Weekend Box Office: Russell Brand Beats Himself, Was 'Hop' or 'Arthur' On Top?

Arthur.jpg" style="margin: 5px; cursor: default; float: left; width: 300px; height: 197px;" />This weekend saw a lot of Russell Brand at the box office: the British bad-boy-turned-good-boy had two movies in contention for the top spot, as "Arthur" opened and "Hop" entered its second weekend. Only one movie could take the top spot, though, so which one was it?

I'll spare you the suspense. It was "Hop" and it wasn't even close.

"Hop," which stars the voice of Brand as the Easter Bunny along with the real James Marsden, placed #1 for the second week in a row with $21.7 million. That's a slight drop from last week, but the total remains solid at $68.2 million over two weeks.

"Arthur" placed second with a disappointing $12.6 million. The remake of the classic Dudley Moore film was met with bad reviews, which didn't help a film that seemed aimed at no particular audience. Who were they expecting to see "Arthur," older audiences who saw the original (not a chance) or young people who are just dying to see Russell Brand play an obnoxious billionaire? Neither, probably: Hollywood Reporter notes that 64% of the audience was over 25.

The action thriller "Hanna" exceeded expectations, earning $12.3 million and almost beating "Arthur" out for the #2 spot. The movie stars Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, and the talented Saoirse Ronan as a teenage assassin.

"Soul Surfer," a story about a girl who works past the trauma of a shark attack and gets back on her surf board, grossed a surprising $11.1 million. The film, which also features country singer Carrie Underwood in her acting debut, made headlines for its religious themes that the producer attempted to keep out of the final script.

So the fifth spot must have gone to the new comedy "Your Highness" featuring James Franco, Natalie Portman, and Danny McBride, right? Wrong. "Insidious," now in its second weekend, just beat the fantasy farce's $9.5 million with a $9.7 million gross. "Your Highness" was met with some of the worst reviews of the year, which helped to squash its viewership...despite advertising Natalie Portman in a thong.

1. "Hop" - $21.7 million
2. "Arthur" - $12.6 million
3. "Hanna" - $12.3 million
4. "Soul Surfer" - $11.1 million
5. "Insidious" - $9.7 million