Weekend Box Office: Madagascar is Top Destination

Available in IMAX!! 

 What does it take to knock those crazy fun singing dancing High School Musical 3 teens off the top of the box office? A bunch of animated animals, apparently, as Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa wins the weekend box office with an extremely healthy $63.5 million. That gives the sequel a narrow half million edge for best animated opening of the year over last summer’s Wall*E, but it’s only an estimate. When final numbers come out Monday, the lonely robot pic may well take back the prize.

Second place went to the comedy Role Models, which far exceeded expectations with $19.3 million. The quiet $10-12 million earned by last weekend’s comedy opener, Zack and Miri Make a Porno had led people to project Role Models, aimed at the same audiences, to land in the same area. Zack and Miri, by the way, landed in fifth place this week with $6.5 million.

The surprise success of Role Models and the fact, as noted by Variety, that Madagascar attracted people of all ages, not just families, can lead us to this conclusion: we’re all poor, we need something silly to laugh at, and while they may seem expensive (especially in places like Manhattan), movies are a lot cheaper than some other things once wealthy folks may have done otherwise (jetting off to Paris for dinner? No! going to the bargain matinee to see Madagascar Escape 2 Africa? Absolutely!).

Third place went to the aforementioned High School Musical 3, with $9.3 million. The film’s already made a boatload of money and will probably be rushed to DVD in order to take more cash from starry-eyed tweens. Changeling, the Clint Eastwood-Angelina Jolie drama was in fourth place with $7.3 million. Knowing Clint, the movie probably had a ten dollar budget and came in at nine dollars, so it’s probaby doing fine.

Next week brace yourself for the Quantum of Solace storm (reviewed here by my fellow blogger Dave). It’s been killing in box offices around the world, and sounds like a safe bet to do well here.