Warner Bros.’ 300 was victorious at the North American box office, earning an estimated $70 million over the weekend. The bloody, stylized history lesson has apparently set a new record for a March opening, just barely surpassing the $68 million Fox Animation’s Ice Age: The Meltdown earned during its opening weekend last year. Based on the sword-and-sandal graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 also conquered reigning champ Wild Hogs, which earned a respectable $28 million in its second week to bring its total to around $77 million.
Many anticipated a strong opening frame for 300, but the film surpassed all expectations. The artistically liberal account of the ancient battle of Thermopylae was made for around $65 million, a fairly modest budget for an epic period piece. Director Zack Snyder and his crew were able to keep costs low by shooting most of the film against blue screens and adding in digital environments in post. Animal Logic, the studio behind the 3D animation in Warner Bros.’ Oscar-winning Happy Feet, contributed heavily to the film’s extensive CG effects work. Also contributing digital wizardry were Hydralux, Meteor Studios, Scanline VFX, Hybride, Buzz Images, Pixel Magic, Lola Visual Effects, Warner Bros. Internal and Technicolor Toronto.
Obviously benefiting from positive word-of-mouth, Bridge to Terabithia from Disney and Walden Media moved a notch up the chart to No.3 in its fourth week in theaters. Based on the kid lit favorite by author Katherine Paterson, the movie has earned an estimated $67 million and continues to open on more screens as fellow holdovers such as DreamWorks’ Norbit and New Line Cinema’s The Number 23 are quickly bleeding out of venues.
Sony’s Ghost Rider is also making tracks leading out of multiplexes, but not before earning $164 million worldwide. The superhero action pic based on the Marvel Comics property rides easy at No. 4 in its fourth week, earning an estimated $6.8 million to keep just a hair ahead of Paramount’s Zodiac. Director David Fincher’s take on the Zodiac killings of the late 1960s rounds out the top five with around $6.7 million, dropping from the No. 2 spot in its sophomore weekend.
The Korean creature feature The Host opened in 71 theaters across North America, earning approximately $320,000. Despite a bare-bones TV marketing campaign by domestic distributor Magnolia Pictures, the movie managed an impressive $4,500 per-theater average, which should encourage a wider rollout in the coming weeks.
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