Universal’s animated adaptation of The Lorax surpassed all experts predictions for the weekend, taking in $70.7 million in ticket sales. That’s the biggest opening of the year for a movie.
The film was helped by families going to the movies and few other animated offerings at the theaters.
Comedy Project X, which featured mock-video footage of a wild party, was a distant second but scored a solid $20.8 million, well above its $16 million projections.
The action film Act of Valor dropped two spots to third, taking $13.7 million.
Denzel Washington’s Safe House was No. 4 with $7.2 million, followed by Tyler Perry’sGood Deeds with $7 million.
The strong debuts keep Hollywood ticket sales brisk. Revenues are up 19% over the same period last year, while attendance is up 22%, according to Hollywood.com.