'Lego Movie' blocks top spot at box office
LOS ANGELES - "The Lego Movie" built a huge lead on top of the weekend's new releases at the box office.
In its second outing, the Warner Bros. animated film featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett earned $48.8 million to take first place, according to studio estimates Sunday. That brings the film based on the toy brick-building franchise's domestic box office total to $129.1 million, cementing it was one of the biggest blockbusters of the year.
"It's crossing over to all audiences," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "It's not just a kids' movie. There's something for boys, girls and adults, as well. The likeability is astronomical. That across-the-board appeal is giving 'The Lego Movie' unstoppable momentum, even in a weekend loaded with new competitors."
"The Lego Movie" earned an additional $27.7 million from 42 international territories, including the United Kingdom, Holland, Sweden and Norway.
The worldwide total box office for "Lego Movie" now stands at $180.3 million.
Sony's romantic comedy "About Last Night" starring Kevin Hart and Michael Ealy came in second place with $27 million. The strong showing further demonstrated Hart's clout as a box-office draw. The actor-comedian's other film, the buddy-cop comedy "Ride Along" with Ice Cube, nabbed $8.8 million in its fifth weekend to take the sixth spot at the box office.
"I don't think there's anyone funnier out there today than Kevin Hart," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "He's at the top, and he couldn't be a nicer or more hardworking guy. He got out there and promoted 'About Last Night' really, really hard. The chemistry that he brings to the table is just infectious. You can't help but wanna take the ride with him."
The action-packed "RoboCop" reboot from Sony and MGM featuring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton captured third place with $21.5 million. The update to the original 1987 sci-fi film starring Peter Weller as a robotic officer performed better overseas, earning $35 million from 37 international markets, including France, Australia and Germany.
The weekend's other new releases, Universal's coming-of-age drama "Endless Love" and the Warner Bros. novel adaptation "Winter's Tale," respectively earned the fifth and seventh spots at the box office. "Endless Love," starring Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde, wooed $13.4 million, while the Colin Farrell drama "Winter's Tale" made a chilly $7.8 million.
Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.