By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Columbia Pictures, Variety
Hancock
Though Hancock was unable to appease the critics, that didn't stop the film from becoming the box office champ over the holiday weekend. Looks like the film had some Will (Smith) power...
Box Office Hero: Hancock
Hancock debuted to an estimated $107.3 million over its five-day run. Thanks to the strong number, the Will Smith-starrer has quickly become the third-biggest Fourth of July opener of all time after Transformers and Spider-Man 2. The film made a majority of its money -- $66 million -- over the weekend.
The film also performed well overseas, with another $78.5 million coming in from the major markets.
Last year Transformers celebrated the Fourth of July holiday by taking in $155.4 million, including a weekend take of $70.5 million. Spider-Man 2 slung similar success with $152.3 million back in 2004. Spidy posted the best weekend numbers with $88.1 million.
As expected, Pixar's Wall•E declined a miniscule 47% to earn another $33.4 million over the weekend, bringing its total cume to $128.1 million in the animation's first 10 days.
Thanks in part to the loss of target audience to Hancock, Wanted fell off 60% in its second weekend to earn another $20.6 million. While the loss of audience was steep, the film posted numbers that were still strong enough to land it the #3 spot.
The major highlight of the weekend came down to Will Smith. Hancock is the eighth Smith film in a row to open at No. 1 domestically, as well as his fifth -- and most successful -- Fourth of July outing. Considering that most critics bashed it, Hancock is a testament to Will Smith's box office prowess.
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