Chalk up another victory for 3-D movies. Dreamworks' animated feature
won the box-office horse race over the weekend, grossing a solid-but-not-quite-specatcular $43 million. It topped the previous 3-D hero, Tim Burton's
which now totals a staggering $293 million domestically.
"Hot Tub Time Machine" may be about traveling through the fourth dimension, but is showing in plain ol' 2-D - thankfully, because who wants to experience projectile vomiting in 3-D? - and is worth noting for its slightly soggy $13.6 million debut. Perhaps it's proof that a funny title (and countless comparisons to "The Hangover") doesn't necessarily translate to ticket sales. But I'm going to make a prediction: The gross-out comedy will be the beneficiary of good word-of-mouth, and continue to sell a few tickets in the coming weeks. Once audiences realize the funniness extends far beyond the title - Rob Corddry's performance is often uproarious - the film may get a reasonable cult following.
Then again, this discussion will likely be moot after Friday's debut of "Clash of the Titans" in 3-D. Noise and special effects never fails to trump, well, everything else.
Here's the weekend top five, via Box Office Mojo:
1. "How to Train Your Dragon" - $43.3 million
2. "Alice in Wonderland" - $17.3 million
3. "Hot Tub Time Machine" - $13.6 million
4. "The Bounty Hunter" - $12.4 million
5. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" - $10 million
Speaking of projectile vomiting, here's my weekly despicable movie haiku:
3-D gooses 'toon
Dragon flick tops '80s kitsch
But the Kraken looms
Next week: The Kraken is released.
E-mail John Serba: jserba@grpress.com