Far from a runaway smash, “Tron Legacy” nonetheless dominated the box office in its opening day Friday, scoring a total that eclipsed its nearest competition by almost four fold.
“Tron” garnered $18.1 million in receipts Friday, setting itself up for an opening weekend total in clear excess of $40 million. Though not enough to make the “Tron” sequel a blockbuster, the total is sizable given the presumed low level of box office interest the week before Christmas and the fact that the predecessor came out nearly thirty years ago.
“Yogi Bear” predictably stumbled out of the gate, earning just $4.6 million in its opener. Its true test will not come until Saturday’s matinee results and Christmas weekend data is tallied, but as of right now, the film is hardly giving indications of a box office victory for nostalgia.
After starting well as a platform release, “The Fighter” generated minimal wide interest, generating only $3.9 million in receipts for a third place finish. Slightly ahead of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” ($3.6 million) on Friday, “The Fighter” might end up forfeiting the third place spot as the family-oriented “Narnia” likely holds up better through the weekend.
Big budget “How Do You Know” ($2.6 million) finished in a virtual lock with “The Tourist” ($2.6 million) and “Black Swan” ($2.5 million). Director James L. Brooks’ biggest success “As Good as It Gets” relied on strong word of mouth to transform into a hit after a moderate opening; “How Do You Know” might have some legs, but with a slower start and considerably worse reviews, it is unlikely to even touch that film’s numbers.