The Lone Ranger and Tonto were no match for a reformed villain and his band of merry minions at the box office.
Disney’s The Lone Ranger earned a dismal $48.9 million, ending its debut weekend in second place way behind Universal’s Despicable Me 2 which earned $142 million. Analysts had projected an opening weekend of $90 million for the movie directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Of the $48.9 million box office, the film earned $29.4 million between Friday and Saturday. This three-day total was worse than the debut of last year’s box office disaster John Carter.
The movie – starring Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp – seemed to be a tough sell to Fourth of July moviegoers. Dave Hollis, Disney’s president of distribution, acknowledged that younger audiences are not as familiar with the character of the Lone Ranger, who has been around in some form for the last 80 years. Sixty-eight percent of the audience during the opening weekend was over the age of 25.
Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University took a 57 percent hit at the box office this week, ending up in the number four spot. The flick took in $19.6 million over the weekend, giving it a $216.1 million total since it opened in June. It’s the 11th Pixar film to go past the $200 million mark.
