The shirtless and blood-thirsty warriors of the epic fantasy- action sequel to "300", "300: Rise of an Empire," has dominated the box-office weekend, beating "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" and "Non-Stop" with $45 million on its domestic debut and an even bigger haul of $87.8 million internationally.
Seven years after the original "300" became an unlikely, ultra-stylish, blood-soaked sensation, Warner Bros.' 3-D follow-up showed considerable might at the box office. While "300: Rise of an Empire" didn't come close the North American debut of Zack Snyder's 2006 original ($70.9 million and without the benefit of 3-D ticket prices), it performed like a blockbuster overseas.
"300: Rise of an Empire," set in ancient Greece. The story takes place before and after the earlier film when 300 Spartans marched to their deaths in a battle against the Persians. In the sequel, an alliance of Greek city-states wage battle on the seas against the Persians.
Both films are based on graphic novels written by author Frank Miller. "300: Rise of an Empire," stars Australian actor Sullivan Stapleton as the Greek leader Themistocles and French actress and model Eva Green as Artemisia, the ruthless commander of the Persian forces.
Though the film is excessively macho, Eva Green - the film's fiercest presence -may have drawn females for what was always going to be a male-centric release. Whereas the female audience for the first "300" was only 29 percent, it was 38 percent for "Rise of an Empire."
"Talk about female empowerment," said Jeff Goldstein, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros., said of the "Casino Royale" actress.
Noting the popularity of 3-D and IMAX screenings for the movie, Goldstein credited the visual mgic of producer Snyder (Noam Murro took over directing), who drew directly from Frank Miller's graphic novels: "He brings a lot to the screen that mesmerizes you."
Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst of Rentrak, said that the "300" franchise "translates to virtually every culture. Every country can appreciate the visuals of these movies."
"Mr. Peabody & Sherman," based on the "Peabody's Improbable History" segments in the 1960s animated TV show starring the characters Rocky and Bullwinkle, collected ticket sales of $32.5 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters and is directed by Rob Minkoff.
Last week's box office winner, "Non-Stop," was third with $15.4 million in sales. The film stars Liam Neeson as an alcoholic U.S. air marshal racing to stop a string of murders on an international flight.
"The Grand Budapest Hotel," Wes Anderson's whimsical caper film starring Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, set the box office on fire over the weekend in a limited opening at only four movie theaters, taking in $800,000.
The $200,000 per screen average over three days for the Fox Searchlight film set a per location record, according to box office tracking firm Rentrak.
"The Lego Movie," took the No. 4 overall spot with $11 million, according to Rentrak. The animated hit based on the colorful plastic building blocks has now totaled $225 million since its February 7 release.
Rounding out the top five, "Son of God," based on "The Bible" television mini-series produced by "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, collected sales of $10 million.
Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner, distributed "300: Rise of an Empire" and "The Lego Movie."
Comcast's Universal Pictures released "Non-Stop." Fox, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox, distributed "Son of God," and "Mr. Peabody & Sherman."
Can the bloody and epic 300 sequel top the box-office this week? We'll find out more once the week is over.
