Prince Of Persia's Box Office Debut Was...Pretty Good [Update]

Prince of Persia had a big budget and some big names behind it, but all the sand (and marketing) in the world couldn't ensure its opening weekend was the biggest in American video game movie history.

The film's opening weekend take in the US was just over $30 million. That's a respectable figure, but it was also only good enough for third spot on the charts, the debuts of the new Sex & The City and Shrek movies drawing more bums on seats than Chesty Jake and co.

$30 million also puts it third on the list of all-time opening weekends for video game adaptations, beaten out by 2001's Tomb Raider ($47 million) and 1999's Pokemon ($33 million). Maybe it's my intense dislike for Angelina Jolie, but I don't remember Tomb Raider being that big. Least, not that big compared to Disney's marketing push for Prince of Persia.

Don't let the third spots put you off: I liked the movie. Sure, it's dumb fun, but not all fun has to be smart.

UPDATE - Good news, everyone! While the Prince couldn't unseat an overblown troll and a pack of middle-aged sluts in the United States, it could in the rest of the world, ending the weekend as the number-one film in 41 overseas markets.

Video Game Adaptation
[Box Office, via Big Download]