Green Lantern Tops US Weekend B-O

JUNE 20, 2011 - Green Lantern's light was more red than green, but the comic book adaptation still drew an estimated US$52.7 million on approximately 7,200 screens at 3,816 locations. Green Lantern's start landed behind X-Men: First Class's $55.1 million and Thor's $65.7 million, and its Friday-to-Saturday drop of 22 percent was steeper than those movies' eight percent. The gross was also less than The Incredible Hulk and the two Fantastic Four movies, and the attendance disparity was only greater. Green Lantern's estimated attendance was even lower than Daredevil and Ghost Rider.

Green Lantern continued the tradition of B-list superheroes failing to soar to blockbuster heights (with the exception of Iron Man), despite an enormous marketing push. But an onslaught of ads is not necessarily the same thing as an effective campaign. The bottom line is that Green Lantern simply didn't have that appeal of a premise with its distancing sci-fi fantasy angle, and no amount of ads could make it look less awkward.

In second place, Super 8 had a decent hold, retreating 40 percent to an estimated US$21.3 million while Mr. Popper's Penguins slid in to third with an estimated US$18.2 million on around 4,200 screens at 3,339 locations.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for June 17-19, 2011 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) Green Lantern (Warner Bros.) $52.7 million ($52.7 million) 1

2. (1) Super 8 (Paramount) $21.3 million ($72.8 million) 2

3. (-) Mr. Popper's Penguins (Fox) $18.2 million ($18.2 million) 1

4. (2) X-Men: First Class (Fox) $11.5 million ($119.9 million) 3

5. (3) Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.) $9.6 million ($232.7 million) 4