'21 Jump Street' Leads the Way at Movie Theaters March 18, 2012, 1:42 pm Movies based on television shows often lead to box-office disaster ("Bewitched" in 2005, "Land of the Lost" in 2009), which makes the ones that do succeed quite impressive: Over the weekend, a comedic remake of "21 Jump Street" was a big No. 1 at North American theaters, selling an estimated $35 million in tickets. "21 Jump Street," starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and released by Sony and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, cost about $42 million to make and succeeded because - brace yourselves - it was actually funny. It received strong reviews, and moviegoers under age 25, the target audience, gave the film an A score in exit polls. "Dr. Seuss" The Lorax" (Universal Pictures) was second, taking in about $22.8 million for a three-week total of $158.4 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. "John Carter" (Walt Disney Studios) slumped to third place in its second weekend, selling an estimated $13.5 million for a new total of $53.2 million. Coming in fourth with about $4 million in ticket sales was "Project X" (Warner Brothers), for a three-week total of $48.1 million. "A Thousand Words," starring Eddie Murphy and released by Paramount Pictures, rounded out the top five, taking in about $3.8 million for a two-week total of $12.1 million.