Hop' keeps top spot as Brand pulls double duty

AFP

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – British bad boy Russell Brand dominated the North American box office at the weekend, starring in both top-earning film "Hop" and third-placed classic remake "Arthur," industry data showed Monday.

Easter romp "Hop" remained atop the box office for a second straight week, with a gross of $21.3 million, for a two-week total to $67.8 million. Brand voices the character "E.B." in the film, the wayward son of the Easter Bunny.

Debuting in second place was "Hanna," a thriller about a teenage assassin --- played by Saoirse Ronan as the 16-year-old girl raised by her widowed father in the wilds of North Finland -- which earned $12.4 million.

Just edged into third spot was "Arthur," with $12.2 million, in which Brand plays the lovable but irresponsible billionaire Arthur Bach in a role embodied by Dudley Moore in the 1981 hit.

The original took nearly $100 million at the US box office and won two Oscars in 1981. The modest opening weekend numbers suggest the new version may struggle to repeat the feat.

In fourth place was "Soul Surfer," starring AnnaSophia Robb as a churchgoing teenage surfer who returns to the ocean after losing an arm in a shark attack. It's based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton. It earned $10.6 million.

Horror flick "Insidious," in which a family finds itself living in a haunted house, picked up nearly $9.4 million in fifth place, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Your Highness" debuted in sixth place, also earning nearly $9.4 million. The comedy stars Danny McBride, who was the munitions expert in "Tropic Thunder" (2008), and James Franco as as princes on a mission to save their land. It was directed by David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express").

Jake Gyllenhaal's sci-fi thriller "Source Code" fell five spots to number seven, with $8.7 million in its second week. Gyllenhaal's character is part of a government experiment to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

"Limitless," in which Bradley Cooper plays an author who samples a revolutionary new drug, was eighth with $5.5 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules," with $4.8 million, followed by Matthew McConaughey' drama "The Lincoln Lawyer," which grossed $4.3 million.