Box office

IN THE CLEARING STANDS THE BOX OFFICE: No blockbuster debuted over the weekend, just a distaff twist on a buddy-cop comedy in The Heat and a Beltway disaster flick in White House down. And though neither managed to unseat Monsters U. (which can hereafter be considered the latest iteration of a legit franchise), Fox was happy about the former; Sony not so much about the latter. Or, as Box Office Mojo cleverly put it, “Heat Sets Fire to White House.” World War Z had a solid second week, and—having just seen it Sunday afternoon in in a theater packed with riveted customers—we suspect word of mouth will keep this very expensive movie (and you can vividly see the money onscreen) around for a while.

1. Monsters University (Disney) – $46.2m (-44%), 4,004 theaters, $11,533 avg.
2. The Heat (Fox) – $40m, 3,181 theaters, $12,575 avg.
3. World War Z (Paramount) – $29.8m (-55%), 3,607 theaters, $8,262 avg.
4. White House Down (Sony) – $25.7m, 3,222 theaters, $7,976 avg.
5. Man of Steel (WB) – $20.8m (-50%), 4,131 theaters, $5,040 avg.

As you may have noticed, our Top 5 chart now has +/- (where applicable). You’re welcome. (7/1a)