Box Office

From ew [excerpt], Aliens went one-for-two this weekend, as Battle: Los Angeles led the box office with an estimated $36 million, while the animated Mars Needs Moms was hardly noticed at all. Sony’s alien-invasion action film Battle: Los Angeles, which follows a pivotal Marine platoon led by Aaron Eckhart, slightly exceeded industry forecasts. The $70 million movie drew a male-heavy crowd, with men representing 68 percent of the audience. The PG-13 film’s ticket-buyers were also older than one might expect, as 55 percent were over the age of 25. So far this year, Hollywood has had a difficult time attracting teenagers and young adults, but that should change once the tentpole-heavy summer season begins in May. Overall, CinemaScore audiences rated Battle a “B.”

The frame’s other new alien picture, Disney’s 3-D animated Mars Needs Moms, will unfortunately be remembered as one of the year’s biggest flops. The motion-capture film, which was produced by Robert Zemeckis and cost a reported $150 million, captured only $6.8 million — enough for fifth place. Families made up 85 percent of the PG film’s audience, and CinemaScore moviegoers gave it a “B” rating. While 3-D screenings contributed to 68 percent of the movie’s opening gross, those surcharges weren’t enough to salvage the expensive production, which suffered from an awkward title, a muddy visual palette, and the fact that the Johnny Depp-starring Rango was released just a week ago. Speaking of Rango, the animated Western snatched second place, dropping a modest 40 percent for $23.1 million. That brings the PG film’s two-week cumulative gross to $68.7 million.

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