"About Last Night" takes second place in box office; "Robocop" finishes third
By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --"The Lego Movie" built a huge lead on top of the weekend's new releases at the box office.
In its second outing, the Warner Bros. animated film featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks and Will Arnett earned $48.8 million to take first place, according to studio estimates Sunday. That brings the film based on the toy brick-building franchise's domestic box office total to $129.1 million, cementing it was one of the biggest blockbusters of the year.
"It's crossing over to all audiences," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "It's not just a kids' movie. There's something for boys, girls and adults, as well. The likeability is astronomical. That across-the-board appeal is giving 'The Lego Movie' unstoppable momentum, even in a weekend loaded with new competitors."
"The Lego Movie" earned an additional $27.7 million from 42 international territories, including the United Kingdom, Holland, Sweden and Norway. The worldwide total box office for "Lego Movie" now stands at $180.3 million.
Sony's romantic comedy "About Last Night" starring Kevin Hart and Michael Ealy came in second place with $27 million. The strong showing further demonstrated Hart's clout as a box-office draw. The actor-comedian's other film, the buddy-cop comedy "Ride Along" with Ice Cube, nabbed $8.8 million in its fifth weekend to take the sixth spot at the box office.
"I don't think there's anyone funnier out there today than Kevin Hart," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "He's at the top, and he couldn't be a nicer or more hardworking guy. He got out there and promoted 'About Last Night' really, really hard. The chemistry that he brings to the table is just infectious. You can't help but wanna take the ride with him."
The action-packed "RoboCop" reboot from Sony and MGM featuring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton captured third place with $21.5 million. The update to the original 1987 sci-fi film starring Peter Weller as a robotic officer performed better overseas, earning $35 million from 37 international markets, including France, Australia and Germany.
The weekend's other new releases, Universal's coming-of-age drama "Endless Love" and the Warner Bros. novel adaptation "Winter's Tale," respectively earned the fifth and seventh spots at the box office. "Endless Love," starring Alex Pettyfer and Gabriella Wilde, wooed $13.4 million, while the Colin Farrell drama "Winter's Tale" made a chilly $7.8 million.
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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "The Lego Movie," $48.8 million ($27.7 million international).
2. "About Last Night," $27 million.
3. "RoboCop," $21.5 million ($35 million international).
4. "The Monuments Men," $15 million ($8.9 million international).
5. "Endless Love," $13.4 million ($3.9 million international).
6. "Ride Along," $8.8 million.
7. "Winter's Tale," $7.8 million ($4 million international).
8. "Frozen," $5.9 million ($18.2 million international).
9. "Lone Survivor," $4 million ($750,000 international).
10. "That Awkward Moment," $3.3 million ($2.1 million international).
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Estimated weekend ticket sales Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. "RoboCop," $35 million.
2. "''The Lego Movie," $27.7 million.
3. "Beijing Love Story," $25 million.
4. "Frozen," $18.2 million.
5. "The Wolf of Wall Street," $15 million.
6. "The Monkey King," $13 million.
7. "The Man From Macau," $10 million.
8. "The Monuments Men," $8.9 million.
9. "American Hustle," $7 million.
10. "The Three Brothers: The Return," $6.5 million.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More