Goodbye, “Cloverfield.” There is a new monster in town.
A week after “Lone Survivor” obliterated expectations and scored the second-largest January box office weekend ever, Kevin Hart vehicle “Ride Along” cruised to number one on the all-time list.
With an estimated $41.2 million in receipts this weekend, “Ride Along” narrowly topped the $40.1 million earned by previous record holder “Cloverfield.”
“Cloverfield,” which opened on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend in 2008, earned an additional $6.1 million on MLK Day. “Ride Along” is expected to top that mark as well.
“Lone Survivor,” last week’s winner, bested new release “The Nut Job” to claim second for the weekend. Fueled by a strong Saturday, “Survivor” retained 61% of last week’s tally for a $23.2 million weekend. “The Nut Job” opened to $20.6 million.
Fellow new release “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” followed with a modest $17.2 million, while “Frozen” claimed fifth on the strength of $12.0 million.
“American Hustle,” the Golden Globe-winner and key Oscar contender for Best Picture, enjoyed a 28% spike to $10.6 million. It topped newcomer “Devil’s Due” ($8.5M, #7) to place sixth for the weekend.