Sony Screen Gems’ Underworld: Evolution debuted to an estimated $27.6 over the weekend, claiming the top spot at the North American box office. Though the studio exhibited a lack of confidence by withholding the film from critics, the vampire/were-wolf actioner did even better than its predecessor, which opened at No. 1 with $22 million in 2003.
Underworld: Evolution sees Kate Beckinsale return to the role of Selene, a vampire death dealer who battles lycanthropes and treacherous villains among her own kind. A high theater count and a dearth of box office competition put the sequel well ahead of the pack as moviegoers chose popcorn action and CG scares provided by Luma Pictures, CafeFX, ntropic, Fantasy II Film Effects, Krypton, Company 3, Furious FX and Framestore CFC. The film’s extensive vfx work was overseen by vfx supervisors James McQuaide and Gary Beach.
Holding strong at No. 2, the Weinstein Co.’s animated Hoodwinked did well in its second weekend. The modestly budgeted fairytale spoof slipped only slightly, earning another $11 to bring its two-week cume to nearly $30 million. Meanwhile, last weekend’s top contender, Disney’s Glory Road, took a steeper tumble. The historical basketball piece earned an estimated $9.1 million, putting it in a neck-and-neck race for No. 3 with Paramount’s Queen Latifah comedy, Last Holiday.
Fresh off its Golden Globes win for Best Picture, Brokeback Mountain from Focus Features continues its rise up the charts, hitting No. 5 with around $7.8 million in its seventh week. Made for around $14 million, the cowboy romance pic from acclaimed director Ang Lee has earned approximately $42 million on its way to the big Oscar competition in March.
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