So you actually were waiting for a new Spongebob movie

Sometimes I just don’t have the pulse on the beat of the cinema going public. You know what, though? I can live with that. If you guys find a movie you want to see and enjoy, that’s really all that matters. But really…Spongebob Squarepants???

Apparently, there is an absolutely huge audience for this character, and it’s not just kids that love him. Adults helped make The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water a huge hit this weekend, as it grossed $53 million to easily debut in the number one spot. Much like the first film, people are really enjoying this film, as our critics, as evidenced by the film’s 74% approval rating over at Rotten Tomatoes. For this weekend at least, Spongebob is on top.

There wasn’t any good news for the other new releases this weekend. Jupiter Ascending, the latest from The Wachowskis’, debut in third place with an unimpressive $17.8 million. Considering the film has a rumoured budget of upwards of $175 million, this can’t be painted as anything other than disastrous. Perhaps it’s time for the duo to start thinking smaller, as it has been far too long since they’ve had a hit.

As for the rest of the top five, American Sniper fell to second place with $25 million. It is now less than $20 million from hitting the $300 million mark. Seventh Son debut in fourth place with a horrible $6.6 million, while Paddington closed things out in fifth place with $5.7 million.

So, to recap, here were our predictions:

1) American Sniper – $27 million
2) The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water – $25 million
3) Jupiter Ascending – $18 million
4) Seventh Son – $7 million
5) Paddington – $5 million

And here’s how the weekend turned out:

1) The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water – $53 million
2) American Sniper – $25 million
3) Jupiter Ascending – $17.8 million
4) Seventh Son – $6.6 million
5) Paddington – $5.7 million

Next week sees the debut of Kingsmen: The Secret Service and Fifty Shades Of Grey. Check back on Friday to see our predictions.