Clash Of The Titans

"Clash of the Titans" cruised to the top of the box office without even breaking a sweat. The 3-D remake of the 1981 kitschy classic took in an estimated $61.4 million this past weekend. That was more than twice what the No. 2 movie, Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married Too?," earned. Rounding out the top five were "How to Train Your Dragon," Miley Cyrus' "The Last Song" and "Alice in Wonderland."

Not only did "Clash of the Titans" have to overcome outside distractions fighting for the attention of its heavily male audience -- including the release of Apple's newest gadget, college basketball's playoffs and Easter Sunday, it also was battling for 3-D screen space with "Alice in Wonderland" and "How to Train Your Dragon."

"If there was a battle out there, victory is ours," declared Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.' president of domestic distribution. The movie, which was co-produced and co-financed by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, cost about $122 million to make. That figure does not include the marketing expenses, but with a strong start in the U.S. and an additional $44.2 million from 15 markets abroad, "Clash of the Titans" looks poised to take on all rivals for a few more weeks.

The extra money from 3-D ticket sales was key. According to Fellman, about 52% of the box-office take was from 3-D sales, and ticket prices for 3-D movies can run as much as $5 more than those for regular 2-D movies. Warner Bros. did not initially plan on releasing "Clash of the Titans" as a 3-D movie and the decision to do so clearly helped the studio get a much bigger payday.

The projections for "Clash of the Titans" were that it would make between $60 million and $70 million in the United States. The box office drop was about 18% from Friday to Saturday. Any drop greater than 20% from opening day to Day 2 is considered to be a sign of the dreaded bad buzz. CinemaScore, a market research firm that grades movies based on audience research, gave "Clash of the Titans" a B, according to Fellman, who said the studio was actually anticipating a bigger Saturday drop -- in the neighborhood of 25%. "The audience reaction has been terrific," he said.

The success for "Clash of the Titans" will likely lead to even more of a fury to release movies in 3-D. "Alice in Wonderland" continues to perform and "How to Train Your Dragon" had a very strong Week 2 after an opening weekend that some considered to be disappointing.