As hype for “Tower Heist” began, there was talk it would be the next legitimate comedy hit, with some forecasting a debut in the $40-45 million range.
Recently, buzz cooled and tracking fell to a still-impressive $28-32 million and a first place box office finish.
But, when push came to shove, it could not even hit that mark. Weekend estimates have the Ben Stiller-Eddie Murphy starrer earning just $25.1 million…for second place.
Thanks to very strong retention, “Puss in Boots” claimed a second week on top, adding $33 million to its total. It is still no breakout on the level of the flagship “Shrek” films, but “Puss in Boots” still looks to be shaping up as a solid performer.
Third place belonged to “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” which earned just $13.1 million. Few expected the film to debut as a big hit, but there was hope that the combination of strong reviews and cult hype for the prior two films would have at least propelled this into the mid-to-high-teens, especially given higher-3D ticket prices.
“Paranormal Activity 3” landed in fourth place on $8.5 million, besting the $7.7 million for week two of “In Time.”
