“G.I. Joe: Retaliation†was a burly No. 1 at North American theaters over the Easter weekend, validating an unusual decision by Paramount Pictures to delay its release so that it could rework parts of the plot. “Retaliation,†which cost at least $130 million to make, took in about $41.2 million over the weekend, for a total since opening on Thursday of $51.7 million. Overseas, the movie â€" originally planned for release last summer â€" generated an additional $80.3 million in ticket sales.
“The Croods†(20th Century Fox) was second, selling about $26.5 million in tickets, for a two-week total of $88.6 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor†(Lionsgate) finished in third place, with a sturdy $22.3 million. In fourth was “Olympus Has Fallen†(FilmDistrict), which produced sales of about $14 million, for a two-week total of $54.7 million. “Oz the Great and Powerful†(Disney) chugged away in fifth place, selling an estimated $11.6 million in tickets, for a four-week total of $198.3 million.
The weekend brought one major flop: “The Host†(Open Road), a producing effort by the “Twilight†author Stephenie Meyer, took in just $11 million despite a lengthy promotional campaign; the movie cost about $40 million to make and received deadly reviews.
