Mitsubishi i MiEV priced to move, rolls out slowly across US

2012 Mitsubishi i - At-A-Glance
Thu, Apr 21, 2011

The breakthrough Mitsubishi i is the most affordable 100% electric-powered mass-market production vehicle available in North America. Its net MSRP* after federal tax credit is a very affordable $20,490 for the standard ES model and only $22,490 for the upgrade SE version, making the starting price for the all-new Mitsubishi i several thousand less than other mass produced electric vehicles available in the market.

Powered by Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) technology, the rear-wheel drive vehicle's drive system includes a 49 kW (66 bhp) AC synchronous electric motor; an 88 cell, 330V lithium-ion battery pack for a peak storage of 16 kWh; and a single fixed reduction gear transmission. This electric motor is capable of producing its peak torque of 145 lb. ft. almost instantaneously when accelerating from a standstill; the vehicle has a top speed of approximately 80 mph.

This electric vehicle's (EV) shift selector allows the driver to choose between three different drive settings in order to optimize driving fun, increase driving efficiency or to amplify energy recycling from the vehicle's regenerative braking system:

"D"-position
Allows the driver to experience maximum performance as it generates 100% torque in direct response to accelerator input.

"Eco"-position
Helps to reduce the rate of battery consumption to maximize "energy" economy.

"B"-position
Increases the regenerative brake biasing to augment energy recycling (power production is the same as in the "D" position).

The Mitsubishi i can be recharged using three advantageous methods: A 240V/15A Level 2 home EVSE Eaton charging system (estimated charge time from very low battery to full charge ? 6 hours; charging method recommended by Mitsubishi), a CHAdeMO Level 3 public quick charging station (estimated charge time from very low battery to 80% full ? 30 minutes; requires optional DC charging port available as an option on SE trim level), and through the conventional 120V Level 1 portable charging cable that plugs into a standard wall outlet (estimated charge time from very low battery to full charge ? 22.5 hours; included on all Mitsubishi i models),.

The targeted driving range of the Mitsubishi i is a very robust 85 miles/charge (based upon the EPA LA4 city cycle). All Mitsubishi i models come with an 8-year/100,000 mile battery warranty.

The Mitsubishi i may be compact in its overall dimensions, but this EV's clever packaging and design make for very roomy and comfortable accommodations for four adult-size passengers. With its relatively tall roofline, rear-mounted electric motor and battery pack placed safely and securely in a watertight, stainless steel safety cell underneath the floor of the passenger compartment, even the rear passengers will experience an exceptionally satisfying degree of legroom. There's even a small cargo area at the back of the vehicle that is more than capable of carrying numerous bags of groceries or purchases from the local mall. And with the 50/50 rear seats folded flat, the cargo capacity expands greatly, allowing the Mitsubishi i to become the preferred vehicle for weekend trips for bulkier items at a discount warehouse or home improvement retailer.

Comfort and convenience features included on every Mitsubishi i include energy-efficient HVAC systems consisting of an electric manual air conditioner with micron filter and an electric compressor cabin heater, a driver's side heated seat, power windows/mirrors/door locks, a sweet-sounding 4 speaker 100-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3/WMA playback, auxiliary 12V DC power outlet, 3-spoke steering wheel, floor mats, vehicle security system and the very clever MiEV remote system that allows the battery pack to be charged via timer as well as pre-activating either the air conditioning or heater.

Optional features available on the upgrade SE trim model include a Premium Package ($2790) that includes an HDD navigation system with rearview camera, FUSE Hands-free Link System? with USB port and handy steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, and a DC quick charging port that allows the Mitsubishi i battery pack to be rapidly recharged from one of the many Level 3 chargers that are installed around North America (with more being installed every day) ? only 30 minutes to take a very low battery level all the way up to 80% full!

