Liam Neeson really is a proven box office force- at least as an action hero. Taken 3 went above and beyond expectations to pull in $40 million over the weekend, despite horrible reviews (a hilarious 9% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a so-so B Cinemascore. But audiences were apparently starved for an action movie and Neeson's pull in this genre has not diminished. Coming in second was Selma, which somewhat disappointed by earning just over $11 million for the three day frame. The movie would be greatly benefited by a handful of Oscar nominations next week to go along with the upcoming holiday weekend, and since it earned an outstanding "A+" Cinemascore, the word of mouth will hopefully be strong for the historical drama.
In third place was Into the Woods, which finished behind Selma as it crossed the $100 million mark, and The Hobbit dropped to fourth, falling out of its three week reign in the top spot. Rounding out the top five was Unbroken, which came in with about $8 million, also crossing $100 million and running neck and neck with Into the Woods, as it has been since the two films were released on Christmas Day.
Top 5:
- Taken 3- $40.4 million
- Selma- $11.2 million
- Into the Woods- $9.8 million
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies- $9.4 million
- Unbroken- $8.4 million
Outside the top five, The Imitation Game expanded to 1500 theaters and brought in $7.6 million, bringing its total to just over $40 million and certainly set to receive a big boost next weekend when it expands even more after the Oscar nominations announcement. And American Sniper continues to roll on with its mega per-screen-average (it's already made $3 million) as it's set to go wide next week and will likely be a huge hit for Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper. Also coming out is Blackhat, Paddington and The Wedding Ringer, all of which could challenge Sniper for #1, but I have a feeling they'll really be battling for second place, since all signs point to a massive weekend for Eastwood's war movie.
