Weekend Box Office: Shrek The Third slouches its way to glory
Despite the faint cries of many critics who complained of its laziness and lack of inspiration, Shrek The Third enjoyed a staggering opening weekend, bilking $123 million from families who probably thought Wild Hogs and Norbit were hilarious, too. That left the mighty Spider-Man 3 to finish a distant second at $28.5 million, which brings it about a week or two closer to the $300 million mark domestically. The other sequel on the charts, the superior 28 Weeks Later, continued to do tepid business with $5.1 million in its second week, having made the mistake of coming out at a time when the general public isn't interested in thoughtful, well-crafted entertainment. Of course, all three will have to step aside in a few days, when the last entry in an epic trilogy based on a frickin' theme park ride lumbers its way onto 4,000 screens. (We're sorry. We'll drop the snotty tone soon. Maybe.)