Don’t underestimate the power of little blue creatures.
Director Raja Gosnell’s “The Smurfs” took the top spot on Friday, beating out “Cowboys & Aliens” on the same day both movies hit theaters nationwide, according to estimates by box office mojo.
“The Smurfs” brought in $13.3 million on its opening day, just edging out director Jon Favreau’s sci-fi action film, which earned $12.9 million.
Friday’s results will make the weekend showdown between the two films interesting to watch, especially with “The Smurfs” slight edge over “Cowboys & Aliens” on Friday.
Although critics slammed the comedy with an 18 percent average rating, according to rotten tomatoes, the audience enjoyed the animation hybrid with a 72 percent rating. The sci-fi Western fared better among critics—who didn’t exactly give the movie rave reviews—with a 44 percent rating.
Coming in third on Friday was “Captain America: The First Avenger” taking in $7.8 million to begin its second week on the big screen. Friday’s number helped push the action film—which takes place during World War II—to $99 million domestically.
Rounding out the top five was “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” at No. 4 and “Crazy, Stupid, Love” finishing in fifth. The final installment of the Harry Potter franchise has already grossed an estimated $303 million across the nation.
The cast of Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria and Jayma Mays in “The Smurfs” was enough to pass the star power of “Cowboys & Aliens” featuring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford.
