“Think Like a Man” Eats “Hunger Games”

“Think Like a Man” Eats “Hunger Games”

The box office competition finally toppled down “The Hunger Games” as "Think Like a Man" beat expectations with a chart-topping $33.0 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales over the weekend.

Love story "The Lucky One" also exceeded expectations to finish second with $22.8 million through the weekend, according to studio estimates. The two films pushed the blockbuster "Hunger Games" to third, ending its four-week streak at No. 1.

The romantic comedy "Think Like a Man" is based on Steve Harvey's best-selling book that talks about a relationship guide "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man."

The movie, which portrays four couples trying to resolve various issues, stars Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Michael Ealy, hip-hop singer Chris Brown and Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson. The film cost $13 million in the making and received positive feedback in pre-release screenings, said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide release for Sony Corp's Sony Pictures studio.

"We definitely felt like we had a hit coming," Bruer said. Still, the weekend performance "exceeded everyone's expectations," he said.

Audiences gave "Think Like a Man" an "A" grade in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.

"The Lucky One" tells the story of a U.S. Marine who returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, believing that the only thing that kept him safe and alive was a photograph of a beautiful woman he found in the rubble of war.  The movie added $3.8 million from nine international markets, bringing its global debut to $26.6 million.

"Hunger Games," the hit film about an oppressive society's televised teen death match, took in an estimated $14.5 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters during the weekend. Global sales for the film from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp totaled up to $572.7 million since its release.

The new movie, nature documentary "Chimpanzee," finished in fourth place with $10.2 million, while “The Three Stooges,” from News Corp's 20th Century Fox studio, finished fifth with $9.2 million.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Tuesday April 24 2012, 3:20 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0