Residents of cold climate regions (ambient temperatures that can drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit) are strongly recommended to take advantage of the very reasonably-priced Cold Zone package ($150) that includes a Li-Ion Battery Warming system and heated outside side mirrors. This package is available on both ES and SE trim levels.

Standard safety features on every Mitsubishi i include anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA); brake override system; Active Stability Control (ASC) and Traction Control Logic (TCL); Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS); and advanced dual front air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS), side air bags and side curtain air bags. Specialized EV-related safety items include a high-voltage cut-off system and an Approaching Vehicle Audible System (AVAS) to help alert pedestrians to the approaching vehicle.

Mitsubishi anticipates an initial rollout of their game-changing EV into its dealership network in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii by November 2011, followed by the northeastern U.S. market by March 2012 with nationwide availability expected by December 2012.

*Includes federal tax credit of up to $7500. Retail MSRP of ES starts $27,990 and SE starts at $29,990

Key Specifications
Wheelbase: 100.4 in.
Length: 144.8 in.
Height: 63.6 in.
Width: 62.4 in.
Curb weight: 2,595 lbs.

Major Standard Features

145/65 R15 front and 175/60 R15 rear low rolling resistant tires
100-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3/WMA playback capability and 4 speakers
On-board recharging system with 120V portable 8 amp charging cable
MiEV remote system (pre-activated air conditioning, heater and timer battery charging)
Front ventilated disc and rear drum brakes with regenerative brake power system
Speed-sensitive Electric Power Steering (EPS)
Approaching Vehicle Audio System (AVAS) for alerting pedestrians
Electric manual air conditioning with micron filter
Electric compressor cabin heater
Driver seat heater
Advanced air bag system with dual-stage supplemental front air bags
3-spoke steering wheel
Driver and front-passenger seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags
Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear-seat outboard occupant protection
Anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and brake override system
Active Stability Control (ASC) with Traction Control Logic (TCL)
Tire Pressure monitoring System (TPMS)
High voltage cut-off system
Engine immobilizer anti-theft system
Remote keyless entry
Power windows, locks and mirrors
LED rear combination tail lamps
50/50-split fold-down and recline rear seats
Optional Cold Zone Package, includes Li-Ion battery Warming System, heated outer side mirrors

Mitsubishi i SE adds:

15-in. alloy wheels
360-watt, 8 speaker deluxe audio system
Leather wrap steering wheel and shift knob
Upgrade seating material
Fog lamps with DRL function
Auto on/off headlamps
Silver interior accents
2-tone instrument panel (brown/black)
Passenger vanity mirror
Optional Cold Zone package includes Li-Ion Battery Warming system, heated outer side mirrors
Optional Premium package includes HDD navigation system with rearview camera monitor, FUSE Hands-free Link? with USB port and steering wheel-mounted audio controls, DC port for quick charger, Li-Ion Battery Warming system, heated outer side mirrors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/23/mitsubishi-i-miev-priced-to-move-rolls-out-slowly-across-us/

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England, Our England

England, like the rest of the world, seems to be changing at an extraordinary rate. The uses for technology and new media has created a vastly open world where information is exchanged at great speeds and different cultures and traditions can be shared and explored by many. This seems to be creating a shared world, a world with greater opportunity and deeper understanding for our fellow man. However, my concern lies not with the knowledge and understanding gained from information passed at tremendous rates, rather the effect this has on the country in which I live and the tensions and hatred which seem to infect people who do not want to bathe in other ways of life and cultures.

