There's nothing harder than trying to top an older sibling.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian debuted with $56.6 million, per studio estimates compiled today by Exhibitor Relations Co. The total was more than enough to nab the weekend's No. 1 spot, and more than enough to go down as the year's second strongest opener, but not near enough to best its predecessor.
In 2005 the first Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, opened with $65.6 million.
Exhibitor Relation's Jeff Bock said Prince Caspian was projected to come in at $80 million—maybe even higher.
"This is quite a surprise," Bock said.
A franchise's second installment has, at times, had tougher luck, relatively speaking. The second Harry Potter opened smaller than the first. Likewise, the second—and third—Lord of the Rings opened smaller than the first.
Bock said bigger things were expected for Prince Caspian because of how steadily The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe made its money. In other words, the Narnia franchise looked like it was on the upswing. Now, Bock said he wouldn't be surprised if Disney moved up the release of the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, from next May to this December.
Bock suspected that Prince Caspian's darker, warring storyline kept some families away.
"I don't know if I've seen as many death blows in a Disney film," he said. "When your comic relief is a mouse assassin, that's enough to make even Mickey blush."
Prince Caspian, starring newcomer Ben Barnes as the title's conflicted royal, suffered not only in comparison to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but also Iron Man. In its first week, Caspian couldn't match what Iron Man did in its second.
This was Iron Man's third weekend—and not a bad third weekend at that. The superhero movie took in another $31.2 million, bringing its total to a supersize $222.5 million.
Elsewhere:
- It was another down weekend for Hollywood. Business was off by nearly one-third when compared to the same weekend last year. Overall, revenue is down 3.5 percent from 2007.
- The weekend's Top 10 was such a weak group that one film (The Forbidden Kingdom) finished ninth with an even million, and another film (The Visitor) finished 10th with a total that was closer to a half-million than a million.
- The Visitor ($687,000, $3.4 million overall) isn't complaining. The indie hit makes its Top 10 debut after five weekends, and on the strength of only 224 screens.
- What Happens in Vegas (second place, $13.9 million; $40.3 million overall) held up OK in its second weekend.
- Um, Speed Racer (fourth place, $7.8 million; $29.8 million overall) didn't.
- The underwhelming Nim's Island ($580,000; $45.2 million overall) fell out of the Top 10, but overall finished bigger than Jodie Foster's last star vehicle, 2007's The Brave One.
- David Mamet's Redbelt ($401,000, $2 million overall, per Box Office Mojo) also lost its Top 10 ranking.
- Once again, nothing says box office gold like angry young Norwegians, as Reprise's strong debut at just three theaters ($47,100) attests.
Here's a recap of the top-grossing weekend films, based on Friday-Sunday estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $56.6 million
- Iron Man, $31.2 million
- What Happens in Vegas, $13.9 million
- Speed Racer, $7.6 million
- Baby Mama, $4.6 million
- Made of Honor, $4.5 million
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $2.5 million
- Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $1.8 million
- The Forbidden Kingdom, $1 million
- The Visitor, $687,000