Clash is new box office titan

More a clash of the critics than anything else, Warner Bros’ new 3D swords and sandals flick found little resistance at the box office this weekend.

The studio’s remake of the classic mythological Clash Of The Titans leapt straight to the top of the pile, taking $61m despite savage reviews that lambasted everything from the film’s disappointing 3D conversion to its see-through script.

Not content with just knocking last week’s 3D giant off the top spot ( How To Train Your Dragon , sliding to third place), Clash also set a record with the biggest opening on an Easter weekend.

Previous Easter record-holder Scary Movie 4 (yes, there was a fourth) opened with $40m in 2006.

But with reviews as scathing as they have been – and despite some cool action moments in a generally muddled offering – we can’t imagine Clash with rule the top spot for another week.

Even if next week’s only new release, decidedly un-3D comedy Date Night , doesn’t pose much of a threat.

Janet Jackson’s new film Why Did I Get Married Too? (above) scooped second place at cinemas, reeling in a modest $30m (good considering many have never heard of it), while last Easter’s top dawg Miley Cyrus pitched in at fourth place with The Last Song .

And Alice In Wonderland clung to fifth with $8.2m, rounding out its domestic US earnings of $309. Yep, that’s three 3D flicks in this week’s top five.

In at sixth place, Hot Tub Time Machine time warped a further $8m from audience pockets, while Jennifer Aniston’s The Bounty Hunter is still lingering like a bad smell in seventh place with $6.2m.

Chloe Moretz and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid gripped onto eight place with $5.2m, while romcom She’s Out Of My League and definitely-not-romcom Shutter Island both shouldered $1.46m each.

What did you check out this weekend?

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.