Just call E.B. the little bunny that could.
With theaters hosting drunken millionaires, teen assassins, world-class surfers and seriously impaired knights this weekend, the animated lark Hop won the box office derby for the second straight week. The rabbit-centric film, starring the Russell Brand-voiced E.B., hopped over highly touted new release Arthur and nibbled an estimated $21.7 million to take the title by a lot more than a hare.
Arthur, meanwhile, staggered and fell. The relentlessly advertised remake of the 1981 comedy took in $12.6 million, well below the studio’s expectations. And while Brand, who starred as the titular character, could brag that he starred in the weekend’s top two moneymaking flicks, some film prognosticators believe Arthur’s disappointing take (the studio hoped it would earn $18 million or more) hurts Brand’s bid to become an honest-to-goodness movie star. Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gleiberman thinks Brand might’ve been one of the big reasons the film underperformed, actually, saying that he seems less likable every time he sees him in anything. Gleiberman also believes that Arthur’s rampant alcohol abuse is far less funny these days than it was 30 years ago, when Dudley Moore slapped on the film’s top hat.
The new Arthur makes drinking seem, if anything, a little less of a big deal, because Brand plays Arthur as a blitzed idiot even when he’s not drunk. Nevertheless, he isn’t much of a role model, and these days that can shove a movie character right to the margins.
Hanna and Soul Surfer, meanwhile, finished third and fourth in the weekend derby, pocketing $12.3 million and $11.1 million respectively. While neither beat Arthur, much less Hop, the makers of both have to feel pretty good about the weekend. Soul Surfer, the faith-friendly biopic of real-life surfer Bethany Hamilton, is riding a particularly nice wave. Made for just $18 million, it’s well on its way to recouping its cost. And audiences loved the flick: It earned an A+ grade from moviegoers this weekend, according to CinemaScore—the first movie to score so high since last year’s Disney film Tangled.
It also beat Your Highness, the weekend’s fourth big release, by $1.6 million, despite being screened in 500 fewer theaters. No truth to the rumors that Your Highness may be renamed Your Lowness—both in honor of its content and low opening take. It just goes to show that medieval swordplay and pot smoking just don’t mix.
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