"Rio" tops Rob

Writer: Anne Jamaludin

Robert Pattinson & Reese Witherspoon (left) couldn't topple "Rio"'s lovebirds Jewel (Anne Hathaway) & Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) at the US box office.

25 Apr – BoxOfficeMojo reports that the colourful birds of "Rio" remained perched atop the box office over Easter weekend, edging out another strong start for a Tyler Perry family movie "Madea's Big Happy Family" and a solid beginning for heartthrob Robert Pattinson's "Water for Elephants" for the weekend just gone (22-24 Apr).

"Rio" drew an estimated US$26.8 million, though its ten-day tally collected an US$81.3 million further extended its lead over fellow animations "Rango" and "Hop" through the same point which each had around only US$68 million each.

Tyler Perry's "Madea's Big Happy Family" followed in second place, with an estimated US$25.8 million, grossing lesser than Perry's first two Madea-titled movies, "Madea's Family Reunion" in 2006 that started out at US$30 million and followed by its sequel "Madea Goes To Jail" that opened to US$41 million in 2009.

A "Thor" fan posing with the God of Thunder's costumed character appearance at TGV KLCC on Sunday, 24 April

Meanwhile "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson's "Water for Elephants" corralled an estimated US$17.5 million, a far cry from "Dear John"'s US$30.5 million but more than doubled the first weekend gross of Pattinson's last non-"Twilight" vehicle "Remember Me", which only garnered US$8.09 million.

"Water For Elephants" is scheduled to release on 5 May at both Malaysia and Singapore cinemas.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, GSV Midvalley cinema manager Mr. Lee Kong Yew shared the top three highest-grossing movies at the location over the weekend are Chinese horror flick "A Chinese Ghost Story", followed by Bradley Cooper's "Limitless" and Amanda Seyfried's fairy tale adaptation "Red Riidng Hood".

Over the weekend, a real-life "Thor" had been making scheduled appearances at GSC Midvalley on Saturday, 23 April and at TGV KLCC on Sunday, 24 April. Fans as well as moviegoers snagged the chance for photo opportunities with the costumed character.

Other new releases and sneak shows over the weekend in Malaysia include "Ko", "Penunggu Istana", The Roommate", "Hello Stranger", "Bko: Bangkok Knockout", "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "Red Riding Hood".

New releases and sneak shows in Singapore over the weekend include "Dum Maaro Dum", "Arthur", "Death Bell 2: Bloody Camp", "Arthur (2D)", "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Source Code (2D)", "Drive Angry", "Drive Angry (3D)" and "Source Code".