Sunday Update:
There's no cure for "The Hangover." The R-rated comedy became the first summer movie to remain No. 1 for two weeks in a row this weekend.
Warner Bros. raunchy comedy grossed $33.4 million this weekend, narrowly beating Pixar's "Up" again by only $2.9 million.
Sony/Columbia's "Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" followed with $25 million -- a figure in line with the studio's expectations. "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" followed with $9.6 million and "Land of the Lost" rounded out the top five with $9.1 million.
Paramount's "Imagine That" floundered, grossing only $5.7 million in sixth place. The studio had predicted the family film starring Eddie Murphy would debut with $10 million.
Weekend Estimates from Hollywood.com:
The Hangover - $33.4 m
Up - $30.5 m
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - $25 m
Night at the Museum 2 - $9.6 m
Land of the Lost - $9.1 m
Imagine That - $5.7 m
Star Trek - $5.6 m
Terminator Salvation - $4.6 m
Angels & Demons - $4.2 m
Drag Me to Hell - $3.8 m
My Life in Ruins - $1.7 m
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $915K
Saturday Update:
"The Hangover" is hanging onto No. 1, grossing $10.5 million on Friday. Ticket sales for the R-rated comedy slipped 38 percent. It's cumulative gross stands at $82.4 million.
"Up" followed with $8.9 million on Friday -- just a 33 percent drop in its third week of release.
"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" debuted with $8.3 million and is poised to take third place at the end of the weekend. The gross is director Tony Scott's biggest opening day.
"Imagine That" grossed $1.8 million on Friday, landing in sixth place.
Thursday:
Denzel Washington and John Travolta will take aim at strong holdovers “The Hangover” and "Up” this weekend as Columbia’s R-rated “The Taking of Pelham 123” opens in 3,000 theaters.
A remake of the 1974 thriller starring Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, “Pelham” marks the first time the two stars have shared the screen and the fourth time Washington has collaborated with director Tony Scott.
Meanwhile, Paramount will court the family audience with “Imagine That,” starring Eddie Murphy, in 2,800 theaters this weekend.
Unseating “Hangover” and “Up” from their top spots will be a daunting task: “Hangover” has grossed another $14.2 million since its $45 million debut last weekend, and “Up,” which is hardly the same demo as "Pelham," is just as unstoppable, having grossed $152 million in only 13 days.
Still, Columbia is predicting that “Pelham” will finish the weekend in the mid-20s, which is where “Up” and “Hangover” will fall if their ticket sales fall 50 percent from last week.
Washington’s “American Gangster,” co-starring Russell Crowe, opened with $44 million in 2007. “Deja Vu,” directed by “Pelham” director Tony Scott, took in $20 million in 2006, and “Inside Man” debuted with $29 million the same year.
