Who says we’ve outgrown fairy tales?
Sure, our 21st-century culture may be a little more cynical and self-aware. Maybe some of us stifle eye-rolls when it comes to cute, animated forest creatures cleaning out cottages. But audiences once again proved that we’re still susceptible to stories that begin with “Once upon a time” and end with “happily ever after” … as long as there’s plenty of gritty action in the middle.
Snow White and the Huntsman proved to be the apple of the box office’s metaphorical eye this weekend, taking an estimated $56.3 million bite out of the box office. Sure, this reboot isn’t exactly family friendly. Our reviewer Bob Hoose summed up the movie with, “Let’s just say that this is no bedtime story, then, and be done with it.” But its success suggests that we all still long for stories that offer a hint of heroism and fairy tale charm. Snow White’s opening was the fourth biggest this year (trailing only The Avengers, The Hunger Games and The Lorax), easily enough to kiss off its competitors and ride to the win.
Men in Black 3 tumbled to second place with a $29.3 million take—not bad, but far from out of this world. The Avengers took home another $20.3 million, bringing its 2012 tally to $552.7 million. Moroever, The Avengers pushed past another superhero, The Dark Knight, on the all-time domestic gross list (the Batman flick earned $533.3 million during its 2008 run) and is now ranked third, only behind Titanic and Avatar.
Those three powerhouses sucked the life out of the rest of the week’s contenders. Battleship and The Dictator—the latter being the only R-rated film in the Top Five—are in a near dead heat for fourth place. Prognosticators suggest Battleship will take the race by a nose, netting an estimated $4.8 million compared to Dictator’s predicted $4.7 million. But neither tally would be even a fifth of what The Avengers earned.
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