Neither LEGOs nor Liam Neeson nor very smart animated dogs could topple the power that was ancient Greece. Not on this weekend, anyway.
300: Rise of an Empire rose to the top of the box office, cutting down all competitors and bellowing taunts at its adversaries along the way. The splashy historical fantasy earned an estimated $45.1 million in blood-stained booty, hauling it all off in those nifty little boats. Rise of an Empire’s take didn’t quite match the gross of its predecessor 300 (which earned $70.9 million its opening weekend back in 2007), but I don’t think Themostokles et al will complain.
But really, it was a big fat Greek party at the box office. Almost every entrant in the Top 5 had some sort of connection with ancient denizens of the Baltic Peninsula (if we stretch it a little).
Mr. Peabody & Sherman, an animated newcomer based on a 1960s-era cartoon, finished second. It is mere coincidence that it also featured a bevy of sword-wielding Greeks (OK, technically Acheans)—these ones taking on ancient Troy? I think not.
Nor should we overlook Liam Neeson, who stars in this week’s box office bronze medalist Non-Stop. Before Neeson became harried federal air marshal Bill Marks, he was none other than the Greek god Zeus in both Clash of the Titans and its sequel, Wrath of the Titans. Alas for Neeson, Non-Stop, last week’s champ, couldn’t muster another titanic performance this week: It earned $15.4 million and will soon frolic with the kraken.
Son of God, which finished fifth in the weekend tourney with $10 million, took place in ancient Judea, which shares a lakefront (the lake being the Mediterranean Sea) with Greece. Why, if you stood on the Judean coast and skipped a stone across the waters, you could practically hit the straights where the Battle of Salamis was held (if you had Herculean strength, of course). And we must not forget that the events in Son of God eventually inspired the apostle Paul to preach the Gospel in Greece.
And as for The LEGO Movie, which finished fourth with $11 million … well, just take a look at this.
[View:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l2TzMdkIR0:550:0]
Final figures update: 1. 300: Rise of an Empire, $45 million; 2. Mr. Peabody & Sherman, $32.2 million; 3. Non-Stop, $15.8 million; 4. The LEGO Movie, $10.9 million; 5. Son of God, $10.4 million.
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