Box Office: Tower Heist is a big disappointment! …With $25 million.

The big news at the box office this week was that Brett Ratner’s torn-from-the-headlines tale of greed and sassy fat Jamaicans, Tower Heist, was a huge disappointment, landing in second place and bringing in $10 million less than most analysts projected. That would be great news, I guess, except the excitement is tempered somewhat by the fact that people expected Brett Ratner’s schmucky, bad vaudeville romp to make $35 million in the first place. Meanwhile 50/50, the rare non-genre-garbage movie that was actually about something, has made $32 million so far in its entire six-week run.

It seems like it used to be that studios would put out a movie they thought was good and maybe it would be a disappointment, and then decide, okay, the crowd has spoken. These days, it just seems like the crap gets shoved down everyone’s throat before anyone has a chance to make a decision, because that’s what someone assumed the public wants. I know, I know, no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public and all of that, but that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to try. Come on, tell me that wasn’t the idea behind Jack and Jill.

Anyway, Puss in Boots was number one for the second weekend in a row with $33 million and blah blah blah who cares. Full top 10 after the jump.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 1 Puss in Boots P/DW $33,035,000 -3.1% 3,963 +11 $8,336 $75,508,000 $130 2
2 N Tower Heist Uni. $25,100,000 3,367 $7,455 $25,100,000 $75 1
3 N A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas WB (NL) $13,065,000 2,875 $4,544 $13,065,000 $19 1
4 2 Paranormal Activity 3 Par. $8,525,000 -53.0% 3,286 -43 $2,594 $95,308,000 $5 3
5 3 In Time Fox $7,700,000 -36.1% 3,127 +5 $2,462 $24,209,000 $40 2
6 4 Footloose (2011) Par. $4,550,000 -17.3% 2,811 -413 $1,619 $44,800,000 $24 4
7 6 Real Steel BV $3,407,000 -28.8% 2,438 -476 $1,397 $78,750,000 5
8 5 The Rum Diary FD $2,988,000 -41.8% 2,292 +19 $1,304 $10,423,000 $45 2
9 8 The Ides of March Sony $2,000,000 -28.7% 1,391 -181 $1,438 $36,800,000 5
10 9 Moneyball Sony $1,900,000 -20.4% 1,278 -353 $1,487 $70,327,000 $50 7

[via BoxOfficeMojo]

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