Fox's "Robots" was the highest-grossing film last month, but "The Pacifier" and "Ice Princess" pushed Disney to the No. 1 spot with $114 million. Fox took second with $105 million.
Receipts from March 1-31 clocked in at $638 million, off 11% from a year ago. Downturn is largely attributed to last year's anomaly blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ."
Disney's success in March stemmed from its ability to capitalize on family and teen crowds.
The spring is "sprinkled with school vacations that are occurring at different times. You're blessed with this three- to five-week period where schools are off," said Buena Vista distrib topper Chuck Viane.
"Pacifier" marks director Adam Shankman's second March hit after "Bringing Down the House" ($133 million) in 2003.
Thanks to school vacations, PG-13 pics grossed $327 million, a 25% uptick from last March, while PG fare generated $212 million, up over 100%. Meanwhile, R-rated films sank 78% from a year ago to a 22-year March low of $79 million. In addition to the lack of "Passion" at the B.O., the majors decided to unspool only two frosh R wide releases last month vs. six a year ago.
The top grossing films for the frame of March 1-31 were as follows: Fox's "Robots," $95 million; Disney and Spyglass's "The Pacifier," $90 million; DreamWorks' "The Ring Two," $62 million; MGM's "Be Cool," $53 million; Sony's "Hitch," $46 million; Warner Bros. and Lakeshore's "Million Dollar Baby," $30 million; Sony's "Guess Who," $28 million; Miramax's "Hostage," $28 million; Lions Gate's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," $27 million; and Warner Bros./Village Roadshow's "Miss Congeniality 2," $23 million.
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