“There were a lot of naysayers out there when we said we were doing this. The Hulk smashed those naysayers.”
–Nikki Rocco, Universal’s president of domestic distribution

Weekend Box Office Leaders: June 13-15, 2008

The latest movie adaptation of Marvel Comic’s The Incredible Hulk finished where the comic book character usually ends up: on top.

Judged against Spider-Man, Hulk came up short. Judged against Hulk, The Incredible Hulk came up big. The franchise restart, starring Edward Norton, topped the weekend box office with $54.5 million, according to Exhibitor Relations estimates today. While that’s about $8 million less than what Ang Lee’s Hulk opened with in 2003, the gross is considered a victory for Universal Pictures, which had to overcome, well, Ang Lee’s Hulk

The Hulk accounted for about a third of all ticket sales over the weekend.

#2 – Kung Fu Panda $34.3 million

#3 The Happening 30.5 million

#4 Don’t Mess with the Zohan 16.4 million

The rest of the Top Ten:

5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $13.5 million
6. Sex and the City, $10.2 million
7. Iron Man, $5.1 million
8. The Strangers, $4.1 million
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, $3 million
10. What Happens in Vegas, $1.7 million

The total movie box office receipts for 2008 are almost equal to this same time last year.

by Mondoreb
images: Universal
Sources:
* Incredible Hulk Smashes Past
* Today in Pop Culture