.