“21 Jump Street” Leaps to No. 1 Spot with $35M Debut

“21 Jump Street” Leaps to No. 1 Spot with $35M Debut

Audiences feel like their heading back to school again with "21 Jump Street," which opened as the No. 1 weekend movie with $35 million.

Sony's action comedy film stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum acting as cops going undercover as high school students put the animated hit "Dr. Seuss' the Lorax," behind which had been the top flick the previous two weekends.

Sundays’ Studio estimates put Universal's "The Lorax" in second-place with $22.8 million, raising to $158.4 million in domestic sales.

Disney's sci-fi "John Carter" dropped sharply in its second weekend, ranking to number 3. The Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation took in $13.5 million, down 55 percent from its low opening weekend and lifting its domestic total to a measly $53.2 million. "John Carter" reportedly cost $250 million to make.

While getting low returns in the United States, "John Carter" has done decent business overseas. It took in $40.7 million this weekend to push its international haul to $126.1 million and its worldwide total to $179.3 million.

Based on the 1980s TV show that made Johnny Depp a star, "21 Jump Street" casts Hill and Tatum as rookie cops posing as teens to capture crooks peddling drugs at a Los Angeles school. Rather than doing a straight remake on TV, Sony decided to cast "21 Jump Street" for the big-screen, revising it as a comedy that attracted pack of under-25 crowd, making up half of the audience.

"I just think you had to make it relevant, and action comedy was the way to go. And they did make it very relevant to a young audience," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "The guys, Jonah and Channing, were just killer together. They had incredible chemistry and certainly were the attraction for younger crowds."

Here is the list of estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com.

1. "21 Jump Street," $35 million ($7 million international).

2. "Dr. Seuss' the Lorax," $22.8 million ($11.6 million international).

3. "John Carter," $13.5 million ($40.7 million international).

4. "Project X," $4 million ($5.6 million international).

5. "A Thousand Words," $3.8 million.

6. "Act of Valor," $3.7 million.

7. "Safe House," $2.8 million ($3.5 million international).

8. "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island," $2.5 million ($5 million international).

9. "Casa de mi Padre," $2.2 million.

10. "This Means War," $2.1 million ($9.2 million international).

Posted by Kade Quinn on Tuesday March 20 2012, 4:26 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0