Overall, this weekend is down 14% over last, a rare bump in an otherwise banner and probable record box office year.

The big news is that “Battleship” opened a month earlier overseas than it will here and has already made $26 million and that the “Stooges” hasn’t flopped … yet. 

Personally, I’m surprised Cameron’s “Titanic” e-release in 3D isn’t doing better. $43 million in two weeks is nothing to cry over, but in week two it dropped to $10.5 million, which means it isn’t likely to top $100 million.

DHD:

It took all day and all night, but now there’s clarity in terms of movie order. Fox’s The Three Stooges was #1 at matinees. But “the combination of 22% of K-12 out today, plus our PG family friendly rating, conspired to slow us down at the box office after the 8 PM shows tonight,” a Fox exec said. “But nevertheless we will come in a solid #2 today and for the weekend.” However, the close finishes were also a matter of theater counts – with Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games scoring the most theaters this weekend while the Farrelly Brothers’ Stooges played in 1,105 more runs than Lionsgate’s The Cabin InThe Woods which had the much better per screen average. CinemaScores were as follows: Fox’s The Three Stooges ‘B-‘ (‘A’ from audiences under 18, ‘C’ from 25 and older), Lionsgate’s The Cabin In The Woods ‘C’ (‘D+’ from females), FilmDistrict’s Lockout ‘B-‘. Interesting how the Stooges reviews were better than expected, especially from top-end critics who found genius in that silliness. But Joss Whedon’s much anticipated horror pic received truly stellar reviews, including 93% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, the weekend looks to be down around -14% from last year.

Universal’s Battleship continues to screen strongly overseas with estimates from Day 2 and Day 3 bringing the 72-hour total to $25 million now that all 26 international territories are open. …

1. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate) Week 4 [3,916 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $6.5M, Weekend $20.0M, Cume $334.5M

2. The Three Stooges (Fox) NEW [3,477 Theaters] PG
Friday $5.6M, Weekend $17.5M

3. The Cabin In The Woods (Lionsgate) NEW [2,811 Theaters] R
Friday $5.5M, Weekend $13M

4. American Reunion (Universal) Week 2 [3,203 Theaters] R
Friday $3.3M (-64%), Weekend $10M, Cume $39.0M

5. Titanic 3D (Paramount/Fox) Week 2 [2,697 Theaters] PG-13
Friday $3.4M (-54%), Weekend $10.5M, Cume $43.3M