Megamind Leads US Weekend B-O

NOV 8, 2010 - Megamind, Due Date and For Colored Girls each opened solidly or better over the weekend, cumulatively fuelling the highest-grossing holiday season kick-off ever (if estimates hold). Overall business improved a whopping 30 percent over the same weekend last year when A Christmas Carol (2009) led in its debut.

Commandeering an estimated US$47.7 million on around 7,300 screens at 3,944 locations, Megamind left its mark with a more bustling start than How to Train Your Dragon (US$43.7 million), A Christmas Carol and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs among others. However, it wasn't quite the mastermind that the similarly-themed Despicable Me (US$56.4 million) was. It also fell short of Monsters Vs. Aliens (US$59.3 million), and its attendance was less than half that of The Incredibles on the same weekend in 2004.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Nov 5-7, 2010 weekend, in terms of rank, Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo.

1. Megamind (Paramount/DreamWorks) $47.7 million ($47.7 million) 1

2. Due Date (Warner Bros.) $33.5 million ($33.5 million) 1

3. For Colored Girls (Lionsgate) $20.1 million ($20.1 million) 1

4. Red (Summit Entertainment) $8.9 million ($71.9 million) 4

5. Saw 3D (Lionsgate) $8.2 million ($38.8 million) 2