U.S Box Office Report - 28th - 30th April 2006

1. R.V. - $16.4M - $16.4M
2. United 93 - $11.6M - $11.6M
3. Stick It - $11.3M - $11.3M
4. Silent Hill - $9.3M - $34.2M
5. Scary Movie 4 - $7.81M - $78.2M
6. The Sentinel - $7.6M - $22.5M
7. Ice Age: The Meltdown - $7.05M - $178M
8. Akeelah and the Bee - $6.25M - $6.25M
9. The Wild - $4.72M - $28.4M
10. The Benchwarmers - $4.4M - $52.8M

All change for the top three this week. Robin Williams comedy R.V opened in the top spot as expected. This is his first wide-opening movie since 2002's Insomnia (though he did provide a voice for Robots and starred in a number of limited released movies). Playing up the family comedy angle very strongly, instead of that darker thriller vein of his recent movies (Insomnia, One Hour Photo, The Final Cut). This is also Barry Sonnefeld's first directing outing since Men In Black 2.

Controversial and way too soon are just two comments levelled at United 93. Opening to some very positive reviews and strong box office might not change that but it goes some way to prove America are ready to see 9/11 themed movies (at least those handled responsibly). The movie took $11.6M from only 1795 screens (compare that to the 3600+ of RV). Box office estimates had the movie taking over $10M but no one was really sure how well the movie would be handled by the public.

The third new entry this week is gymnastics drama Stick it, about a rebel who must return to her gymnastic roots after a run in with the law. It too has taken an impressive amount of money from limited screens (this case just over 2000).

Silent Hill drops 3 places from last week, losing of 50% of its business from last weekend. Expect it to drop quickly out of the charts now the initial rush to see the movie is over. Opinion/word of mouth has been sharply contrasted from love to hate. The movie cost a bit more than an average horror movie so hopefully success abroad will help push it into sequel territory.

In its third week Scary Movie 4 is still performing well. While it might not finish as high as Scary Movie 3, it'll still clear $90M and ensure a sequel is put into the works. Could we start to see a yearly release for the franchise?

The Sentinel drops 3 places as it crosses the $25M mark. Shouldn't worry Kiefer Sutherland or Eva Langoria too much given their TV deals. Michael Douglas seems to be in the Harrison Ford boat at the moment. Nothing seems to be working for either of them. Though Douglas is married to Zeta Jones so I imagine he's not that worried.

Ice Age 2 just keeps on taking and has crossed the half a billion dollar mark in worldwide sales. It's easily surpassed the takings of the first movie and now has some of Pixar's big hitters in its sights.

The final new entry this week is Lion Gates Akeelah & The Bee. A drama about a young girl from the projects who gets the chance to enter a spelling bee (as seen in documentary Spellbound). The movie is quite a departure from Gate's usual output such as Hostel & the Saw franchise. Good to see them supporting a wider range of movies, especially this kind of feel good drama.

The top ten is rounded out by two older releases, The Wild, which is still a long way from profit, and The Benchwarmers, which has comfortably earnt back its production budget.