TOP PICK: 'Monsters University' and 'World War Z' have scary good Friday; 'Man of Steel' sinks

The question heading into this frame at the box office was whether World War Z would earn over $50 million, joining Monsters University and Man of Steel and making this the first weekend ever in which three films earned over $50 million. Well, World War Z will earn over $50 million — but due to Man of Steel‘s unexpectedly huge dropoff, that box office record won’t be reached.

Monsters University topped the box office on Friday with a monstrous $30.5 million. That’s better than the $24.6 million that Brave started with en route to a $66.3 million debut, but lower than the $41.1 million that Toy Story 3 earned on Friday on the way to a $110.3 million debut. Monsters University will likely finish between those two films, perhaps with about $75-80 million in its first three days.

In second place, Brad Pitt vehicle World War Z broke out with a terrific $25 million. The zombie thriller, which reportedly cost over $200 million to produce (Paramount is admitting to $190 million), may earn about $63 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period. For a movie whose production was famously troubled, World War Z marks a major marketing win for Paramount. It will easily become the biggest opening of Brad Pitt’s career.

Man of Steel plummeted 71 percent from its first Friday to $12.7 million. The Superman reboot may finish in third place with about $41 million in its sophomore frame, which would give it a $210 million total — more than Superman Returns‘ entire $200 million domestic finish. That said, it looks like Man of Steel may have to work harder than initially expected to reach $300 million, which seemed all but assured after its robust $128.7 million debut last weekend.

This is the End and Now You See Me rounded out the Top 5 with $4.1 million and $2.5 million, respectively. This is the End may score about $13 million, which would mark an excellent drop of just 40 percent and give it nearly $58 million total. Now You See Me, meanwhile, may take in about $8 million in its fourth weekend, giving it an excellent $94 million cume.

1. Monsters University – $30.5 million
2. World War Z – $25 million
3. Man of Steel – $12.7 million
4. This is the End – $4.1 million
5. Now You See Me – $2.5 million

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TOP PICK: 5 Things to Know About 'Now You See Me'

Looking for a great cat-and-mouse chase movie? How about a group of magicians who act less like David Copperfield and more like Robin Hood, all while being chased by the FBI? Check out Now You See Me, which stars Jesse Eisenberg, David Franco, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. But before you head out to the theater, here are a few fun facts to know about the film and its cast.

5. Jesse Eisenberg Has Magic and Clowning Around in His Blood
Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg has a family made up of performers. Jesse's mother is actually a professional clown. In his home town of East Brunswick, N.J. she has performed at children's birthday parties for over 20 years. Likewise Jesse's little sister was a '90s child star whose credits include Beautiful and How to Eat Fried Worms as well as a Pepsi Superbowl commercial.

4. The Dynamic Duo Are Back Together Again
Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine can't seem to get enough of working with each other these days--or at least being in the same movie together. Now You See Me is the fourth film to co-star the two legendary actors. They previously appeared together in all three of Christopher Nolan's installments of the Batman trilogy.

3. Isla Fisher Almost Drowned While Filming Now You See Me
Isla Fisher told Chelsea Handler on "Chelsea Lately" that she almost drowned while filming her swimming tank scene. Isla joked that she couldn't understand why Tom Cruise doesn't have a stunt double. She made light of the story saying, "All I kept thinking about was picturing myself having an autopsy later, all bloated and gross in a swimming costume. Who wants to die in a swimming costume?"

2. Guess Who Was Originally Cast
It was rumored that Jake Gyllenhaal was up for the role of Mark Ruffalo's character but declined to do the film. Likewise Olivia Wilde was offered a role in the film, and Amanda Seyfried was considered for the role that eventually went to Isla.

1. Michael Caine Sleeps on Set
Apparently, Michael Caine was locked in his dressing room for a whole night during filming. Supposedly, he fell asleep after shooting a scene and didn't hear the director call wrap for the day and the crew pack up and leave. It was assumed that Michael had gone home, so the set was locked. He wasn't discovered until the morning when someone heard him crying for help.

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