The plastic heroes of Toy Story 3 put up a valiant fight, but could not hold on to the box office title over the holiday weekend.
Over the four-day Independence Day holiday weekend, it was The Twilight Saga: Eclipse that came out on top, grossing $82.5 million. The film opened on Wednesday, bringing its to-date total to a whopping $175 million. Eclipse, the third chapter in the teen vampire saga based on Stephenie Meyer’s novels, also grossed about $100 million overseas for a global total of $275 million.
Despite horrible reviews, the live-action adaptation of the popular Nick animated series The Last Airbender came in a strong second place with a $53 million weekend gross. The film, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, opened on Thursday, bringing its total through Monday to $70 million.
In third place was Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which made $42 million in the four-day weekend to bring its domestic total to $301 million. Its $150 million overseas gross gives it a whopping $451 million worldwide total.
DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek Forever After grossed $1.2 million in its seventh week of release, for a domestic total $232 million and a worldwide total $369 million. The film is set to open this week in Germany and mid-month in such key foreign markets as France, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
At the tail end of their theatrical releases is DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, which made $472,000 this weekend. It has grossed $216 million domestically and $262 million overseas for a $478 million worldwide total.
