From the stylized fighting to the over abundance of enhanced abs, it's hard not to draw comparisons between 300 and this weekend's new entry Immortals. But one place where the two diverge is box office performance. While Immortals banked a decent $32 million, it fell short of the $70 million the highly anticipated 300 opened to back in 2007.
But Immortals took in enough to be number one, overshadowing second place Jack and Jill. The Adam Sandler flick banked $26 million, roughly $26 million more than most critics think it deserved. Despite a devastating 3% at Rotten Tomatoes, Sandler fans turned out to give him a decent opening weekend.
It may be one of the lower openings Sandler has seen, but given the downturn in ticket sales over the last two years and the creepy vision that is Sandler in drag, it's probably more than he could have asked for.
Clint Eastwood's latest offering, J. Edgar, starring Leo DiCaprio, settled in at fifth place with just $11 million. By most standards that would be a modest opening at best, but it's the highest an Eastwood flick has enjoyed since Space Cowboys more than a decade ago.
A movie that's been enjoying some quiet buzz in cinephile circles, Melancholia, opened in just 19 theaters earning $265,000. There's no expectation for a wider release, though the movie is already available for instant rental on Amazon.com and Vudu.
For the full weekend top ten, check out the table below:
