Box Office Report: 'Madagascar 3' No. 1 With $60.4 Mil, 'Prometheus' Strong No. 2 With $50 Mil

Both films overperform at the domestic box office, with ticket sales up nearly 30 percent over the same weekend last year; "Madagascar 3" also dominates overseas.

 Family animated tentpole Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted landed at the top of the domestic box office with a stand-out $60.4 million opening, besting the $50 million scored by Ridley Scott's sci-fi epic Prometheus.

The DreamWorks Animation and Paramount threequel also ruled overseas -- where competition was fierce -- grossing a stellar $75.5 million from 28 markets for a worldwide opening of $135.9 million. 

Still, Prometheus was no slouch for an R-rated, original tentpole, and did more than expected on the strength of Scott's fan base and 20th Century Fox's creative marketing materials.

Internationally, where it began rolling out the previous weekend to impressive numbers, Prometheus came in No. 2, grossing $39.2 million from 50 markets for a pleasing foreign cume of $91.5 million and worldwide total of $141.5 million.

Reversing a downturn that has plagued the box office since early May, North American box office revenues were up nearly 30 percent from the same weekend last year when Super 8 opened.

Madagascar 3 -- benefiting from the pent-up demand for family product -- earned a glowing A CinemaScore. The threequel returns Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer in the lead voice roles, while Frances McDormand, Martin Short, Jessica Chastain and Bryan Cranston join the franchise.

"Audiences and critics loved this one the most, a real accomplishment," said DreamWorks Animation president of marketing Anne Globe, noting that the first two titles each received an A- CinemaScore.

Madagascar performed on par with the first two movies in terms of box office returns, and brought DreamWorks Animation its best domestic debut since Shrek Forever After in 2010 ($70.8 million). It is the second-to-last DreamWorks Animation title that will distributed by Paramount unless the output deal between the two companies is renewed.

DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg and Paramount have been tireless in promoting the toon, which made its worldwide premiere last month at the Cannes Film Festival, a perfect environment since the movie's storyline begins in the South of France.

In North America, Prometheus edged out Madagascar 3 on Friday, but fell 25 percent on Saturday (a typical pattern for fan-fueled fare). Scott and the studio intend for the movie to launch a franchise, similar to Scott's blockbuster Alien series. Prometheus cost $130 million to produce after tax incentives.

"It is an out-of-this-world opening," Fox president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson said. "A confluence of great reviews and solid word-of-mouth have conspired to create a global hit."

Prometheus -- headlining Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron -- earned a B CinemaScore and skewed older, with 64 percent of the audience over the age of 25. Tracking had been best among men, but a fair number of females -- 43 percent -- ended up turning out.

Prometheus brought big returns for IMAX theaters. In North America, IMAX grosses from 294 theaters totaled $9.1 million, a June record for the exhibitor. Worldwide, weekend receipts reached $12.1 million.

Elsewhere at the domestic box office, Universal's Snow White and the Huntsman (also starring Theron) placed No. 3, falling 58 percent in its second weekend to an estimated $23 million for a domestic cume of $98.5 million. Overseas, Snow White earned $24.6 million from 52 territories for an international total of $83.5 million and worldwide haul of $182 million.

Sony's Men in Black 3 continued to hold in well in its third weekend, coming in No. 4 domestically with $13.5 million and besting Snow White internationally with $38.3 million. The pic has now earned $487.5 million worldwide.

The Avengers continues to land high up on the box office chart, placing No. 5 with a $10.8 million. Worldwide, the Disney and Marvel Studios' pic hit $1.4 billion over the weekend.

Specialty titles The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom continued to impress in North America, both landing on the top 10 chart.

Marigold Hotel, from Fox Searchlight, placed No. 6 with a $3.2 million from 1,298 theaters for a domestic cume of $31 million in its sixth weekend. The movie has earned north of $82 million internationally.

Focus Features' Moonrise came in No. 10 with $1.6 million as it expanded to 96 locations in its third outing. The Wes Anderson-directed film, which has now earned $3.8 million, posted a location average of $16,825 -- the best of the weekend.

Several specialty films rolled out in limited runs over the weekend to mixed returns. FilmDistrict's sci-fi indie Safety Not Guaranteed fared better than Searchlight's Lola Versus, grossing $100,000 from nine locations for a theater average of $11,111. Lola Versus grossed $34,097 from four theaters for a location average of $8,524.

'Madagascar 3': What the Critics Are Saying

THR’s Todd McCarthy complained the film consists of characters “repetitively reacting with alarm to anything that happens and overcompensating for largely unfunny material by overacting by about 300 percent.”

It’s a good weekend to run wild. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is poised to edge out Ridley Scott’s Prometheus for the weekend's top spot with a projected $61 million haul.

But was the threequel from DreamWorks Animation and Paramount as successful with the critics?

The latest installment of the billion dollar-grossing franchise sees escaped New York City zoo animals lion Alex (Ben Stiller), zebra Marty (Chris Rock), giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer) and hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) join a European circus to evade the villainous animal-control cop Captain Chantel DuBois (Frances McDormand).

With a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 76%, the film received plenty of praise  for its sprawling voice cast and bright visuals.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Todd McCarthy, however, found  the series was offering diminishing returns with the film. “It’s dominated by the characters shouting over one another, repetitively reacting with alarm to anything that happens and overcompensating for largely unfunny material by overacting by about 300 percent,” McCarthy wrote. He also complained the "wit and sophistication" co-screenwriter Noah Baumbachhelped bring to Fantastic Mr. Fox was hard to detect here.

USA Today’s Claudia Puig concluded that contrary to the saying, the third time was not the charm for this series. Like McCarthy, she complained about the one-note tone (frenzy) the film struck. She advised that if there is a Madagascar 4, “the filmmakers [should] allow the critters to slow down and enjoy the journey" to their next destination.

New York Times critic Andy Webster didn’t mind the film’s over-the-top antics, writing that while the humor was familiar, the visuals “soar.”

“A Monte Carlo chase is vertiginously madcap; a Cirque du Soleil-style spectacle dazzles with rich pastels,” he wrote. “Kids will be stimulated. And, parents, you’ll enjoy the sights.”

In her Los Angeles Times review, Betsy Sharkey praised the film’s use of 3-D, which she opined took viewers to “dizzying extremes” during circus scenes.

“The animation artistry of "Madagascar 3" is at its best under the big top, all cotton candy fluff and razzle dazzle,” Sharkey wrote. “The character development of this edition is the best of the rest as well.”

MTV Movie Awards: Jennifer Aniston Accepts On-Screen Dirtbag Award

The "Horrible Bosses" star gave a special shout-out to her show "Friends" for unleashing her "inner sweetheart."

 Jennifer Aniston has probably never received an award like the one she got on Sunday night at the MTV Movie Awards: Best On-Screen Dirtbag.


The actress, who won for her role as dentist Julia Harris in Horrible Bosses,beat out her co-star Colin Farrell, Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help), Jon Hamm(Bridesmaids) and Oliver Cooper(Project X) for the honor.

Best On-Screen Dirtbag was the first award of the night at the annual MTV event held at Universal City’s Gibson Amphitheatre on June 3. Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg announced the nominees for the category before calling up Aniston as the winner.

“Do you know how long I have tried to have somebody let me unleash my onscreen dirtbag?" the actress told the audience. "A long time, and thank god this category just popped up.”

However, even as the newly-crowned On-Screen Dirtbag queen, Aniston was sure to honor her nice-girl past.

"I would like to say thank you to the television show Friends for letting me unleash my inner-sweetheart,” she said. “And here's to [Horrible Bosses director] Seth Gordon for letting me be a dirtbag.”

As for the rest of the awards of the night, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 took home the top honor of best movie, while Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence andJosh Hutcherson won for best female and male performances.

Foreign Box Office: 'Men in Black 3' Stays No. 1 Overseas With $275 Million-Plus

"Snow White and the Huntsman" places second while Ridley Scott's "Prometheus" debuts No. 3 in 15 markets.

Taking the No. 1 box office spot overseas for the second consecutive weekend, Sony’s Men In Black III bagged $79.1 million on the foreign theatrical circuit – down a mild-mannered 38.9% from its opening offshore round – from 19,992 venues in 90 markets, lifting its foreign gross total to $275.4 million.

Finishing No. 1 in 20 territories, director Barry Sonnenfeld’s special effects extravaganza in 3D costarring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin showed real staying power across many key markets, with China down just 29% with a $15.5-million take from 5,207 locations.

In Germany, the drop was a mere 2% ($5.3 million from 987 venues) while the U.K. tally actually increased by 2% to $4.9 million from 913 sites. In Russia and China, MIB3 has rolled up a total combined gross of $81.8 million. 

Opening No. 2 overseas overall was Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman, which collected $39.3 million at 4,487 venues in 45 territories.

Director Rupert Sanders’ period action fantasy costarringKristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron(also the costar of Prometheus) premiered first in 30 markets with the U.K. the best (ranking third with $5.5 million drawn from 476). Bucking the European sports calendar, Snow White debuts this week in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Bulgaria, Latvia and The Netherlands. 

With the European soccer championship beginning Friday (June 8) in Poland and the Ukraine, there is a certain make-it-while-you can frenzy at play this round on the foreign theatrical circuit before the nearly month-long sporting event (concluding July 1) monopolizes audiences in front of television sets.

Fox rushed the overseas opening of the weekend’s No. 3 title, Prometheus, a week before director-coproducer Ridley Scott’s horror-sci/fi title -- loosely linked to his 1979 Alien -- debuts in the U.S. and Canada. The studio figured this made sense in 15 selected markets including the Ukraine, France, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Russia and the U.K.

Opening round drew $35 million from 4,695 locations (3,300 spots in 3D) for a per-venue average of $7,461. Prometheus ranked No. 1 in 14 of its opening territories with Russia drawing $11.1 million from 1,670 situations.

Three biggest European territories were the U.K. ($9.99 million at 1,019 locations, a market record for a Ridley Scott title), France ($7 million from 665 sites) and Sweden ($1.59 million at 172 spots), both of which were the second-highest market openings so far this year. Openings in Australia, South Korea and Taiwan are on tap this week. 

“We are holding back in Germany and Spain where (Euro soccer championship) TV viewership is highest and June admissions soft,” said Craig Dehmel, Fox International’s senior v.p. of sales and strategic planning. In Italy, Fox has decided not to play Prometheus “until after the summer lull, when business picks back up in the fall.”

In any case, the highly watched 16-team tournament will put a dent in June film attendance generally in Europe much like the World Cup soccer championships in South Africa did two years ago.

The Euro Cup, the biggest sporting event staged in Eastern Europe since the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow and the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, is likely to create continental distribution hassles for the Hollywood majors. 

This week, for example, Paramount is releasing DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted in 28 foreign markets this week, including only five in Continental and Eastern Europe.

No. 4 on the weekend, Marvel’s The Avengers  -- which opened overseas six rounds ago and a week before its domestic bow -- has surpassed the $800-million foreign gross mark ($802.5 million) after a sixth weekend that provided $12.4 million from 53 territories. Worldwide, the super-hero mélange has drawn $1.355 billion making it distributor Disney’s highest gross film globally.

Taking in $32.4 million so far in its two top territories -- Japan ($18.7 million) and France ($13.7 million) -- Warner Bros.’ Dark Shadows has rolled up a foreign gross total of $120.5 million. DirectorTim Burton’s big-screen version starring Johnny Depp of a vintage TV soap opera took in $7.2 million on the weekend at some 4,000 screens in 52 territories. It ranks No. 5 on the weekend.

