300 was anything but spartan, reaping an estimated $70 million on around 4,800 screens at 3,103 theaters in its opening weekend. That eclipses all previous ancient battle pictures by a wide margin, including Troy and Gladiator, and ranks fifth among comic book adaptations.
In the face of 300, most holdovers did not retreat, and overall business rose 39 percent above the same frame last year when Failure to Launch was on top. What's more, the 2007 box office as a whole pulled ahead of 2006 through the same point.
Wild Hogs kept its motor running in its second weekend, down 29 percent to an estimated $28 million for $77.4 million in ten days, while another Buena Vista title, Bridge to Terabithia, eased 23 percent to $6.9 million for $67 million in 24 days.
Among milestones, Ghost Rider became the first 2007 release to cross the $100 million mark and surpassed the final gross of Daredevil, while Night at the Museum inched past Cars to become the second-highest grossing picture from 2006 at $244.8 million.