The Weekend Box Office: 'Madagascar' Repeats, Debut Films Disappoint

Despite the starpower of Adam Sandler and Tom Cruise, both of their new movies failed to make a huge splash at this weekend’s box office, bested instead by last week’s number one and number two, Madagascar 3 and Prometheus respectively. While R-rated comedies and musicals aren’t exactly giant box office draws, Rock of Ages and That’s My Boy were expected to perform much better than they actually did. Sandler’s That’s My Boy is one of the few disappointments from Sony Pictures this year, as Sony’s film division has been on a role, with most new films debuting at number one. On the opposite end of the spectrum, animated kids flick Madagascar 3 performed very well in it’s second week, dropping just 41 percent and repeating as this week’s box office champion.

Hit the jump for a full rundown of this week’s box office results.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted finished on top with just over $35.5 million, bringing the movie’s 10-day total to $120.5 million, which is better than both of the previous films in the franchise through the same time period. The film’s 41 percent drop may seem huge for a film that retained a number one spot, though the weak showings of the new debuts may be partially the reason.

Finishing at second place this weekend is Prometheus, which dropped a staggering 60 percent in it’s second weekend. The drop was somewhat expected, with up and down reviews and lackluster word of mouth. Despite the drop, the film earned a solid $20.2 million and is now the highest grossing movie in the Aliens franchise (though according to Box Office Mojo, the film is behind most of the other films when adjusted for inflation).

Tom Cruise’s Rock of Ages musical finished third with $15.0 million, which pales in comparison to past summer musicals Mamma Mia and Hairspray. Still, the film was the sixth highest opening for a musical all-time. The marketing for the film has ramped up closer to release, but the odd premise for the film and the fact that most of the commercials failed to play up Tom Cruise’s starring role may have contributed to the film’s underwhelming debut.

Coming in at fifth place was Sony Pictures’ That’s My Boy, which made just $13.0 million. While the film only had a $70 million budget, it was still considered a huge disappointment, with the R-rated comedy debuting beneath even Sandler’s 2011 flick Jack and Jill, which is often heralded as Sandler’s worst film.

Sony Picture’s Men in Black 3 finished in sixth place with just over $10 million, which brings the film’s total $152 million domestically. Look out for another huge Sony Picture’s film debuting in the next few weeks with The Amazing Spiderman, which premiers July 3.

Domestic Box Office Top Five