"Brave" might not be "living up to the lofty standards of the Pixar brand" with critics (though it's still sitting at a healthy 74 percent on the Tomatometer), its aim was true with moviegoers this weekend, scoring around $66 million in opening receipts. That's easily good enough to take first place this weekend; its closest competition, "Madagascar 3," clocked in at $20 million (clearly, if studios want to make money during the summer, it helps to have films aimed at children).
This is Pixar's 13th straight number one opener. It's a remarkable run that proves the brand doesn't need to stay critic-proof to win over audiences. Even though "Brave" is Pixar's first female-centered film, it found all audiences this weekend to open on top.
More disappointing was the performance of Fox's "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which came in a distant third. For months, pundits had their eyes on the MPAA rating for "Prometheus," and Fox was roundly lauded for taking a risk with the R-rated tag the speculative fiction film about Honest Abe eventually received.
However, the risk on this mash-up was even greater: It was an R-rated period piece with a bizarre concept that might have been a tough sell with moviegoers, especially with no huge star-power attached.
The other newcomer this weekend also landed with a bit of a thud. Focus Features only released "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" onto 1,600 screens, but it still only took in $3.8 million this weekend. The apocalyptic comedy still managed to be a disappointment despite the studio's modest expectations, though it hardly seems surprising given the lack of marketing.
Also, this weekend's obligatory "Avengers" update reveals that it managed to add $7 million to its run, which brings the superhero collab's total haul to just under $600 million. This means it would have been getting ready to pass "Titanic" on the all time chart in a few days if Paramount and James Cameron hadn't re-released the film into theaters earlier this year.
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