Liam Neeson is once again the king of the box office.
Neeson's latest film "Non-Stop" made $28.8 million in 3,090 theaters for an estimated $9,345 per theater average. The total was on par with Neeson's other action films "Unknown," "The Grey" and "Taken." The film also marks the third 2014 film from Universal to hit No. 1; previously "Lone Survivor" and "Ride Along" held the top spot. The film is likely to continue to do solid business and should attract recent Oscar Lupita Nyong'o fans, as the actress plays a supporting role in the film
"Son of God" took second place making $25.6 million in 3,260 theaters. The total was on par with what Fox estimated. Many analysts had stated that they were not sure how the film would perform given the subject matter and the audience for the film. The movie also opened to better results than recent Christian movies "Courageous," "Fireproof" and "The Nativity Story." However, it could not match "The Passion of Christ," which opened to $83 million. "Son of God" did solid business but the lack of great reviews and the fact that less than 5 percent of churchgoers saw the film hurt its box office.
The third place film was "The Lego Movie," which scored another solid $20.8 million in its third weekend. The film became the first movie of 2014 to surpass the $200 million mark , taking in $209 million domestically. At the current pace the film is on the road to break the $250 million mark. However, it could be hurt next weekend with the release of the animated film "Mr. Peabody & Sherman."
Kevin Costner's action thriller "Three Days to Kill" continued to bomb making only $4.9 million. The film has made $20.7 million and is likely to finish up with $25 to $30 million by the end of its run. "The Monuments Men" was right behind it with $4.9 million. The George Clooney film has already made $65 million and is likely to finish with a successful $75 million.
In sixth and seventh place, two action films continued to plummet at rapid speed. "RoboCop" made an estimated $4.5 million. The $100 million budget film has only made $51 million and Sony's plans for a sequel will likely be scrapped after the disastrous numbers.
Tristar's $100 million historical action film "Pompei" made $4.3 million and has only made $17 million. The movie is likely to disappear next weekend when "300: Rise of An Empire" opens nationwide.
"Frozen" continued to generate money with an estimated $3.6 million. The film has already made $388 million and after the Oscar win is likely to continue to attract audiences before it comes out on DVD. The film also hit another milestone as it became the 16th movie to hit the $1 billion.
The successful "Ride Along" added another $3 million and brought its total to $127 million while Oscar nominee "American Hustle" brought in $1.9 million. The film has already made $146 million and is likely to hit $150 million. However, the movie is likely to fade out especially after getting shut out at the Oscars.
"The Wind Rises" expanded to decent results, making $1.5 million. The film is unlikely to generate much more revenue at the box office especially after having lost the Oscar.
The Oscar-winning film "12 Years a Slave" hit $50 million but unlike many recent Oscar winners, the movie is unlikely to generate much more at the box office; it will be released on DVD this week.
Two new releases failed to generate buzz. Russian movie "Stalingrad" only made $510,846 in 308 theaters while "Repentance" brought in $501,290 in 152 theaters.