Hop Box Office | featured news

A billionaire, teenage assassin, champion surfer, and knightly Danny McBride were no match for an animated rabbit with unnaturally large eyes, as Universal’s Hop topped the box office for the second weekend in a row with $21.7 million, according to studio estimates. The PG family film, about a teenage hare who’d rather be a rock band drummer than fulfill his duty as the Easter Bunny, slipped a mild 42 percent its second week. The live-action/animation hybrid cost $63 million to produce, and has already snatched $68.2 million. However, it may take a big hit next week when the CG-animated Rio swoops into theaters.

Universal’s family pic Hop stayed at No. 1 on its second Friday at the domestic box office, grossing an estimated $5.5 million from 3,616 theaters. The CGI/live-action hybrid should gross $20.2 million for the weekend, putting its 10-day cume at more than $66 million. The weekend race is much harder to call for a trio of new films — Warner Bros.’ Arthur, Focus Features’ Hanna and TriStar/FilmDistrict’s inspirational film Soul Surfer.

With Russell Brand providing the voice of the reluctant new Easter bunny, "Hop" bound well beyond the expectations of industry analysts, who had figured the movie would debut in the $25 million range.

Universal's family Easter pic Hop over performed in its domestic box office debut, grossing north of $11 million on Friday and putting it on track to earn at least $35 million, if not more, for the weekend... It was a good day overall at the box office. Summit Entertainment’s Source Code and FilmDistrict’s debut title Insidious also opened well.