UPDATE: Hall Pall took the No. 1 spot over Gnomeo &Juliet, $13.5 million to $13.4 million, final numbers released Monday showed.
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It's a good thing Hollywood has the Academy Awards to feel good about tonight because the box office didn't bring the joy.
In fact, the box office didn't bring much of anything--except an epic fail. Which new movie bombed?
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Drive Angry, the reputedly $75 million Nicolas Cage 3-D road-rage flick, grossed just $5.1 million Friday-Sunday, estimates said.
That's the worst debut on record for a 3-D film opening on at least 2,000 screens, per a Box Office Mojo chart. It's also the worst debut ever for a Cage movie at that many theaters.
Drive Angry was so mild it grossed just $1.6 million on its opening day, and is on track to gross just $1.3 million today.
Hall Pass, the other new major release, did much better, but didn't make Hollywood feel much better. The Owen Wilson-Jason Sudeikis comedy debuted in second with a so-so $13.4 million.
Gnomeo &Juliet took advantage of the weak competition (and animation's staying power) to take the No. 1 spot in its third weekend in release.
The so-called "fan cut" of the Justin Bieber 3-D concert film didn't make much noise. But Never Say Never, on the whole, has refused to quit, and has grossed nearly $63 million overall.
The King's Speech, now at $114.5 million overall, saw ticket sales bump up, presumably as Oscar fans got a last look at the presumed Best Picture frontrunner.
Here's a complete rundown of the top-grossing films, per Friday-Sunday numbers as compiled by Exhibitor Relations.
Gnomeo &Juliet, $14.2 million Hall Pass, $13.4 million Unknown, $12.4 million Just Go With It, $11.1 million I Am Number Four, $11 million Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, $9.2 million The King's Speech, $7.6 million Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, $7.55 million Drive Angry, $5.1 million The Roommate, $2 million
(Originally published Feb. 27, 2011 at 11:50 a.m. PT.)
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