Update – Kick-Ass Barely Overtakes Dragon

The latest — by a small margin of around $200,000, Kick-Ass claims the top spot for the weekend, downing Dragon. Still, it’s pretty amazing for Dragon

Previously:
Anne Thompson reports that word of mouth has driven Dreamworks’ How to Train Your Dragon to the number one spot, besting Kick-Ass and Date Night.

No, it isn’t that surprising that a family movie would win out, but it is surprising that it would do so after being in wide release for so long.

How to Train Your Dragon is probably the best mainstream Hollywood film released so far this year. My 12 year-old likes it so much she’s seen it twice and is begging me to take her to see it again, “a couple more times,” she says.

Can the excitement and affection last until the end of the year?  Hard to say.  But word of mouth like this is not to be taken lightly.  From TOH:

1. How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount): $20 million down 20% in its fourth weekend at 3,825 theaters. $5,229 theater average. Domestic total: $158.6 million.
2. Kick Ass (Lionsgate): $19.75 million in its first weekend at 3,065 theaters. $6,444 theater average. Domestic total: $19.75 million.
3. Date Night (Fox): $17.3 million down 31% in its second weekend at 3,380 theaters. $5,118 theater average. Domestic total: $49.2 million.
4. Death at a Funeral (Sony/Screen Gems): $17 million in its first weekend at 2,459 theaters. $6,913 theater average. Domestic total: $17 million.
5. Clash of the Titans (Warner Bros.): $15.8 million down 41% in its third weekend at 3,753 theaters. $4,202 theater average. Domestic total: $133 million.