Did you see it?  What did you think?  The low totals didn't meet hopes of the studio for the first week.  While not being panned across the board, the reviews have not been great overall which may very well hinder it's ability to have staying power in theaters.  In comparison, Super 8 and its positive buzz and word of mouth keep it performing well and also keeps it on track to be one of this summers big success stories.

 

Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern may have won the domestic box office race with a $52.7 million debut, but the 3D superhero pic fell steeply on Saturday, dashing the studio’s hopes for a launch upwards of $55 million.

Jim Carrey starrer Mr. Popper’s Penguins also turned in a muted performance for a summer family film. The 20th Century Fox pic grossed

$18.2 million, in line with Carrey’s last live-action film Yes Man, but less than what Fox originally hoped for.

Popper’s Penguins lost the No. 2 spot to Paramount holdover Super 8, which enjoyed a good hold in its second weekend, grossing $21.3 million for a domestic cume of $72.8 million. Overseas, Super 8 has now earned $22 million for a worldwide total of $94.8 million.

Overall, domestic box office revenues were down a sobering 24% from last year, when Toy Story 3 opened to $110.3 million.

Heading into the weekend, tracking suggested Green Lantern could open in the $57 million to $60 million range. The film got off to a strong start on Friday, grossing $21.6 million, but fell 22% on Saturday. It ultimately opened behind Thor ($65 million) and X-Men First Class ($55.1 million).

“I would have loved to see $55 million, but we have to let things play out. Schools are out now, so if we left anything on the table, we should pick it up during the week,” Warners president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said.

Sunday should bring more traffic than usual to the multiplex, since it’s Father’s Day.

Green Lantern, based on the DC Comics character, cost $200 million to produce before a sizeable marketing spend. At that level, the movie will need to generate big grosses, both domestically and internationally.

Overseas, Green Lantern opened over the weekend in 15 territories, grossing a $17 million. It placed No. 1 in the U.K., but lost out to Super 8 in Russia--usually a prime market for 3D fare--and to X-Men: First Class in Korea.

Directed by Martin Campbell, Green Lantern features Blake Lively as the love interest and also stars Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett.

Trouble in the 3D marketplace in the U.S. continued with Green Lantern, with only 45% of the grosses coming from 3D locations. Before this summer, a movie could count on earning 55% or 60% of its grosses from 3D. Fellman said the industry will need to reassess the landscape after Transformers: Dark of the Moon and the final Harry Potter pic, which was converted to 3D

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