In a triumph for bald, blue, misunderstood villains everywhere, DreamWorks’ Megamind grabbed megamillions—an estimated $47.7 million—to steal the box office crown, according to boxofficemojo.com.
Another newcomer, the R-rated Due Date, popped into second place with $33.5 million, and Tyler Perry’s brutal, lyrical For Colored Girls waltzed into third with $20.1 million—a bit on the low side for Perry’s usual openers, but still nothing to sneeze at. The three debuts helped push the movie industry to a $154 million weekend—the biggest opening November weekend ever.
It also confirms, in my eyes, that we’re living in a golden age of animated film. While live-action films have suffered through some critical and commercial malaise in 2010, computer-generated fare has soared—often literally. To date, four of the year’s top 10 films have been animated: Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, Shrek Forever After and How to Train Your Dragon. Each has grossed more than $200 million domestically, and so far, Toy Story 3, with its $414 million take, is 2010’s top money-maker.
And here’s the thing: These cartoons are getting not just better artistically, but cleaner. Megamind—though it had a smattering of content called out by reviewer Bob Hoose—follows in that same family friendly vein.
Most importantly, folks seem to love ’em, which means studios will continue to make ’em. And for me, that’s the best news of all.
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