Pixar’s ‘Brave’ tops box office
13th straight No. 1 for studio,
Ho-hum, ho-hum, another No. 1.
Brave, the animated fairy tale from Pixar, coasted to the top spot at theaters this weekend, giving the studio an unprecedented 13th straight No. 1 film.
The story of a Scottish princess who dreams of becoming an archer collected $66.7 million, according to studio estimates from tracking firm Hollywood.com. Analysts had projected that the movie would earn about $55 million.
Though the film was expected to be No. 1 — Pixar’s one-movie-a-year strategy has made its releases a summer viewing staple among families — the debut still marked a comeback of sorts for Pixar. Last year’s Cars 2 was the studio’s first negatively reviewed film (though it took in $191.5 million).
Brave saw no such critical shrug. The movie earned a thumbs-up from 74% of the nation’s critics, according to Rottentomatoes.com. Fan support was even stronger: 85% of moviegoers liked it, the survey site says.
The movie “is a great re- bound from the cash grab that was Cars 2,” says Tim Briody of Box office prophets .com.
Gitesh Pandya of Box officeguru.com says Brave, which features the voices of Kelly Macdonald and Emma Thompson, got a box-office boost from technology. The film enjoyed an “advantage of 3-D surcharges,” he says. “Pixar is a brand people find worth paying extra for.”
Brave knocked another cartoon from the top perch: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted was second with $20.2 million.
Teen boys had an option
this weekend in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which met most analysts’ expectations with $16.5 million and third place. Though critics feasted on the R-rated monster film — only 39% recommended it — about threefourths of audiences liked it, Rottentomatoes.com says. The Alien prequel Prome
theus took fourth place with $10 million, followed by another fairy tale, Snow White and the Huntsman, which took No. 5 with $8 million. Final figures are out today. Ticket sales have climbed 9% over last year’s pace, and attendance is up 11% over 2011, Hollywood.com says.