‘300’ rises to conquer box office foes once again

Swords, sandals and severed limbs ruled theaters as 300: Rise of an Empire conquered the box office convincingly this weekend.

The sequel to 300 collected $45.1 million, according to studio estimates from Rentrak.

The debut gave Hollywood’s opening weekend of its spring season a healthy start. After a winter that saw ticket sales surge 10% over last year, studios will pepper the month with big-budget films to prime kids for summer.

This month’s releases include Need for Speed and Muppets Most Wanted.

With few returning stars from the 2007 Zack Snyder film, the $100 million Empire was considered a gamble by most forecasters, who projected an opening of around $30 million.

Reviews didn’t help: Only 43% of the nation’s critics gave the graphically violent, R-rated film a thumbs-up, according to survey site Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences gave it a collective B, according to CinemaScore.

“Despite not starring (original cast member) Gerard Butler’s abs, the action movie had franchise recognition that none of this year’s other action films had,” says Tim Briody, analyst for Box Office Prophets.

The other major newcomer, the animated comedy Mr. Peabody & Sherman, met most expectations with $32.5 million. The movie’s strong reviews — 77% of critics recommended it — and its A with moviegoers could give the film legs through March.

Liam Neeson’s Non-Stop was third with $15.4 million, followed by the animated The Lego Movie with $11 million. Son of God took fifth with $10 million.

In limited release, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel did a whopping $850,000 on only four screens, making it one of the biggest independent hits of the year so far.

Final figures are expected Monday.