Hop bounces to top of N. American box office

Hop, a live action-animated Easter-themed romp featuring the voice of British bad boy Russell Brand, debuted atop the North American box office earning $38 million, according to preliminary industry figures released on Sunday.

Mr Brand’s character E.B., the teenage son of the Easter Bunny, wants rock-n-roll fame in Hollywood instead of taking over the family business. Critics gave PG-rated Hop mixed reviews, saying it’s void of emotion but palatable.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s sci-fi thriller Source Code debuted at number two with $15 million. Mr Gyllenhaal’s character is part of a government experiment to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

Insidious, a horror flick in which a couple and their three young children find themselves living in a haunted house, debuted in third place, earning just under $13.5 million, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Last weekend’s top-grossing film Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules fell to fourth with $10.2 million, giving it just over $38 million in four weeks. It was the second screen adaptation from the popular kids book series.

Limitless, in which Bradley Cooper plays an author who tries to stimulate his creativity by sampling a revolutionary new drug, was fifth with $9.4 million.

Sixth place went to the Matthew McConaughey drama The Lincoln Lawyer, which grossed $7 million.

Sucker Punch, an action fantasy flick about teenage girls busting out of an insane asylum, fell five spots to seventh place, earning $6 million.

The eccentric animated film Rango, with the voice talent of Johnny Depp in a tale about a chameleon who becomes sheriff, pulled in $4.5 million in eighth place. It has earned just under $114 million in eight weeks.

Sci-fi romp Paul took in $4.3 million in ninth place, followed by Battle: Los Angeles about a unit of alien-fighting US Marines, which made $3.5 million in tickets sales across North America.