Cloverfield Pulls Surprise; Baron Cohen Bombs

But 'Zootopia' wins the weekend again
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 13, 2016 12:07 PM CDT
Cloverfield Pulls Surprise; Baron Cohen Bombs
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, left, and John Goodman in a scene from the film, "10 Cloverfield Lane."   (Michele K. Short)

The JJ Abrams-produced 10 Cloverfield Lane capitalized on a mysterious marketing campaign to debut with a better-than-expected $25.2 million over the weekend, though the Disney animated hit Zootopia stayed on top with $50 million, reports the AP. The second-straight No. 1 weekend came easily for Zootopia, which slid a mere 33%, according to studio estimates Sunday. The monster movie 10 Cloverfield Lane, a so-called "spiritual successor" to 2008's found-footage hit Cloverfield, also performed well, boosted by positive reviews. "Some of these movies that are very clever and very genre will drop big in their second day, but it went up, so that means audiences are digging the film and talking about it," an analyst tells USA Today.

The top five were rounded out with Deadpool ($10.8 million), London Has Fallen ($10.7 million), and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot ($4.6 million), notes USA Today. But Sacha Baron Cohen's Brothers Grimsby flopped with only $3.2 million, a career low debut at the box office for the British comedian by a wide margin. Perhaps sensing trouble, Sony Pictures had postponed the release date of the R-rated comedy numerous times. (More box office stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X