Box Office: 'Lego Movie' Opens to Incredible $69.1 Million
Credit: Warner Bros./Village Roadshow
It looks like The Lego Movie has all but assured its place as the next big animated film franchise, as the movie based on one of the most popular toys in the history of playthings opened to an incredible $69.1 million in North America. This marks the second biggest opening of all-time for a February release, failing only to surpass Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which debuted to $83.8 million in late February 2004.
The Lego Movie, from Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow, is already one of the best-reviewed animated films in history, holding a 98% fresh ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. The film tells the story of a Lego minifigure named Emmet who is mistaken for a legendary hero who could be the savior of the entire Lego universe. The blockbuster boasts a roster of A-class voice talent, including Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.
"I think this sends a signal that we are very interested in this space," said Warners domestic distribution chief Dan Fellman. "You will be hearing more from us, and we will definitely be talking very shortly about our plans for Lego."
But The Lego Movie isn't the only debuting feature to make a splash this weekend. George Clooney's latest directorial effort, The Monuments Men, made a pleasantly surprising debut, grossing $22.7 million and coming in at No. 2 domestically. Among Clooney's directorial features, The Monuments Men is his highest-grossing debut. The World War II comedy-drama stars Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and Cate Blanchett, and is based on the nonfiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, which tells the tale of an Allied squad tasked with saving important works of art before the Nazis have the works destroyed.
"We are very pleased with the opening, and it came in on the high end of our expectations. It's a fascinating story and a great ensemble cast. Audiences really like the film," said Sony's distribution chief Rory Bruer.
However, the news was less encouraging for the weekend's third new film, Vampire Academy, which bombed outright. The Young Adult adaptation grossed just $4.1 million, which settled the film at the No. 7 spot.
As for the rest of the box office, the holdovers are performing incredibly well. Ride Along came in at No. 3, grossing $9.4 million and surpassing the $100 million mark. The buddy-cop comedy now has now accumulated a total of $105.2 million.
Meanwhile, Disney's Frozen continues to be an absolute monster at the box office, remaining high in the charts despite other challengers for family attention, such as The Lego Movie and The Nut Job. Coming in at No. 4 with a gross of $6.9 million, Frozen's North American total has now surpassed Despicable Me 2's $368.1 million gross with a total of $368.8 million. Worldwide, the animated musical has grossed an estimated $913.8 million, which now makes Frozen the No. 4 animated film of all-time.
You can check out the full Top 10 below:
- The Lego Movie ($69.1 million)
- The Monuments Men ($22.7 million)
- Ride Along ($9.4 million)
- Frozen ($9.3 million)
- That Awkward Moment ($5.5 million)
- Lone Survivor ($5.3 million)
- Vampire Academy ($4.1 million)
- The Nut Job ($3.8 million)
- Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit ($3.6 million)
- Labor Day ($3.2 million)