George Orwell wrote during the Blitz about the English way of life in 'England, Your England'. As the bombs fell around London, the fear that he could be obliterated at any moment by a falling bomb seemed to inspire him to get to the route of what it means to be English and why, above all the culture and tradition of an empire getting endlessly pummelled, it was worth fighting for;

'Meanwhile England, together with the rest of the world, is changing. And like everything else it can change only in certain directions, which up to a point can be foreseen. That is not to say that the future is fixed, merely that certain alternatives are possible and others not. A seed may grow or not grow, but at any rate a turnip seed never grows into a parsnip. It is therefore of the deepest importance to try and determine what England is, before guessing what part England can play in the huge events that are happening.' (Orwell 1941)

In Orwell's inspiring essay, he details the passion and privilege of being English and the strange but beautiful cultures and traditions the English people unknowingly absorb. My concern about England is that unknowingly the groups that are proudly fighting against change under the banner of being 'English' are a contradiction in terms; they seem to feel that it is their 'duty' to defend. The seething hatred or intolerable suspicion against people of different races and religions seems now to be more prevalent than ever in England. The Prime Minister denouncing 'multi-culturalism' as a failure, echoed a feeling of anger in the English public's mind that their livelihoods are being abducted and raped by outsiders' hell bent on changing the English way of life. Yet the English seem to have a short memory. The influx of immigrants has re-shaped England time and time again, adding new value, culture and knowledge, however, this is always forgotten and this generation seems to be passionate on freezing England in time, in this period of history, perhaps for good reason, fear of change that is coming quickly on the horizon;

'In England all the boasting and flag wagging, the 'Rule Britannia' stuff, is done by small minorities. The patriotism of the common people is not vocal or even conscious.' (Orwell 1941)

For the most part, I do not know what it was like to live in the 20th century; I was born in the year 1990 and spent ten years living in a notably changing world, even then I noticed developments in technology, which made life's little pleasures more enjoyable and assessable. I grew up in a multi-cultural environment and was not exposed to any of the negative feeling and distrust towards others, which are always present in one form or another in any society. Yet I always thought, in my youthful naivety, that the English are tolerant, that even if they have minor problems or dislikes of other cultures and societies that they kept them to themselves, or that they were just of a generation or ideology that is outdated and eroding. As I have grown I hoped to see this be confirmed, that the old way would make way for the new generation's love of tolerance and freedom but now I realise, that this seems not to be the case.

With universities trebling their prices making an extended education seem 'not worth the money', libraries being closed, national health services being cut and wars being fought in vain against enemies who can never be seen, this seems to be the time to band together as a nation of different races and religions and rebel and protest against the ruling class of bankers and politicians who's carelessness, ignorance and greed has truly cut this new generations way of life. For England it seems that a great number of people's anger and frustration is being unfairly directed at people who are not so different than themselves. The idea of being a patriotic Englishman seems to have been hijacked;

'Just because patriotism is all but universal and not even the rich are uninfluenced by it, there can be moments when the whole nation suddenly swings together and does the same thing, like a herd of cattle facing a wolf.' (Orwell 1941)

The contradiction in terms, of which I spoke of earlier, I put down to the philosophy of groups such as the English Defence League (EDL) which, when you speak to most people on the street, are divided as to what they believe. Most will say that they do not enjoying entertaining thoughts of racists and intolerant humans, who riot through the streets like a group of mad foxes being released through chicken pens to destroy and plunder as much as they can take, until they can endure no longer. However, what is worrying is the amount of intelligent human beings whom, whilst not endorsing the violence, seem to respect the philosophy of the EDL which is to 'Stop the spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in England'. This seems reasonable to most English people who are saturated every day with the media presenting to them the enemy threats, which are nearly always of Islamic or Muslim relation.

The unnerving feeling I get when I see an EDL march or when I hear reasonable people support what they are meant to believe in, is of the 'wolf' which Orwell speaks is no longer an enemy so obvious as the Nazi, but an entire religion of people who are slowly being subjugated to intolerance and hate, many of these people, lest we forget, are English too. Now we see counter demonstrations from the 'Muslims Against Crusades' at EDL demos, giving the EDL further reason to protest and feel that now is the time to take their country back at all costs. The contradiction I feel about the EDL comes from childhood experiences; when you're young and you hit someone, they hit you back and then it carries on. You cannot stop because you must be the last to strike, but you know that unless your opponent stops, you are fully prepared to keep hitting back, whatever the cost and you are fully aware your opponent feels the same way. This is what I think is happening, not just with groups such as the EDL, but a mentality that has been growing ever so slowly in England since mid September 2001, and it has to come to a head somewhere, at sometime. I am unnerved now about the future of this country, as Orwell was when the German bombers were flying overhead.

