300 = $70 Million Opening Weekend

That's what I said: an estimated $70 million for its opening weekend put 300 at the top of the box office, knocking out last week's comedy, Wild Hogs and dwarfing Ghost Rider, which came in with a little over $6 million this week.

$70 million is more than just "impressive" for a movie with a cast of virtual unknowns; original estimates figured it bringing in $50 million, with conservative figures putting it closer to $30 million. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest brought in about twice that on its opening weekend, but it had some major star power and a HUGE promotional campaign.

300's promotional marketing was considerable - a real "blitz" by any standard - but its major draw is the fashion in which it was filmed. The whole thing was shot indoors against a greenscreen (which used to be called a bluescreen and sometimes still is) and the backgrounds were then computer-generated. This method was chosen so that the filmmakers could duplicate the look of the original graphic novel, penned by none other than Frank Miller, himself.

Now we just have to wait to see if my predictions are accurate as to it dominating the competition for yet another week. I said it would top the box office for at least the first two weeks of its release, if you'll recall. I also said it is poised to be the major summer blockbuster of this year - possibly even the major cinematic event of a few years - so we'll have to wait and see how that plays out.

If the numbers hold up come Monday, it will make 300 the largest-grossing March opening ever, squeezing out Disney's Ice Age: The Meltdown. 300 holds the title for the 3rd largest opening for an R-rated movie ever.