Disney / Pixar
Both "Monsters University" and "World War Z" did extremely well at the box office this weekend, but it was Pixar's prequel that edged out Brad Pitt's zombiefest.
Disney's "Monsters Inc." prequel had the second largest opening for a Pixar film since 2010's "Toy Story 3."
With comparisons to "I Am Legend," the zombie thriller didn't quite hit the $77 million opening weekend of Will Smith's apocalyptic film. The 2007 film earned a total of $585 million worldwide.
Meanwhile, Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring" nearly ousted "Iron Man 3" from the top ten this week earning $2 million. Starring Emma Watson, the film's wide release had it in 650 theaters this weekend compared to the average theater count of films atop the box office.
Out of the top ten this week include DreamWorks Animation's "Epic." The animated film dropped 73% this weekend with competition from Disney and Pixar's "Monsters University."
Will Smith's "After Earth" also tumbled far down the box-office earnings. The film is earning most of its money (67%) overseas. The film, which cost an estimated $130 million to make, has earned $171.5 million worldwide.
Here are this week's winners and losers in Hollywood:
10. "Iron Man 3" continues its 8-week run in theaters with another $2.2 million. The film has now earned $1.2 billion at theaters. Robert Downey Jr. just signed on for another two appearances in upcoming sequels to "The Avengers."
9. "Star Trek Into Darkness" adds $3 million to its $430 million haul at theaters. J.J. Abrams' 2009 film earned $385.7 million worldwide.
8. $3 million horror film "The Purge" earned $3.4 million in its third week. The low-budget thriller starring Ethan Hawke isn't faring as well overseas, but has earned a huge $66 million worldwide.
7. "The Internship" narrowly edged out "The Purge" earning $3.43 million. The Google film is still below its $58 million estimated budget in week three. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson's comedy has earned $43.5 million to date.
6. "Fast & Furious 6" continues its phenomenal run with another $4.7 million this weekend. The film is soaring overseas ($417.3 million), bringing the film's worldwide total to $645.7 million. The film has now grossed more than any film in the franchise. Hard to believe Universal once wanted to make future releases straight-to-video.
5. Magic movie "Now You See Me" beat out the racing cars with $7.9 million in week four. Lionsgate's film has earned $122.2 million worldwide. Compared to other magic films, "The Prestige" and "The Illusionist," the film has already earned more than both movies.
4. With three other mammoth films out, no one's discussing how well Sony's offbeat comedy "This is the End" is doing at theaters. The film earned $13 million in its second week and has now earned about $58 million at theaters.
3. "Man of Steel" had a big second week earning $41.2 million. Since its release, the film has earned $283.3 million worldwide. The Superman reboot did something no other superhero film has been able to do. It had the largest opening weekend of any first film in a superhero franchise surpassing the $114.8 million weekend of "Spider-Man" in 2002.
2. "World War Z" had a good first weekend bringing in $66 million despite its PG-13 rating and troubled production. Brad Pitt did a lot of press for his film in the weeks prior to release, necessary for a film whose budget reportedly ballooned north of $200 million. The film has earned $111.8 million so far worldwide.
1. Zombies were no threat to the comedic monsters of "Monsters University" with $82 million. Though the film had the second-highest Pixar opening behind 2010's "Toy Story 3," adjusted for inflation, the scare team of Mike and Sulley come shy of its predecessor "Monsters, Inc" ($87.8 million).
More From Business Insider
