Jeffrey Katzenberg must be breathing a huge sigh of relief, after the embattled DreamWorks Animation chief scored a much needed box office win with the release of “Home”.  

The family film was the weekend's top ticket seller, pulling in a sterling $54 million, easily eclipsing projections. It's one of the studio's best-ever openings for an original movie and the biggest debut it has had since “Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted” in 2012.

The studio has suffered through a string of film flops such as “Turbo” and “Mr. Peabody and Sherman”. “Home” is the only film it is releasing this year, so expectations for the movie -- about an alien invasion -- were high and scrutiny was intense. 

The film has Jim Parsons (famous for playing Dr. Sheldon Cooper in sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”), Caribbean R&B star Rihanna, veteran actor Steve Martin and pop pop icon Jennifer lopez in central voice roles. 

“Get Hard,” the R-rated prison comedy with Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart, captured second place on the box office. 

Radius-TWC scored with “It Follows”, picking up $4 million which was good enough for a fifth place finish. 

Last weekend's champ, “Insurgent” fell 58% to nab third place on the charts. Disney's “Cinderella” grabbed fourth place.

Meanwhile, not even the combined star wattage of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper could save “Serena”. The oft-delayed drama pulled in a paltry $100,000.

Next week brings the debut of “Furious 7”. which is hurtling toward a record $100 million-plus opening. 

Source: Variety