'Interstellar' And Other High-Grossing Movie Openings That Didn't Make #1

Last weekend, Christopher Nolan’s latest epic, "Interstellar," took in a solid $47,510,360 opening. On many weekends, that number could have easily made the film #1 at the box office. However, Nolan’s exploration of deep space had strong competition from Walt Disney Co’s DIS animated "Big Hero 6," which is based--like the hugely successful "Guardians of the Galaxy"--on a relatively obscure Marvel storyline. Disney’s latest took in $56,215,889 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

After the results of last weekend’s box office brawl, "Interstellar" officially has the thirteenth highest opening that did not result in a #1 spot. For some context, here are the top 10 films in this eccentric category.

Related Link: Paramount's Interstellar Tops Global Weekend Box Office

Big Openings, But No Coveted #1 Spot

Note: Unless otherwise noted, grosses are from the first weekend of a film’s release.

#1 'The Day After Tomorrow'

The weekend of May 28, 2004, Twenty-First Century Fox Inc’s FOX "The Day After Tomorrow" made $68,743,584, less than the $72,170,363 second weekend take of Dreamworks Animation Skg Inc’s DWA "Shrek 2."

#2 'Frozen'

The weekend of November 27, 2013, Disney’s animated hit "Frozen," which went on to become the highest grossing animated film of all time, made $67,391,326, less than the $158,074,286 Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (USA)’s LGF "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" took, also in its opening weekend.

#3 'World War Z'

The weekend of June 21, 2013, Paramount’s "World War Z" made $66,411,834, less than the $82,429,469 made by Disney-Pixar’s "Monsters University."

#4 'Sherlock Holmes'

The weekend of December 25, 2009, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc’s (owned by Time Warner Inc. [NYSE: TWX]) "Sherlock Holmes" made $62,304,277, less than the second weekend take of $75,617,183 made by James Cameron’s "Avatar," the highest grossing film of all time.

#5 'Prometheus'

Fox and Ridly Scott's pseudo-prequel to "Alien," "Prometheus," opened to $51,050,101 on the weekend of June 8, 2012, less than the $60,316,738 taken by DreamWork's "Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted."

#6 'Wanted'

The weekend of June 27, 2008, Comcast Corporation CMCSA-owned Universal’s "Wanted" opened to $50,927,085, less than the $63,087,526 taken by Disney-Pixar’s "WALL-E."

#7 'The Great Gatsby'

Warner Brothers’ and Baz Luhrman's "The Great Gatsby" opened to $50,085,185 the weekend of May 10, 2013, less than the $72,525,615 that Disney/Marvel's "Iron Man 3" brought in during its second weekend.

#8 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'

Earlier this summer, during the weekend of June 13, 2014, Fox’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 opened to $49,451,322, less than the $57,071,445 that Sony’s SNE "22 Jump Street," another sequel, grossed.

#9 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel'

The weekend of December 25, 2009, Fox’s "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" opened to $48,875,415, less than both the $75,617,183 made by "Avatar" in its second weekend and the $62,304,277 by "Sherlock Holmes" in its first.

#10 'Tangled'

Finally, the weekend of November 24, 2010, Disney’s "Tangled" opened to $48,767,052, not very much less than the $49,087,101 that "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I," the first part of the last film, grossed in its second weekend.