1. “Shrek Forever After” ($55.7 million)
2. “Prince of Persia” ($37.8 million)
3. “Sex and the City 2” ($37.1 million)
4. “Iron Man 2” ($20.6 million)
5. “Robin Hood” ($13.6 million)
Carrie Bradshaw got off to a solid start at the weekend box office with a $13 million first place finish on Friday, but her success ended there as a refueled “Shrek Forever After” tapped into its inner ogre to beat “Sex and the City 2” and “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” at the Memorial Day weekend box office.
“Shrek Forever After” emerged as the winner on Monday with $55.7 million to its name, a 21.3 percent drop from its $70.8 million performance last weekend. The film’s success owes much to the increased price of 3-D ticket sales and the increased availability of a younger audience during the holiday weekend. “Shrek” has made $145.5 million at the domestic box office and $25.8 million from foreign locations, resulting in a budget-surpassing worldwide tally of $171.3 million.
While DreamWorks Animation celebrated the repeat victory for “Shrek,” the folks at Warner Bros. and New Line were left scratching their heads wondering what happened to “Sex and the City 2.” With $51.4 million earned from Thursday through Monday, the “Sex and the City” sequel’s five-day performance still fell short of its 2008 predecessor’s opening weekend by $5 million.
“Sex” also failed to beat out “Price of Persia: The Sands of Time,” the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring video game adaptation. But with a production budget of $200 million, “Prince of Persia” still disappointed with a modest a $37.8 million second place finish at the weekend box office. Despite this, “Persia” was a clear winner overseas with a strong $95.5 million showing for a $133.3 million worldwide opening.
