This just in: Mowtownphilly is back again. This time with hammers.

Rio hit $40 million this weekend. Considering that Hop and Rango (2-D pictures) did around $38 Million for their openings, it’s fair to say the 3-D bump is gone. Rio performed just like every other kids film this year, and unless somehow this production is lesser for whatever reason, and because this doesn’t have the hype machine of a summer release or a sequel then that’s what you get with two or three dimensions. Those who suggest that this either is a sign or breaks the slump… it’s the movies.Some spring animated films have opened bigger, but I think it’s the steady stream of animated and kids films that may have kept this from hitting $60-ish like we’ve seen some DreamWorks films do in the past. There is no off season here.

Scream 4 is a disappointment. Most horror films have a short shelf life, and this seemed like a money idea. Though I have no idea how much the returning cast got (likely Courtney Cox was the only one who could demand more, but that might inflate the other returning cast member numbers), there’s no way this wasn’t too expensive for this opening. The international numbers for the sequels have been around $70 for all three previous films, so there’s no greater relief abroad. This is going to struggle to do much more than $50 Million domestic, which some might have pegged as the opening numbers at when the film was in production. It could be word of mouth, or it could be a generational shift. The people who saw the first film in theaters may no longer be interested in the franchise in a real way. This might drum up rentals, but that business… Poor word of mouth had to hurt, and though there were a number of positive reviews, the film was out of fashion. I would expect nothing less than a 50% drop off next week.

The Conspirator cracked the top ten through limited markets and I guess word to the right people. This will not play as a standard opening, so it could hang out in the bottom ten for a while. Unknown. It had a similar per screen to Atlas Shrugged Part 1, which may also play long. It did $1.7 Million, but the reviews have been brutal. Will Randians rally?

Of the holds, it’s worth noting that Insidious has been really strong, which means word of mouth has been great for the picture. And there was good word for both Hanna and Soul Survivor, both of which were relatively cheap, so that means eventual profit is likely. Hanna should have stronger international numbers as an action film, where Soul Surfer will not have an international boost but could end up playing longer.

Hop should be able to get to $100 domestic, and maybe a little more. It’s taking the kid audience hit with direct competition, but it may get a little boost from Easter weekend. The question is if it will die shortly thereafter. Arthur didn’t eat it, but it’s an underperformer, and hasn’t found a greater audience. Source Code is holding strongish, and should get over $40 domestic. If the international numbers help, then it’s a win.

Your Highness is a bomb. It was an older regime’s picture, which means it got intentionally fucked. Likely it will be a picture like Half Baked which has a cult following, even though that film has numerous problems. The audience it speaks to will return to it. It woudl be great to see the film turn into a cable perennial. To see it Beastmaster‘d.