Box Office Report: "The Lorax" has a huge opening with $70.7M

The Lorax, the latest Dr. Seuss book to be turned into a Hollywood film, did a wonderful thing when it came to the box office: it rejuvinated box office numbers in a big way, earning an astonishing $70.7 million according to early estimates. It’s also a huge victory for distributor Universal and the young production company Illumination Entertainment, the latter of which is now three for three after the box-office success of Despicable Me and Hop. The large sum is noteable for the biggest opening since last November’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1. It started out strong with $17.4 million on Friday and only went up from there: It scored a tremendous $31.3 million on Saturday. In other good news, the latest from Dr. Seuss should have good staying power over the next few weeks, so get used to hearing from the Lorax for a while now. In second place was Warner Bros.’ teen party pic Project X, which scored $20.8 million over the weekend. Made for just $12 million, "Project X" joins The Devil Inside and Chronicle as the year’s third “found footage” hit. Young men, who seemingly abandoned the multiplex during 2011, turned out in big numbers for "Project X" — 58% of the film’s audience was male, and 67% was under 25 years old. It would have done a little better if it wasn't saddled with a strict R-rating that kept away younger kids. Among holdovers, the Navy SEALs war film Act of Valor dropped 44% for $13.7 million over the weekend. The Denzel Washington-Ryan Reynolds thriller Safe House was down 34% for $7.2 million. On Wednesday, it became the year’s second movie to cross $100 million, after The Vow. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds landed in fifth place with a large 55% tumble, resulting in an additional $7 million. The complete Top 10 appears below.

1. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax -- $70.7 million
2. Project X -- $20.8 million
3. Act of Valor -- $13.7 million
4. Safe House -- $7.2 million
5. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds -- $7 million
6. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island -- $6.9 million
7. The Vow -- $6.1 million
8. This Means War -- $5.6 million
9. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance -- $4.7 million
10. The Artist -- $3.9 million