Families around the world can’t get enough of the preshistoric antics of the Ice Age bunch as the fourth installment of the Blue Sky franchise rose to the No. 1 spot this weekend with an estimated domestic total of $46 million. Ice Age: Continental Drift opened with slightly more than the $41.7 million the third installment debuted with in 2009. The movie has already sold over $200 million worth of tickets internationally, and this weekend grossed an additional $95.2 million from 64 foreign markets, raising its total abroad to $339.2 million. The third movie in the series grossed a massive $690.1 million abroad, which was about 78% of the film’s worldwide gross. The movie also made $16.4 million take in Russia, and is estimated to have been the biggest opening weekend of the year in that country. (The critics weren’t quite as pleased about the fourth return of Scrat and his friends. It rated an unimpressive 46% on Rottentomatoes.com)
Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man continued to perform well during its second weekend in theaters, with ticket sales falling only 44% to $35 million. The superhero movie headed into the weekend with $160 million, so that means the movie has now grossed $200.9 million the U.S. and Canada. Worldwide, the film has now grossed $521.4 million.
Here are the animation highlights of the weekend box office
1. Ice Age: Continental Drift (Fox): $46 million. $95.2 million overseas in 64 foreign markets. International total: $339.2 million.
2. The Amazing Spider-Man (Sony): $35 million. Domestic total: $200.9 million. $66.6 million overseas in 87 foreign markets. International total: $320.4 million.
3. Ted (Universal/Relativity/MRC): $22.1 million. Domestic total: $159 million. $9.7 million overseas in four foreign markets. International total: $31.3 million.
4. Brave (Disney): $10.7 million. Domestic total: $195.6 million. $6.5 million overseas in 17 foreign markets. International total: $46.8 million.
10. Madagascar 3 (Paramount/DreamWorks Animation): $3.5 million. Domestic total: $203.7 million. $4.6 million overseas in 42 foreign markets. International total: $270.1 million.