Paramount’s The Dictator has passed the $60 million gross mark overseas ($60.6 million) thanks partially to a $6.46 million weekend at 2,865 sites in 30 markets.  A No. 3 third round in Germany drew $1.4 million from 515 locations for a market cume of $8.8 million.  The Sacha Baron Cohen comedy opens this week in Israel and Hong Kong.

Taking the No. 2 spot after Men In Black III in Australia is Lionsgate’s What To Expect When You’reExpecting. The comedy starring Cameron Diaz opened (via local distributor Roadshow) at 245 spots and drew an estimated $2.3 million.  Weekend overall at multiple territories drew $3.7 million, lifting the film’s international cume to $8.7 million.   

Opening No. 9 in the U.K. was Entertainment One’s release of director Ken Loach’s The Angels' Share, which played in main competition at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival. Opener at just 73 screens for the social realist fairy tale about the unemployed young drew an estimated $800,000.

Director Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom from Universal/Focus Features drew a No. 10 ranking in the U.K. with a second round tally of $330,000 from 133 playdates for a 10-day market cume of $1.1 million

Dropping about 25% in its third round in France was UGC’s release of director Jacques Audiard’s Un gout de rouille et d’os (Rust & Bone). The drama about an ex-boxer (Matthias Schoenaerts) who takes up with a trainer of killer whales (Marion Cotillard) drew an estimated $1.4 million at 460 playdates, lifting its market cume to $8.5 million. The film ranks No. 3 in France after Prometheus andMen in Black III.

Other international cumes:  Universal’s American Pie: Reunion, $169.8 million (after a $2.4 million weekend at 1,600 sites in 31 markets); Hugo, $81.3 million in Paramount-handled territories including China where the market opening drew $2.67 from some 6,000 dates; Universal’s Battleship, $235 million; Fox’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, $82.16 million; Universal’s Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, $97 million; Fox’s The Descendants, $94.1 million; and Fox’s Titanic 3D, $286.5 million.

Tintin Art Sale Sets Record With $1.6 Million

The rare "Tintin in America" cover, one of just five known to exist, sells at a Paris auction.

 The original artwork for the cover of 1932’s Tintin in America has set a record for the sale of comic book art, fetching $1.6 million (1.3 million euros) at Paris auction Artcurial Saturday, according to reports.
The same artwork, drawn by Tintin creator Hergewith Indian ink and gouache, set the previous record when it sold in 2008 for $973,000.

Tintin in America is the third volume of the Tintin adventure books and collects the serials that ran in the newspaper supplement Le petit vingtieme.

Only five covers are known to exist and two of them are in private hands. The buyer was anonymous and, according to reports, was represented at the sale by a friend.

In American comic art, the record is held by the 2011 sale of a splash page from The Dark Knight Returns, the seminal 1986 mini-series by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, which sold for $448,125.

The Artcurial auction was an all-Tintin affair, and the popularity of the boy reporter shows no signs of waning. Another piece of art, sketches from the the1968 book Flight 714 to Sydney, sold in the low six figures. One of the highlights was the sale of an edition ofExplorers on the Moon, signed by Herge as well as astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, which hammered to a $42,000 price.

Drew Barrymore Marries Art Dealer Will Kopelman

The couple tied the knot in a garden themed ceremony at the actress’ Montecito home.

Drew Barrymore and fiancé Will Kopelman were married Saturday in a ceremony at the actress’ Montecito, Calif. 

Details are scant, but the “garden-inspired” wedding was designed byStefanie Cove, who oversaw Reese Witherspoon’s wedding last year. Barrymore is believed to have worn a Chanel gown.

An array of guests from her personal and professional lives attended, including Jimmy Fallon, Cameron Diaz and Busy Philips, who were also on hand for a rehearsal dinner Friday night.

The couple, who announced their engagement in January, are expecting their first child.

Barrymore has been married twice before, to comedian Tom Green in 2001 , and to Welsh bar owner Jeremy Thomas in 1994.  Both marriages were short-lived.