"THE LORAX" SPENDS SECOND WEEK AT #1: 2012'S FIRST BOX OFFICE HIT

Still from The Lorax

The Lorax makes it two-for-two this weekend at the Box Office for Universal Pictures earning $39.1 million, adding-up to a spiffy two-week tally of $124 million - by far 2012's biggest Box Office success story.

Debuting in second this weekend is Disney's John Carter with a $30.6 million opening which might appear to be impressive at first. It is undeniable however that expectations were high for the $250-million budget 3-D Action/Sci-Fi.  With Overseas numbers still to come in, it just might fare better on a global scale.  Not a stellar start for what could have been a lucrative Franchise for both Disney and its Star, Taylor Kitsch, even though it did debut on-top based on Friday night's numbers.  Alas the more Family-centric draw of The Lorax over the weekend is what helped that one prevail.

Warner Bros. continues to bank on its low-budget Party-Comedy Project X, in third spot this weekend in this its second week of release with $11.5 million. To date, it has brought in $40 million, already exceeding the expectations of many.

Opening in 1,890 theatres and landing in fourth spot is the mixed-reviewed (49% on Rotten Tomatoes) Horror Flick Safe House starring Elizabeth Olsen, earning $7 million for Open Road (eOne Films in Canada), going head-to-head with former Champion Act of Valor in fifth also with $7 million.  Final numbers will soon be released for exact order of finish. 

Eddie Murphy's A Thousand Words from Paramount Pictures opens in sixth spot with $6.3 million, seeing some highs of late with successes like Tower Heist and Shrek Forever After, and of course some lows like this, Meet Dave and Imagine That.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island slips to ninth spot with $3.6 million in its fifth week of release, also just edging-out Action/Rom-Com This Means War which hangs-on to the Top Ten with $3.6 million in its fourth week - now grossing $46.7 million total in North America.  This order of finish however could also be reversed with final numbers coming tonight. 

"DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX" DEBUTS HUGE WITH $70.7 MILLION OPENING

Still from Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Relevant in the '70s when it was first was written and definitely still poignant today, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax takes the top of the Box Office in its debut, connecting in a big way with audiences. The environmentally-conscious Animated 3-D Musical debuts to a huge $70.7 million opening from 3,729 theatres for Universal Pictures.  Its release was timed on what would have been Dr. Seuss' 108th Birthday.  Already recouping its $70 million production budget, its Cast features the likes of Betty White, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, Danny DeVito and many more, covering a wide range in terms of Fanbase already.  Critics however, gave it mixed reviews overall with it scoring 56% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.

Exceeding the expectations of many, Warner Bros.' Project X opens in second spot this weekend with $20.7 million from 3,055 theatres.  Made for $12 million, the Party-Comedy produced by Todd Phillips (The Hangover) gave its first indication of success with an impressive Midnight Screening tally of $1.15 million on Friday.  Reviews on the other hand haven't been as stellar garnering 29% at Rotten Tomatoes, but it is connecting with the under-25 audience; CinemaScore rates it at a B.

Last week's Champion Act of Valor still continues to perform well in third, earning $13.7 million in its second week of release for Relativity Media, ahead of Safe House which still is going strong in fourth spot with $7.2 million.  In three weeks, it has tallied $108.2 million for Universal Pictures. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds from Lionsgate Films settles for fifth spot with $7 million in its second week.

Rounding out the Top Ten is Best Picture Winner at the Oscars last Sunday, The Artist with an expansion from 966 to 1,756 theatres, experiencing a 34% spike in its 15th week of release.

"ACT OF VALOR" SHOWS COURAGE AT BOX OFFICE

Still from Act of Valor

Proving that you don't always need big stars to score a Box Office hit, Relativity Media's Act of Valor comes out of nowhere and takes the number one spot this weekend with Moviegoers. Tallying $24.5 million, the Action-Drama starring real-life Navy SEALS, was made for $18 million approximately. A majority of the money paid by Relativity Media however was above its production costs, including $13 million for rights and then an additional $30 in advertising costs according to Deadline. Celebrity endorsements from the likes of Charlie Sheen and Joe Jonas definitely helped with word-of-mouth over the weekend, although Critics generally panned the Film, garnering 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lionsgate Films scored a debut in second with Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, earning $16 million in its debut.  It did however open in only 2,132 theatres compared to Act of Valor, which opened in 3,039 theatres.  The Inspirational/Romantic-Drama was made for about $15 million and would appear to be slightly less of a success than Perry's earlier work which sees him portraying his most famous character, Madea. Alliance Films releases the Top Two in Canada.

Warner Bros.' Journey 2: The Mysterious Island still is going strong in third spot this weekend in its third week with $13.1 million, now earning a total $77.2 million domestically, ahead of last week's number one Movie Safe House in fourth with $11 million. To-date, the Action-Thriller starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington has made $97.7 million for Universal Pictures.

The Vow breaks the $100-million mark this weekend in fifth spot taking-in $10 million for Sony Pictures, while Comedy Wanderlust starring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston didn't fare so well in its debut in eighth earning $5.8 million.  The same can be said about Amanda Seyfried-headlined Thriller, Gone, opening in ninth spot with $5 million.