Second Helping Of 'Meatballs' Satisfies At Box Office

By Bill Wine

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - An animated sequel led the box office competition over the weekend.

The indoor weather report for the multiplex weekend was cloudy with a chance of meatballs. The animated sequel, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, debuted in first place at the box office, earning an estimated $35 million on its opening weekend.

The holdover suspense thriller, Prisoners, was a far distant second with $11 million.

The three other new mainstream films rounded out the top five: Director Ron Howard's Formula One racing drama, Rush, earned $10 million, good for third place. The comedy, Baggage Claim, with Paula Patton, took in just over $9 million for a fourth-place finish. And writer-director-and-star Joseph Gordon Levitt's comedy-drama, Don Jon, finished fifth with a total of $9 million.

Overall, industry-wide totals were modest and about as expected, slightly lower than those of a year ago.