Box office results: ‘The Lego Movie’ wins big

As predicted, the new animated film The Lego Movie was the biggest winner at the weekend box office, drawing kids and parents alike. That’s not surprising, but what is remarkable is the movie’s total take. At last check, early estimates had The Lego Movie taking in more than $69 million, establishing it firmly as a blockbuster – the first one for 2014.

February isn’t exactly prime time for blockbuster films, but the timing for this film’s release couldn’t be better. Audiences who’ve already seen Frozen (some more than once) were eager for another animated movie, and The Lego Movie fits the bill perfectly. I haven’t seen it yet, but when I went to get some tickets for us last night, two showings here were sold out. Friends tell me it’s hilarious and really fun for them – and for their children. Yeah, that’s a sure sign of a massive blockbuster with staying power. I strongly suspect that this number one is going to stay in that spot for a while.

Competition at the weekend box office wasn’t overwhelmingly strong to begin with, but George Clooney’s latest directorial and acting effort over-performed. Even with terrible reviews, audiences clearly love Clooney, and they turned out well for The Monuments Men, which took in an estimated $22.7 million in its opening weekend. Personally? I’ve decided to wait for the DVD release on this. If I see anything, I’ll see The Lego Movie. Besides, with all this cruddy cold winter weather we’re having (and truly, I am not used to seeing snow more than once every few years, much less twice in one week), I’m in all out hibernation mode. Movies on my couch, with my dog and a nice cup of hot chocolate are in order.

As for the rest of the box office results, Ride Along finished in third place with $9.4 million, followed by Frozen at $6.9 million and That Awkward Moment, which took in $5.5 million. You’ll notice that the latest YA movie effort, Vampire Academy, was not even in the top five. Yeah, this one bombed, barely finishing in seventh place with a dismal take of just over $4 million. DVD. For sure.

Did anyone venture out to the theater to see anything this past weekend? I’d love to hear from you, especially if you saw The Lego Movie. I suspect we’ll be talking about this one for weeks to come.

Photo courtesy of Eonline.com