Moviegoers over the Easter weekend flocked back to the 3D animated Rio [RIO] as the Brazilian birds repeated atop the box office with an estimated $26.8 million. The Fox film tailed off just 32% in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $81.3 milion.
Madea's Big Happy Family [MDBHF] debuted in second place with $25.8 million. As expected, Tyler Perry's [TPERR] latest film played to its core audience that was 81% African American and 72% female.
The period romance Water for Elephant [WELPH] finished third at $17.5 million. The film appealed primarily to older women as the audience was 70% female and 70% over the age of 25.
In fourth place, the Easter-themed Hop [HOP] grossed another $12.5 million to advance its toal past $100.5 million.
Scream 4 [SCRM4] fell 62% in its second weekend to $7.2 million. The horror sequel stands at $31.2 million.
Disneynature's African Cats [AFCAT] earned $6.4 million to open in sixth place.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | RIO | $26,800,000 | $81,261,126 |
| 2 | TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY | $25,750,000 | $25,750,000 |
| 3 | WATER FOR ELEPHANTS | $17,500,000 | $17,500,000 |
| 4 | HOP | $12,460,917 | $100,499,917 |
| 5 | SCREAM 4 | $7,154,000 | $31,158,000 |
| 6 | AFRICAN CATS | $6,400,000 | $6,400,000 |
| 7 | SOUL SURFER | $5,600,000 | $28,664,000 |
| 8 | INSIDIOUS | $5,383,744 | $44,177,538 |
| 9 | HANNA | $5,276,801 | $31,717,987 |
| 10 | SOURCE CODE | $5,063,000 | $44,664,244 |
| 11 | ARTHUR | $4,100,000 | $29,251,000 |
| 12 | LIMITLESS | $2,646,000 | $73,983,594 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations CO.
Tag(s): RIO, MDBHF, TPERR, WELPH, SCRM4, AFCAT