‘Divergent’ Easily Conquers The Weekend Box Office

Divergent was definitely the movie to beat at the box office this weekend.

Since director Neil Burger’s adaptation of Veronica Roth’s novel was essentially billed as the next Hunger Games, quite a few moviegoers ventured out to their neighborhood multiplex to see what all the fuss was about. Not surprisingly, the film ended up generating quite a bit of money in the process.

According to Box Office Mojo, Divergent put an estimated $56 million in the bank this weekend. As always, folks who thrive on box office numbers won’t get the actual amounts until later this week. However, chances are the final count won’t differ too much from this figure.

However, this number is a little less than the estimates tossed around prior to the picture’s release. The Inquisitr previously reported that some industry analysts believed Divergent could easily pull in upwards of $60 million during the first few days of release. Some outlets thought it could beat the figures posted by the first Twilight movie.

Of course, it’s doubtful that Lionsgate is too upset about the success Divergent enjoyed at the weekend box office. The movie easily slipped into the number one position by several millions. The proposed follow-up shouldn’t have an problems getting off the ground.

In fact, director Robert Schwentke’s Insurgent should arrive in theaters around this time next year. Unless something goes completely haywire between now and then, the follow-up will arrive on March 20, 2015. The final installment of the trilogy is presently penciled in for 2016.

Coming in at a distant second was Muppets Most Wanted, the follow-up to Disney’s 2011 reboot. Chances are the studio was hoping the $50 million flick would lure more moviegoers to theaters during its first three days of release. The sequel has some pretty fierce family-friendly competition on the big screen right now, especially The Lego Movie and Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Curious to see how some of the flicks faired at the box office this weekend? Take a look at the top ten movies in North America below.

1. Divergent – $56 million
2. Muppets Most Wanted – $16.5 million
3. Mr. Peabody & Sherman – $11.7 million
4. 300: Rise of An Empire – $8.6 million
5. God’s Not Dead – $8.5 million
6. Need for Speed – $7.7 million
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel – $6.7 million
8. Non-Stop – $6.3 million
9. The Lego Movie – $4.1 million
10. Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club – $3.1 million

Did you catch Divergent on the big screen this weekend? Did you think the adaptation would make more money during its first three days in theaters?

[Image via Lionsgate / Summit Entertainment]