Madagascar 3 beats Prometheus at the box office
The third animated Madagascar film stampeded past sci-fi thriller Prometheus to top US and Canadian box office charts with nearly USD60.4mil (RM190.9mil) in ticket sales over the weekend.
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted also performed well in its debut in 28 international markets, bringing global ticket sales to USD135.8mil (RM429.3mil) in its opening weekend, according to distributor Paramount Pictures.
Anne Globe, chief marketing officer with the film's production company DreamWorks Animation, said the family-friendly movie attracted many young viewers with over a quarter of tickets sold for children under 12 years of age and more than half its total audiences comprised of viewers under 25.
Paramount had projected a USD45mil (RM142.2mil) US and Canadian opening for Madagascar 3, and it roundly beat that forecast. But the new sequel's debut fell slightly short of the last Madagascar movie, which opened in November 2008 with USD63mil (RM199.1mil) from US and Canadian theatres.
(DreamWorks Animation)
Still, it has received more critical praise than the previous two Madagascar films, racking up a 76% positive rating on critic aggregation site Rottentomatoes.com.
When asked about the possibility of a fourth instalment in the series, Globe said DreamWorks was too busy enjoying its current success to give much thought to the future.
"It's too early to tell. There hasn't been a lot of discussion about that," she said.
In the new film, the animal pack joins a European traveling circus to try to get back to New York. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer provide voices for the lead characters. The 3D movie cost USD145mil (RM458.1mil) to make.
Prometheus starring Charlize Theron, pulled in USD50mil (RM158mil), to come in second.
The 3D effects-filled film from Alien director Ridley Scott tells the story of a team of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind. Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender also star.
Source: Reuters
Published June 11, 2012
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