Intolerance only breeds more intolerance and this is true on all sides. Personally, I feel that soon all the underlying hatred, suspicion and anger will out itself and God only knows who will pay for the destruction and degradation that will come as a result. Orwell said that in peacetime England struggles to fill the army, where as now in the 21st century, the promise of a good and stable career fills the army to an unimaginable number, even to the point where they must turn people away. I hope that the intolerance in England will not engulf the nation; I hope that it is only down to a few racists and intolerant human beings on both sides of the argument but I fear, like the children hitting each other, it will not stop now until one has hit the other unconscious, bearing down on him like the oppressor who has won out with violence and ignorance;

'It needs some very great disaster, such as prolonged subjugation by a foreign enemy, to destroy a national culture.' (Orwell 1941)

In my opinion, Orwell was right when he made this statement and English culture, in it's ever evolving form, is worth fighting for. It's a proud nation full of different races and religions, who's cultures have been enriching and expanding England for centuries. England, although far from perfection, still holds justice, freedom and truth in high regard and equality and fairness for all of its citizens. England cannot be frozen in time, it will survive through the ages until there is no man, woman or child left on these islands but, with the English Defence League and it's growing numbers, the fear and intolerance seems soon to be ignited, worryingly and perhaps now inevitably, England will succumb to this foreign enemy, even if it has created it itself.

Daniel Jan Evans
21st April 2011

Reference
- Orwell, G (1941) England, Your England, Secker and Warburg.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6201728

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LG licenses ARM Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 graphics, starts scheming up mobile processors of its own

Some of LG's brightest attractions at the moment are the dual-core Optimus 2X and Optimus 3D smartphones and similarly equipped Optimus Pad tablet. The only problem with them? Those multicore chips are produced by NVIDIA for the 2X and Pad and Texas Instruments for the Optimus 3D, leaving LG a clear step behind its arch-nemesis Samsung who is producing its own dual-core system-on-chip. So what else could LG possibly do but buy its own ARM license -- specifically for the Cortex-A9 design that is dominating today and the Cortex-A15 with Mali-T604 graphics that promises to rule the mobile world from 2012 onwards -- and start churning out its own processors? The Korean company certainly has the budget, if not the manufacturing facilities, to produce such chips at volume, and we're all for seeing another competitor enter the ARM arena. This licensing deal also reminds us that the last fresh licensee to ARM's blueprints was Microsoft -- so we can now look forward to two industry giants bringing their technical expertise to this rapidly growing marketplace. See LG's full press release after the break.

Continue reading LG licenses ARM Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 graphics, starts scheming up mobile processors of its own

LG licenses ARM Cortex-A15 and Mali-T604 graphics, starts scheming up mobile processors of its own originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/26/lg-licenses-arm-cortex-a15-and-mali-t604-graphics-starts-schemi/

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'Pumpkin Eater:' 1960s Domesticity, Sardonically

The Pumpkin Eater
By Penelope Mortimer
Paperback, 224 pages
New York Review of Books
List Price: $14.95

"Well," I said, "I will try. I honestly will try to be honest with you, although I suppose really what you're more interested in is my not being honest, if you see what I mean."

The doctor smiled slightly.

"When I was a child my mother had a wool drawer. It was the bottom drawer in a chest in the dining room and she kept every scrap of wool she had in it. You know, bits from years ago, jumpers she'd knitted me when I was two. Some of the bits were only a few inches long. Well, this drawer was filled with wool, all colours, and whenever it was a wet afternoon she used to make me tidy her wool drawer. It's perfectly obvious why I tell you this. There was no point in tidying the drawer. The wool was quite useless. You couldn't have knitted a tea-cosy out of that wool, I mean without enormous patience. She just made me sort it out for something to do, like they make prisoners dig holes and fill them up again. You do see what I mean, don't you?"

