Film News: ‘The Lion King 3D’ Strikes Out ‘Moneyball,’ Takes Box Office Again

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CHICAGO – “The Lion King 3D” held its dominance in the box office this past weekend when it edged out “Moneyball” for the top prize. The re-release of the film, presented in three dimensions, has now gone back to back weeks at number one 17 years apart.

The film brought in $22.1 million in its second weekend after coming in just behind “Moneyball” after Friday’s estimated totals. The win for the animated Disney film most likely came from strong numbers during the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday with parents and children spending a day at the theater.

Meanwhile, “Moneyball” fell short of a home run, but still had a stand-up triple with $20.6 million at the box office. The new Brad Pitt film was given strong reviews from critics, including a 5 out of 5 rating from Hollywood Chicago’s Patrick McDonald.

In probably the biggest surprise of the weekend, “Dolphin Tale” finished in third place. The surprise wasn’t finishing in third, but almost beating out “Moneyball” with a $20.2 million gross. Between “The Lion King 3D” and “Dolphin Tale,” it seems like the family features are the films to have this season.

We will see if “The Lion King 3D” can win for a third consecutive weekend next week when the film faces off against all the current films, as well as the Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Seth Rogen vehicle “50/50” and the new horror/thriller “Dream House,” starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz.

1. The Lion King 3D — $22.1 million – down 27% — $61.7 million total
2. Moneyball — $20.6 million — new
3. Dolphin Tale — $20.2 million – new
4. Abduction — $11.2 million – new
5. Killer Elite — $9.5 million — new
6. Contagion — $8.6 million – down 41% — $57.1 million total
7. Drive — $5.8 million — down 49% — $21.4 million total
8. The Help — $4.4 million – down 32% — $154.4 million total
9. Straw Dogs — $2.1 million – down 59% — $8.9 million total
10. I Don’t Know How She Does It — $2 million – down 53% — $8 million total

By TIM MARTENS Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com tim@hollywoodchicago.com