‘Ride Along,’ ‘Lone Survivor’ Take The Top Spots At The Weekend Box Office

Ride Along and the acclaimed thriller Lone Survivor managed to secure the top two spots at the box office over the weekend.

Since the Kevin Hart and Ice Cube comedy performed strongly throughout the week, it’s not altogether surprising that the flick found its way to the top of the cinematic heap over the past three days. According to estimates, Ride Along scored an addition $21 million. This brings its domestic total to an impressive $75 million.

Although Universal Pictures hasn’t said anything official about a sequel, there’s a very strong possibility that the stars could return for another go-around. Considering the movie only cost $25 million to produce, the studio probably wants to head back to that well very soon.

However, Ride Along wasn’t the only January release to post strong numbers this weekend. Director Peter Berg’s Lone Survivor also continued to make a considerable amount of cash from moviegoers in the US. The film snagged an addition $12 million, pushing its total in the States to a very impressive to $93 million.

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Lone Survivor tells the true story of an attempted to take down a Taliban leader back in 2005. Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch, and Ben Foster co-star in the film, which is based on the book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson.

Check out the official Lone Survivor synopsis:

“[The film] tells the incredible tale of four Navy SEALs on a covert mission to neutralize a high-level al-Qaeda operative who are ambushed by the enemy in the mountains of Afghanistan. Faced with an impossible moral decision, the small band is isolated from help and surrounded by a much larger force of Taliban ready for war. As they confront unthinkable odds together, the four men find reserves of strength and resilience as they stay in the fight to the finish.”

While Ride Along and Lone Survivor were popular choices with moviegoers, I, Frankenstein definitely got off on the wrong foot. The $65 million action-horror flick only brought home an estimated $8 million during its first weekend of release.

However, writer-director Stuart Beattie’s stylish take on the Frankenstein legend could find an audience overseas. Since genre pictures tend to go over pretty well in foreign markets, the film’s box office total could increase exponentially once to expands to other territories.

Here’s this weekend’s top 10 based on studio estimates.

1. Ride Along – $21.1 million
2. Lone Survivor – $12.6 million
3. The Nut Job – $12.3 million
4. Frozen – $9 million
5. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – $8.8 million
6. I, Frankenstein – $8.2 million
7. American Hustle – $7.1 million
8. August: Osage County – $5 million
9. The Wolf of Wall Street – $5 million
10. Devil’s Due – $2.7 million

Are you surprised that Ride Along and Lone Survivor were the top flicks at the box office this weekend? What movies have you seen recently?