Weekend Recap: “Karate Kid” is the best around

“The Karate Kid” swept the leg of the competition this weekend with a monstrous haul for a live-action family film, earning $15 million more than its $40 million production budget. Other newcomer “The A-Team” was left stymied, finishing way below expected with a mere $25 million.

Jaden Smith is already starting to prove he’s as viable as his daddy Will, as “Kid” helped a limping box office to a much needed 18 percent gain from last weekend as well as from the box office one year ago.

1. The Karate Kid – $55.6 M (weekend) … $55.6 M (gross)
2. The A-Team – $ 25.6 M … $25.6 M
3. Shrek Forever After – $15.7 M … $210 M
4. Get Him to the Greek – $9.9 M … $36.4 M
5. Killers – $8 M … $30.2 M
6. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time – $6.4 M … $72.2 M
7. Marmaduke – $6 M … $22.2 M
8. Sex and the City 2 – $5.4 M … $84.6 M
9. Iron Man 2 – $4.5 M  … $29.2 M
10. Splice – $2.9 M … $13.1 M

Most returners excluding “Shrek Forever After” fell at least 40 percent this weekend. Sci-fi horror film “Splice” dropped the furthest, falling 60 percent to No. 10 in just its second week.

Between “A-Team” and “Marmaduke,” 20th Century Fox has had a rough start to the summer thus far. The studio will look to rebound with the help of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in “Knight & Day,” which opens a week from Wednesday. Next week belongs to Disney and “Toy Story 3.”