Mark Wahlberg surprised doubters last January by leading “Contraband” to a surprisingly-strong opening weekend.
Lightning did not strike twice for the leading man; his “Broken City,” which also featured Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was one of two big disappointments at the weekend box office.
“The Last Stand,” the other, proved that moviegoers were not at all clamoring for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to Hollywood. His first solo vehicle since exiting the California political scene was a total dud in release this weekend.
Not all new releases failed, however. Horror release “Mama” greatly overperformed, grabbing a healthy $28.1 million in estimated receipts for a box office victory. “Zero Dark Thirty” followed with $17.6 million, topping the $11.4 million for the newly-expanded “Silver Linings Playbook.”
“Broken City” was all the way back in fifth with $9 million, making room for “Gangster Squad” to claim fourth on $9.1 million. “Stand” and its $6.3 million were only good for tenth.
