Kids with superpowers took over the weekend box office, beating out "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe and his latest new film.
"Chronicle," featuring a cast of young unknown actors, topped the weekend box office, earning $22 million to beat out Radcliffe's ghost story "The Woman in Black."
The film is about the story of three teens (Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell), who put their newfound superpowers to work in mischievous and eventually evil ways. It was shot by first-time director Josh Trank, who relied on on documentary-style, hand-held filming techniques ... and drew in a young demographic.
In at #2 was "The Woman in Black," earning $21 million, in which Radcliffe gives his first role since last summer's "Harry Potter" finale. He plays a widowed lawyer beset by ghostly apparitions at the remote home of a recently deceased client.
Last weekend's top film, "The Grey", fell to #3 this week, earning $9.5 million, while "Underworld Awakening" closed out the top 5 with $5.6 million.
At #4 with an $8.5 million debut was another Alaska adventure, family film "Big Miracle," with Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski aiming to save three whales trapped by Arctic ice.
Hollywood finished the first month of 2012 with strong revenues that are running well ahead of last year's lackluster receipts. According to Hollywood.com, domestic revenues through Sunday totaled $967.5 million, up 14 percent from the same point last year.
That's a wrap for this weekend. This week, look out for the release of The Rock's new adventure "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island", Denzel Washington's thriller "Safe House," Rachel McAdams's "The Vow," and the 3D release of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace".
This weekend's top 10 is as follows:
1. "Chronicle," $22 million.
2. "The Woman in Black," $21 million.
3. "The Grey," $9.5 million.
4. "Big Miracle," $8.5 million.
5. "Underworld Awakening," $5.6 million.
6. "One for the Money," $5.3 million.
7. "Red Tails," $5 million.
8. "The Descendants," $4.6 million.
9. "Man on a Ledge," $4.5 million.
10. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," $3.9 million.
Kids with superpowers took over the weekend box office, beating out "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe and his latest new film.
