By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Columbia Pictures, Variety
21
Talk about a good bet. Though facing some serious competition during its second outing, Columbia Pictures' story of card counting, 21, has won the weekend box office for a second week.
21 Still the Box Office Champ
While I assumed Leatherheads had the box office bagged thanks to an all-star cast that includes George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski, it looks like the more-modestly cast 21 has got some staying power. Maybe it is just the fact that everybody likes to see somebody take down the house, but 21 declined only 37% in its second bow to an estimated $15.1 million.
Leatherheads, Universal's opening title this weekend, grossed an estimated $13.5 million, earning it the number two spot. The comedy was expected to win, but poor reviews and an extended marketing plan, which confused just about everybody I know on the film's actual release, caused moviegoers to seek out other options. I would also like to throw some credit to 21's online marketing for Leatherheads demise, as there wasn't a film pub out there not pushing 21 adverts before the film's second bow this weekend.
While Nim's Island had marketing that confused audiences on what type of moviegoer this fantasy adventure was going for, the Fox-Walden production was still able to earn an estimated $13.3 million. I'm going to have to assume that Gerard Butler's popularity with the ladies likely helped push ticket sales.
Though the box office was down this weekend 23.1% from last year, just about anything can happen in a usually-slow April.
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