Your Spongebob Box Office

... where a cartoon sits atop the heap:

... After a super $14.3M in Friday industry estimates, SpongeBob is now expected to post a $53.1M weekend; a whopping 66% increase over his $32M big-screen bow in November 2004. Should SpongeBob stay on track, he’ll own the second-highest opening for an animated film in February behind last year’s The LEGO Movie ($69.1M) and the fifth highest FSS for the month. ...

Congratulations to the hard-working crew who made the movie possible. When there's a movie people want to see, they go see it.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE



1). The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water* (Par), 3,641 theaters / $14.3M Fri. / 3-Day: $53.1M/ Wk 1



2). American Sniper (WB), 3,885 theaters (0)/ $6M Fri. (-38%) /3-Day: $22.5M (-27%)/Total cume: $280.5M/ Wk 7



3). Jupiter Ascending* (WB), 3,181 theaters / $6.7M Fri. / 3-Day: $18.4M/ Wk 1



4). Seventh Son* (UNI), 2,875 theaters / $2.27M Fri. / 3-Day: $6.68M/ Wk 1



5/6). Paddington (TWC), 2,888 theaters (-415) / $1.1M Fri. (-42%) / 3-Day: $5.3M (-36%) / Total cume: $57.2M /Wk 4



Project Almanac (Par), 2,900 theaters (+7) / $1.5M Fri. (-52%)/ 3-Day: $5.3M (-36%)/ Total cume: 15.8M/Wk 2



7). The Imitation Game (TWC), 1,963 theaters (-439) / $1.27M Fri. (-21%) / 3-Day: $4.66M (-7%)/Total cume: $74.6M / Wk 11



8). Black or White (REL), 1,823 theaters (0) / $1.3M Fri. (-41%)/ 3-Day: $4.6M (-26%) / Total cume: 13.1M/Wk 2



9). The Wedding Ringer (Sony), 2,138 theaters (-682)/ $1.3M Fri. (-32%) / 3-Day: $4.5M (-20%)/ Total cume: $54.8M /Wk 4



10). The Boy Next Door (UNI), 2,193 theaters (-422)/ $1.17M Fri. (-45%)/ 3-Day: $3.9M (-36%)/ Total cume: $30.6M/Wk 3 ...

And things look rosy moving forward for the under-the-sea crowd. As Deadline says:



"SpongeBob" is opening up at a time just prior to school winter vacations ramping up. While only 1% of those kids K-12 and colleges are out this Monday per Rentrak Theatrical, that figure will climb to 15% by next Friday.