Box Office Round-Up, February 25-27, 'Gnomeo' Stands Tall

Monday, 28 February 2011 10:33 Written by Jordan DeSaulnier

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Box Office Round-Up, February 25-27, 'Gnomeo' Stands Tall

The Oscars may not have been a bundle of surprises, but the weekend box office provided a few of its own. Disney's Gnomeo & Juliet managed to make its way to the first place spot over the pretty-slow Oscar weekend, according to estimates. After slowly moving into a striking position after debuting in third place, then jumping up to second place last weekend, the animated picture rose to first with $14.2 million over a weekend that apparently stands as the lowest attended late-February weekend in 16 years. The new Farrelly Brothers comedy Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis, underperformed in second place with an estimated $13.4 million, and last week's number one film Unknown dropped 43% to $12.4 million.

The attempted franchise starter I Am Number Four followed up its disappointing performance last week by dropping about half its opening weekend audience and winding up in fifth place behind Adam Sandler's Just Go With It. Given the close margin between the two films, with $11.1 and $11 million estimated, they might just swap rankings before the day as done, with actual figures coming in. While every other previously-released movie on the chart lost business, Best Picture winner The King's Speech gained 17% over last weekend, bringing its total to almost $115 million, a figure that will only increase in light of the Oscar win and the upcoming PG-13 variation taking over at a theater near you.

The week's other new release, Drive Angry 3D, starring Nicholas Cage and Amber Heard, rolled into theaters and ninth place with an estimated $5.1 million, with 3D screenings accounting for 96% of that business. Despite the 3D hook, the style and content of Drive Angry present the possibility that the film will have a long life with a cult following, thought admittedly, that's a best-case scenario.

1. Gnomeo & Juliet $14.2 million $75.1 million

2. Hall Pass $13.4 million New Release

3. Unknown $12.4 million $42.8 million

4. Just Go With It $11.1 million $79.4 million

5. I Am Number Four $11 million $37.7 million

6. Never Say Never $9.2 million $62.8 million

7. The King's Speech $7.6 million $114.5 million

8. Big Mommas $7.6 million $28.6 million

9. Drive Angry 3D $5.1 million New Release

10. The Roommate $2.1 million $35.9 million

So that's how the weekend went down. Next weekend sees the release of Take Me Home Tonight, Rango and The Adjustment Bureau. Are you psyched to see Topher Grace go back to the 80's, Johnny Depp as a lizard, or Matt Damon running from men in suits?

UPDATE: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sunday didn't bring quite as much business as Disney anticipated for Gnomeo & Juliet, so with the actual numbers in, it looks like Hall Pass narrowly beat Gnomeo for the number one spot. The R-rated comedy pulled in $13.5 million this weekend, while the animated film made $13.4.

Source: Box Office Mojo