Knocking the Boy Wizard out of the top spot at the box office with one swift blow from his shield was Chris Evans as Captain America, Marvel’s next superhero to hit the big screen (and second this summer alone). Both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger opening to big numbers (and first-place finishes) this summer, with the latter scoring a whopping $65 million in its debut this past weekend, topping Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($47 million), proving Marvel knows what they’re doing when it comes to re-launching superheroes on the big screen.
The weekend’s other new release found Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis playing a couple of friends who attempt to shack up in the sack without letting emotions get in the way (yeah, good luck with that). Friends with Benefits didn’t have enough to take out the top two big boys, but it did grab a respectable $18.6 million for third place.
Meanwhile, critics were slightly kinder to Captain America, giving it a 74% Fresh rating over at Rotten Tomatoes versus the 71% Fresh for Friends with Benefits. Rarely do we see a weekend where everyone likes the new releases, so score one for Hollywood as we begin to close out July.
It’s your opinion that counts most, though, so sound off in our polls below (and the comments section), and let us know what you thought of both these movies …
