娱乐英语新闻:Russell Brand beats self to reign North America box office

LOS ANGELES, April 10 (Xinhua) -- British comedian Russell Brand has won a victory against himself this weekend as two well- received films, featuring his voice and act, dominated the box office in a one-two finish.

"Hop," a live-action animated comedy about a next-generation Easter Bunny who leaves Easter Island for Hollywood to become a famous drummer, pulled in 21.6 million dollars in movie ticket receipts on 3,616 screens despite a 42 percent drop from the previous week, finishing as the top grosser of the North America box office. The Universal Studios' live Easter-themed live-action/ animation hybrid is on track to pull in a cumulative gross of 68.2 million dollars. Brand voices the character of the Bunny's rebellious son.

Russell Brand

As one of the four films debuted over the weekend, "Arthur," a Warner Bros. remake of a 1981 comedy garnered 12.6 million dollars on 3,276 screens in Canada and the United States as the second moneymaker. The film, which also stars Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner, features Brand as the title role, a boozy playboy rascal who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress but ends up falling for a common working class girl. It is Jason Winer's first film that he directed since he has made award- winning television series "Modern Family."

Opening in the third place is "Hanna," an action thriller from Focus Features, which pulled in 12.3 million dollars in ticket stubs. Starring Saoirse Ronan as a teenage assassin, the flick received mostly positive response from the critics and moviegoers.

"Soul Surfer," a Sony/TriStar drama which tell how a teenage girl continued to surf after losing her arm in a shark attack, came in fourth with 11.1 million dollars from 2,214 screens. It stars AnnaSophia Robb as the title role. It boasts a rare A+ from CinemaScore.

"Insidious," an indie horror film by newcomer Film District, showed a strong staying power, finished in the fifth place with 9. 7 million dollars, for a total of 27 million dollars in two weeks.

"Your Highness," the weekend's fourth wide release, finished in sixth place with 9.5 million dollars from 2,769 screens. The Universal fantasy comedy, starring Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman, received mostly negative reviews. Among its audience, 58 percent were male and 55 percent were over 25 years old, according to the studio.