Oh, snap! “The LEGO Movie” has clicked with just about every demographic.
Warner Bros. scored its biggest animated opening ever with “LEGO,” which grossed $69.1-million domestically to win the weekend and set several records, according to studio estimates Sunday (final numbers are due Monday).
The “kiddie movie” built some true crossover appeal; nearly 60% of its debut audience was older than 18, according to Variety.
“LEGO” — for which development of a sequel has already been launched — also had the biggest domestic February bow ever for an animated film, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Elsewhere, Sony’s “The Monuments Men” ($22.7-million) had a solid debut to finish second; Universal’s “Ride Along” ($9.4-million) held strong at third; and “Frozen” ($6.9-million) continued to gain as one of the biggest earners of 2013.
The weekend’s top-grossing best picture Oscar nominees were “American Hustle ($3.1-million) in 11th place; “The Wolf of Wall Street” ($2.6-million) one spot behind; and “Gravity” ($1.7-million) drafting directly behind both.
Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) looks on as Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks) gets close to Batman (Will Arnett) — in (a-hem) a merger of Warner Bros. properties — in "The Lego Movie." (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - via AP)
FUN WITH NUMBERS
* “LEGO” had the second biggest February opening ever — trailing only Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” ($83.8-million) in the North American record books.
* “LEGO” cracked the Top-10 for biggest domestic debuts ever for an animated movie. The film slotted in right behind “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” ($70.2-million) and directly ahead of “Up” ($68.1-million). By recent comparison, the blockbuster “Frozen” opened last year to $67.4-million (good for the 13th spot).
* Speaking of “Frozen”: The Disney hit nudged past “Despicable Me 2” over the weekend to become the third biggest film of 2013. “Frozen” has now grossed $368.67-million domestically (to “DM2’s” $368.06-million) — trailing only fellow Buena Vista/Disney flick “Iron Man 3” ($409-million) and last year’s champ, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” ($422.4-million).
