Audiences headed back to school for “21 Jump Street,” which opened as the No. 1 weekend movie with $35 million.
Sony’s action comedy, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as cops going undercover as high- school students, took down the animated hit “Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax,” which had been the top flick the previous two weekends.
Estimates yesterday put Universal’s “The Lorax” in second place, with $22.8 million, raising its domestic total to $158.4 million.
At No. 3, Disney’s costly sci-fi dud “John Carter” dropped sharply in its second weekend. The Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation took in $13.5 million, down 55 percent from its anemic opening weekend, lifting its domestic total to a measly $53.2 million. “John Carter” reportedly cost $250 million to make.
But while tanking in the United States, “John Carter” has done decent business overseas, where it took in $40.7 million.
Will Ferrell’s Spanish-language B-movie spoof, “Casa de mi Padre,” opened solidly at No. 9, with $2.2 million. The Lionsgate release played in just 382 theaters, compared with 3,121 for “21 Jump Street.”