"Mr. Peabody & Sherman took the box office crown this weekend after getting off to a slow start. The film beat out "300: Rise of an Empire" and new release "Need for Speed."
The animated film fell 34 percent from its opening weekend and made $21 million. The movie is now at $63 million and with good word of mouth is likely to reach $100 million. The film notably got off to a weak start but with no competition the movie will likely surprise.
In second place "300: Rise of an Empire" plummeted and made $19.1 million. The second installment has now made $78 million and is likely to make $100 million. However, the movie is unlikely to reach the original film's $210 million.
"Need for Speed" took third place flopping with $17.8 million. The movie was expected to take in $25 million. The film was attempting to engage the audience of the "Fast and Furious" series but failed to do so. "Need for Speed" is unlikely to start a franchise and will most likely end its run with $50 million.
In fourth place "Non-Stop" continued to do solid business. The movie has already made $10.6 million and now stands at $68 million. With this latest success Liam Neeson has proven that he is a viable action star and a box office draw.
"Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club" also bombed and made $8.3 million. After 16 movies in eight years it seems that audiences are getting tired of Tyler Perry's films. Given that most of Perry's films have been front-loaded throughout the year, the film is unlikely to make any money after the opening weekend.
"The Lego Movie" came in sixth place with $7.7 million. The movie continues its solid track record and now has made $236 million.
Meanwhile "The Grand Budapest Hotel" continued to surprise. The film, currently playing in 66 theaters, made an estimated $3.6 million. That is an outstanding $55,000 per theater average and a record-breaking amount for a movie playing in over 50 locations. The film has already made $4 million and will be expand to 275 theaters next week. With strong word of mouth, the Wes Anderson flick should continue solid business.
The other big new release of the week was "Veronica Mars," which played in 291 theaters. The film made a disappointing $2 million and is expanding next week. The film is currently on VOD but given the opening it will not last long in theaters.
"Bad Words" also had a disappointing opening making $120,000. The film opened in six theaters and expands nationwide next week.
A24's "Enemy" opened in one theater with $18,000 while Music Box's "Le Week-End" made an estimated $45,000.
The Academy Award winners "Frozen" and "12 Years a Slave" also continued to hold well regardless of being on home video. "Frozen" made an estimated $2.1 million. The film has already made $396 million and could make the $400 million mark by the end of its run. The Steve McQueen film also held well but only made $1 million and is now at an estimated $55 million. The film is expected to leave theaters next weekend.