'Green Hornet' flies high at box office

"The Green Hornet" flew into the top spot at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday despite bad critical buzz for the 3-D superhero comic-book adaptation.

The picture sold about USD 34 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning Friday, said its distributor, Columbia Pictures. The opening was in line with expectations and it ranks as the third-best start for a new release in January, according to the Sony Corp unit.

The USD 110 million project stars Seth Rogen as the titular vigilante, aided in his crime-fighting efforts by Kato (played by Taiwanese actor Jay Chou). French filmmaker Michel Gondry directed. Critics were largely negative toward the film, with the Wall Street Journal labeling it an "atrocity" and the Los Angeles Times calling it "tedious."

But Columbia said exit polls indicated the film clicked with its audience, of whom men accounted for 61%.

"I think audiences are absolutely the best critics," said Rory Bruer, Columbia's president of worldwide distribution.

"The Green Hornet" also earned USD 16.1 million from 35 foreign markets, led by a first-place, USD 4.5 million start in Germany.

Universal Pictures' new comedy-drama "The Dilemma," an unusual "chick flick" with two male protagonists, followed at No. 2 in North America with USD 17.1 million, also in line with mild expectations.

Ron Howard directed the picture, which stars Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as best pals wrestling with the issue of marital infidelity. The actors did much better with their respective previous outings, 2009's "Couples Retreat" (USD 34 million) and 2010's "Grown Ups" (USD 40 million). Critics also lambasted the film. Universal said women accounted for 60 percent of the audience.

Last weekend's champion, the Coen brothers' Western remake "True Grit," fell to No. 3 with USD 11.2 million. After four weeks, Paramount Pictures' awards contender has earned USD 126.4 million.

The film was followed by two others seeking Oscar glory as the awards campaign heats up ahead of the announcement of nominations on January 25. The Weinstein Co's royals drama "The King's Speech" jumped five places to No. 4 with USD 9.1 million, while Fox Searchlight's sapphic ballerina melodrama "Black Swan" was steady at No. 5 with USD 8.1 million. Their respective totals stand at USD 44.6 million and USD 73 million.

Universal Pictures is a unit of General Electric Co's NBC Universal. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc. The Weinstein Co is privately held. Fox Searchlight is a unit of News Corp.