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Summary Hollywood comedy film 'Think Like a Man' finally tops the box office.
The box office competition finally overwhelmed The Hunger Games as the romantic comedy Think Like a Man beat expectations with a chart-topping $33.0 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales over the weekend.Love story The Lucky One also exceeded forecasts to finish second with $22.8 million from Friday through Sunday, according to studio estimates. The two films pushed the blockbuster Hunger Games to third, ending its four-week streak at No. 1.Think Like a Man is based on comedian Steve Harveys best-selling, non-fiction relationship guide Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.The movie follows four couples trying to work out various issues and stars Gabrielle Union, Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Romany Malco, hip-hop singer Chris Brown and Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson. Harvey was executive producer and has a small role playing himself.The film cost a modest $13 million to make, and received positive feedback in pre-release screenings, said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Corps Sony Pictures studio.We definitely felt like we had a hit coming, Bruer said. Still, the weekend performance exceeded everyones expectations, he said.Audiences gave Think Like a Man an A grade in polling by survey firm CinemaScore.The Lucky One tells the story of a U.S. Marine who returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq, convinced that the one thing that kept him safe and alive was a photograph of a beautiful woman he found in the rubble of war.It also was based on a book, a 2008 best-seller from well-known Notebook author Nicholas Sparks. The movie stars Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling and cost about $25 million to produce.Efrons female fan base helped the movie beat forecasts. Fifty-seven percent of moviegoers polled said the actor was their top reason for seeing the film, said Jeff Goldstein, executive vice president of domestic distribution for Time Warner Incs Warner Bros. studio.The Lucky One added $3.8 million from nine international markets, bringing its global debut to $26.6 million.Hunger Games, the smash hit about an oppressive societys televised teen death match, took in an estimated $14.5 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters during the weekend. Global sales for the film from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp reached $572.7 million since its release.
