Box Office, 3-d | featured news

This past Memorial Day weekend broke box office records, but 3-D stumbled.

Imax, the big-screen movie specialist, said its global gross box-office sales more than doubled in 2010, thanks to additional theaters and big 3-D blockbusters.

Johnny Knoxville and his "Jackass" gang are even bigger hits in three dimensions. Jackass 3D," their latest big-screen collection of crazy stunts and antics, opened with a whopping $50 million, soaring past the debuts of their first two movies, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Wow, looks like stupidity is even better in 3-D. At least that’s what Johnny Knoxville and his crew of American idiots proved yesterday, pulling in an astounding $20 million on Friday for a weekend that’s bound to hit $40 million even if moviegoers drop off after Jackass 3D‘s opening night. The Bruce Willis-Helen Mirren-starrer Red also had a solid beginning, earning approximately $7 million on Friday for a three-day that could reach $20 million.

Movie fans have not outgrown the "Toy Story 3" gang. The animated sequel about toys that come to life leaped to the No. 1 spot with a $109 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

So much for the public's hunger for anything in 3D. DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Forever After" bowed even more lightly than some had feared, with the family comedy topping domestic rankings with just $71.3 million in estimated weekend boxoffice. The latest Paramount-distributed pic about a lovable ogre and his family debuted with significantly less green stuff than the two previous "Shrek" sequels, which each fetched $100 million-plus in their first three days.

Paramount and DreamWorks Animation had a kick-ass weekend of their own at the domestic B.O., with 3D toon "How to Train Your Dragon" posting an estimated $20 million at 3,825 locations, enough to claim the top spot in its fourth frame. With help from higher 3D ticket prices, the toon holdover edged out Lionsgate's superhero actioner "Kick-Ass," which debuted with $19.8 million at 3,065 engagements.

Film News: Warner 3D film earns an estimated $61.4 million -- Warner Bros.' 3D epic "Clash of the Titans" muscled its way to the top of the domestic B.O. this Easter weekend, with an estimated $61.4 million at 3,777 locations to become the highest-grossing film during the holiday frame.

Sony toon earns $5.6 million, 'Surrogates' collects $5 million -- Friday moviegoers enjoyed a second helping of Sony’s 3-D toon "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," spending an estimated $5.6 million at 3,119 locales.

Sony toon earns $8.1 million, 'The Informant' lands second -- With a smorgasbord of choices at the multiplex, including headliners by Jennifer Aniston, Matt Damon and Megan Fox; Friday moviegoers’ savored Sony’s 3-D toon "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," shelling out $8.1 million.