By Chris Kavan - 05/22/11 at 11:31 PM CT
It seems the fourth time still has its charms as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, took the top spot over the weekend.
The $90.1 million opening now represents the biggest opening of the 2011 season, beating out Fast Five's $86.4 million. Still, even with the big opening, Pirates was down compared to the openings of both Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, neither of which benefited from 3D. It was also a lower than the projected $100 million it was expected to open. Still, even with the lower opening I'm sure there is already talk about Pirates 5.
Holding up strongly, dropping less than 20%, was the comedy Bridesmaids. The film took in another $21 million and now stands at $59.5 million. In fact, it held its audience better than The Hangover and blew other comedies like Bride Wars and Baby Mama completely out of the water.
Super hero Thor took a super hit, dropping over 55% to land in third with $15.5 million. The film has made %145.6 million and will have no problem hitting $150 million, but may not quite have the legs to make it to $200 million.
Taking an even bitter hit than Thor was Priest, which dropped all the way to 6th place and shedding nearly 70% of its audience. The sub-$24 million total looks pretty dismal next to its $60 million cost.
Rounding out the top 5, Fast Five and Rio added to their totals. In 4th place, Fast Five took in an additional $10.6 million and now stands at $186.2 million. It still has a good chance to cross the $200 million mark before its run is over. Meanwhile, Rio added another $4.6 million and now stands at $131.6 million.
Finally, the movie with the biggest buzz of the week has to go to Woody's Allen's Midnight in Paris. Despite opening in just six theaters, the film took in $579,000 - good enough for 12th place and represents not the best limited release opening of 2011, but one of the strongest limited release debuts ever.
Two big sequels open next week: The Hangover II looks to repeat the success of the original while Kung Fu Panda 2 looks to join the ranks of strong animated films. Opening in limited release is Terrence Malick's Tree of Life, which should get a substantial boost thanks to winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
