Box Office Report: 'Lion King' Roars with $22.1 Mil in Surprise Upset Over Kaira Pitt's 'Moneyball' and 'Dolphin Tale'

Disney's three dimensional re-discharge of The Lion King continued to be the almighty from the jungle in the second weekend, tugging off another surprise upset in fighting numerous new gamers to top the domestic box office chart with $22.a million.our editor recommends'Moneyball': Exactly what the Experts Are SayingBox Office Preview: 'The Lion King' in three dimensional Poised to Steal Weekend CrownBox Office Report: 'Moneyball' Wins Friday, But 'Lion King,' 'Dolphin Tale' Still ContendersRelated Subjects•Box Office The three dimensional version from the animated classic has gained $61.7 million in the first ten days of play in the domestic box office, exceeding all anticipation. Overseas, where it folded out earlier, the re-release has made $16 million to have an impressive global total of $77.7 million. Repel the chances, Lion King trumped Sony's new Kaira Pitt baseball drama Moneyball, which ended its opening weekend inside a close race with three dimensional family offering Dolphin Tale, from Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. STORY: New Movie Reviews: 'Moneyball,' 'Abduction,' 'Machine Gun Preacher' Striking Theaters Moneyball made an believed $20.six million, while Dolphin Tale required within an believed $20.3 million. An order of these two films could switch once final figures are available in Monday morning. Despite Lion King, Moneyball and Dolphin Tale obtained strong openings in reaching $20 million, reflected in the truth that the domestic box office was up 18 percent within the same weekend last year. (Moneyball boasts the very best opening ever for any baseball pic, not comprising inflation). Dolphin Tale and Moneyball--an earlier honours contender, particularly for Pitt's performance--also have the possibility to search in, with moviegoers giving Moneyball a b CinemaScore, and Dolphin Tale, a glowing A+. Lionsgate thriller Abduction-Taylor Lautner's first solo outing-opened up to some softish $11.two million. Playing to more youthful women, the film received a B- CinemaScore overall as well as an A- from women under 18. PHOTOS: 'Abduction' Red-colored Carpet Premiere Abduction could best Jason Statham-Robert DeNiro action pic Killer Elite, which rounded the top 5 by having an believed opening of $9.5 million. Killer Elite, the very first title from purchases and distribution company Open Road Films, gained a B CinemaScore. Moneyball wasn't The new sony's only headline--its animated pic The Smurfs leaped the $500 million global mark over the past weekend, generating $12.9 million in the worldwide box office for any worldwide total of $502.8 million. However when it involves family fare, nobody in Hollywood can believe the energy of Lion King nearly 17 years after its original release in theaters. Disney characteristics the astounding showing towards the property's long lasting recognition, whether due to DVD or even the live stage show. Warner Bros. leader of domestic distribution Serta Fellman stated there's without doubt that Lion King required business from Dolphin Tale, but he needs Dolphin Tale to experience well for days in the future and ultimately consume near to $100 million locally. The inspiring pic will receive a boost when most theaters stop playing Lion King on March. 4, your day the Gemstone Blue Ray Dvd edition from the film is launched. Dolphin Tale came 50% of their grosses from three dimensional theaters, a great stat thinking about this summer time's overall decline in three dimensional attendance. Dolphin Tale, costing roughly $35 million to create, was funded and created by Alcon Entertainment, exactly the same company behind box office hit The Blind Side. "We're thrilled with this particular opening," stated Alcon's Broderick Manley, "especially thinking about Lion King, which nobody saw coming. It's reminisicent from the The Blind Side, that also received a b+ CinemanScore. The new sony was just as happy with Moneyball, a popular among experts and among the most popular game titles to premiere in the recent Toronto Film Festival. The film cost north of $50 million to create. "It seamless comfort that people are becoming the kind of love we believe this movie warrants," The new sony worldwide leader of domestic distribution Rory Bruer stated. Moneyball, in line with the real-existence story of Concord A's gm Billy Beane, performed decidedly older, with 64 percent from the audience older than 35, but performed relatively evenly among males and ladies. The new sony thinks the pic may ultimately do four occasions its opening number. The studio released Moneyball in roughly exactly the same frame it used this past year to spread out The Social Networking, which first showed to $22 million coming to generating $97 million in The United States. Abduction was the obvious option for more youthful ladies and teen women who're Twilight fans. Nearly 70 % from the audience was female, while 56 percent were younger than 25. There's been intense target the film due to Lautner, and whether he along with other Twilight stars may have a career outdoors that franchise. "The film is going to be lucrative for Lionsgate, which's ideal for Taylor," stated Lionsgate executive v . p . of domestic distribution David Spitz, adding the pic opened up consistent with pre-release anticipation. Abduction, costing $35 million to create, is on a powerful begin in Australia and Latin America, although Lionsgate didn't yet have amounts. Killer Elite opened up slightly less than other recent Jason Statham photos, and likely lost male eyeballs to Moneyball. Open Streets Boss Tom Ortenberg stated he was happy with Killer Elite's performance. In obtaining the film, Open Streets only set up marketing costs. "We're happy that people're earning money with this first release," Ortenberg stated. In the niche box office, Relativity Media's Gerard Butler drama Machine Gun Preacher opened up in four theaters in NY and La, grossing an believed $44,000 for any per location average of $11,000. Relativity stated the film obtained strong marks especially from women. On Sept. 30, the pic grows into one more 15 marketplaces. Domestic Box Office Sept. 23-25 Film/Distributor/Locations/Gross 1. The Lion King/Disney/2330/$22.a million 2. Moneyball/The new sony/2,993/$20.six million 3. Dolphin Tale/Warner Bros./3,507/$20.3 million 4. Abduction/Lionsgate/3,118/$11.two million 5. Killer Elite/Open Road Films/2,986/$9.5 million 6. Contagion/Warner Bros./3,136/$8.7 million 7. Drive/FilmDistrict/2,904/$5.8 million 8. The AssistanceOrWalt disneyOr2,695/$4.4 million 9. Hay Dogs/The new sony/2,408/$2.a million 10. I'm Not Sure How She Will ItOrWeinstein Co./2,490/$two million Source: Rentrak/Galleries Related Subjects Kaira Pitt Rachelle Lefervre Box Office Wally Disney Pictures Moneyball The Lion King Dolphin Tale