It was a zoo this weekend at the local cineplex. And I’m not lion.
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted won the Friday-Sunday box office tourney by a giraffe-sized neck, hoofing its way to an estimated $60.4 million take—making its makers at DreamWorks as happy as a hippo at dinnertime. While it opened ever so slightly lower than its predecessor (Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa earned $63.1 million during its 2008 opening weekend), that’s still a load of oats.
Prometheus, director Ridley Scott’s much ballyhooed return to space, settled for second behind DreamWorks’ animated animal kingdom. But the Alien prequel proved it still had an impressive set of money-making chops, biting into the box office for $50 million. Another bit o’ movie-money trivia for you to chew on: The R-rated Prometheus actually opened on fewer screens (3,400 compared to Madagascar 3′s 4,300), which means the sci-fi horror flick actually made ever-so-slightly more per screen than its cartoon cohort, $14,700 to $14,200.
Snow White and the Huntsman, last week’s champ, was positively dwarfed by the newcomers, dropping to third place with $23 million. Men in Black 3 settled into fourth with $13.5 mil. The Avengers—the summer’s runaway hit so far—easily made the Top 5 with another $10.8 million take: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was barely sixth best at the box office with $3.2 million.
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