Heading into the weekend I cannot say I had high hopes for either of those films, although I was pretty sure that 21 was going to be the better, in terms of entertainment. What caught me off guard was just how much I was going to enjoy Superhero Movie. While the real-life story of the gambling team was entertaining, it was not terribly engrossing or memorable, in fact it was kind of dull and forgettable blended with some good moments. Now, Superhero Movie on the other hand turned out to actually be funny, focused, and fitfully funny.
There was one other new release in the top ten this week, Stop Loss. As I suspected, it did not have a strong opening. It has nothing to do with the perceived quality of the film, but it has everything to do with the topic. Films with themes steeped in the current conflict in the Middle East do not do well, not many people want to see them. I saw the film and thought it was decent, it points to issues that need the exposure. The biggest problem is that the film feels like a refined version of the direct to video movie Home of the Brave.
As for the rest of the top ten? Most of the returning films fared well with relatively small drops. That is all except for Meet the Browns, which fell of by more than 60%. At the other end of the spectrum is the delightful Horton Hears a Who, which slipped just 27% from last weekend. Overall, it was flat across the board. We will have to wait and see how everything fares through April as we build towards the bigger, summer-style releases coming in May.
I should also note that Horton Hears a Who became the first film of 2008 to cross the $100 million barrier. In February it was assumed that mantle would go to Cloverfield following its strong start, but that disappeared as the very mixed word of mouth killed its run.
Next week will see new competition from George Clooney's latest directorial effort Leatherheads, the tween targeted Nim's Island, and the horror entry The Ruins. Also, entering limited release will be Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones concert documentary, Shine a Light.
Three movies dropped off the top ten this week: Never Back Down (11), Vantage Point (13), and Under the Same Moon (14).
| This Week | Last Week | Title | Wknd Gross | Overall | Week in release |
| 1 | N | 21 | $24,105,943 | $24,105,943 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Horton Hears a Who | $17,740,106 | $117,589,254 | 3 |
| 3 | N | Superhero Movie | $9,510,297 | $9,510,297 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns | $7,481,508 | $32,549,825 | 2 |
| 5 | 4 | Drillbit Taylor | $5,713,585 | $20,487,226 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 | Shutter | $5,221,016 | $18,998,604 | 2 |
| 7 | 5 | 10,000 B.C. | $4,947,174 | $84,992,525 | 4 |
| 8 | N | Stop Loss | $4,555,117 | $4,555,117 | 1 |
| 9 | 7 | College Road Trip | $3,457,756 | $38,322,829 | 4 |
| 10 | 8 | The Bank Job | $2,780,168 | $24,084,605 | 4 |
Box Office Predictions Recap
Color me surprised to find my predictions for the number 1 and number 3 movie to be flip-flopped. I was certain the spoof was going to rake it in. Could this signify a shift in the draw of the spoof? Perhaps people just aren't interested in spoofing the superhero genre. Whatever the case, I am still wrong in the end. I wasn't all that good for the rest of the list either, everything was all over the place. My other big gaff was the rock that is Run Fat Boy Run, it sank like a stone, while I thought it would pull in respectable numbers. I guess I was wrong. Fortunately, there is always next week to look forward to.
Here is how the field matched up:
| Actual | Prediction | Title | Wknd Gross | Prediction |
| 3 | 1 | Superhero Movie | $9,510,297 | $25 million |
| 2 | 2 | Horton Hears a Who | $17,740,106 | $16 million |
| 1 | 3 | 21 | $24,105,943 | $15 million |
| 4 | 4 | Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns | $7,481,508 | $10 million |
| 12 | 5 | Run Fat Boy Run | $2,340,743 | $8 million |
| 5 | 6 | Drillbit Taylor | $5,713,585 | $5.5 million |
| 8 | 7 | Stop Loss | $4,555,117 | $5 million |
| 6 | 8 | Shutter | $5,221,016 | $4 million |
| 7 | 9 | 10,000 BC | $4,947,174 | $3.5 million |
| 10 | 10 | The Bank Job | $2,780,168 | $3 million |
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