'Rio' Stays Number One At Box Office, 'Madea' Opens In Second

Easter weekend was much better to the family friendly comedies than horror films. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family was the big debut of the weekend, taking home a solid $25.3 million, but it wasn’t quite enough to knock Anne Hathaway (pictured) and George Lopez's talking animals out of the top spot; Rio opened at number one last week and kept its spot with $26.8 million. Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and their circus romance opened at number three with Water for Elephants bringing in $17.5 million. The holiday was good for HOP; it brought home $12.5 million (compared to last week’s $11.2), but its place in the lineup nevertheless fell to number four. Courteney Cox and David Arquette’s Scream 4 suffered a significant drop – from second to fifth – and took home just $7.2 million, compared to last week’s $19.3. Disney’s nature documentary African Cats, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, opened at number six, bringing in $6.4 million. Soul Surfer, the true story of Bethanny Hamilton’s shark attack, starring AnnaSophia Robb, came in next, slipping from four to seven with $5.6 million. Supernatural horror Insidious drops to number 8, followed by Hanna, Cate Blanchett and Saorsie Ronan’s assassin mystery, which fell from the fifth spot to ninth with $5.3 million. Jake Gyllenhaal’s Source Code stays in the lower ranks again, rounding out the list with $5 million.

1. Rio, $26.8m; $81.2m

2. Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family, $25.3m, $25.3m

3. Water For Elephants, $17.5m; $17.5m

4. HOP, $12.5m; $100.8m

5. Scream 4, $7.2m; $31.2m

6. African Cats, $6.4m; $6.4m

7. SoulSurfer, $5.6m; $28.7m

8. Insidious, $5.4m; $44.2m

9. Hanna, $5.3m; $31.7m

10. Source Code, $5.1m, $44.7m