"You would like to be something useful," he said sadly. "Like a tea-cosy."

"It can't be as easy as that."

"Oh no. It's not at all easy. But there are other things you can make from wool."

"Such as?"

"Hot water bottle covers," he said promptly.

"We don't use hot water bottles. Balls you can make, for babies. Or small golliwogs."

"The point you are trying to make is that tidying the wool is a useless and probably impossible task?"

"Yes."

"But you are a human being. The consequences of your ...muddle are more grave. The comparison, you see, is not a true one."

"Well, it's how it feels to me," I said.

"When you cry, is that how it feels? Hopeless?"

"I just want to open my mouth and cry. I want to cry, and not think."

"But you can't cry for the rest of your life."

"No."

"You can't worry for the rest of your life."

"No."

"What do you worry about, Mrs. Armitage?"

"Dust," I said.

"I'm sorry?"

"Dust. You know? Dust."

"Oh," he said, and wrote for a while on a long piece of paper. Then he sat back, folded his hands and said, "Tell me about it."

"It's very simple. Jake is rich. He makes about ?50,000 a year, I suppose you'd call that rich. But everything is covered with dust."

"Please go on."

"It's partly the demolition, of course. They're pulling down the houses all round us, so you have to expect a bit of dust. My father bought the lease of the hosue for us when we got married, that was thirteen years ago."
"You have been married for thirteen years," he said, writing it down.

"To Jake, yes. There were thirteen years of the lease to run when my father bought it. He bought it for ?1,500 and we pay a peppercorn rent, so you see we're very lucky. Anyway. I was trying to tell you about the dust."

"So your lease expires this year."

"I suppose so. We're building a tower in the country at the moment."

"A tower?"
"Yes."

"You mean ... a house?"

"No. A tower. Well, I suppose you could call it a house. It's a tower, though."

He put his pen down carefully, with both hands, as though it were fragile. "And where is this ... tower?" he asked.

"In the country," I said.

"I realize that, but ? "

"It's on a hill, and down in the valley is a barn, where I used to live before I married Jake. That's where we met. Now can we get back to the dust, because ... "

"Of course," he said, and picked up his pen again.
I tried to think. I stared at him, silhouetted against the net-curtained window of the consulting room. I heard the tick of the clock, the hiss of the gas fire. "I've forgotten what I was going to say."

He waited. The clock ticked. I stared at the fire.

"Jake doesn't want any more children," I said.

"Do you like children, Mrs. Armitage?"
"How can I answer such a question?"

"Could it be a question that you don't wish to answer?"
"I thought I was supposed to lie on a couch and you wouldn't say a word. It's like the inquisition or something. Are you trying to make me feel I'm wrong? Because I do that for myself."

"Do you think it would be wrong not to like children?"
"I don't know. Yes. Yes, I think so."
"Why?"
"Because children don't do you any harm."

"Not directly, perhaps. But indirectly..."

"Perhaps you don't have any, I said.

"Oh, yes. Three. Two boys and a girl."

"How old are they?"

"Sixteen, fourteen and ten."

"And do you like them?"

"Most of the time."

"Well, then. That's my answer I like them most of the time."

"But you have ... " He glanced at his list and made do with, "a remarkable number. You seem upset that your husband doesn't want any more. This hardly sounds like someone who likes children most of the time. It sounds more of ... "

"An obsession?"

"I wouldn't use that word. Conviction, perhaps, would be nearer the mark."

"I thought I was meant to lie on a couch and talk about whatever came into my head."

"I'm not an analyst, Mrs. Armitage. I simply want to find out how you should be treated."

"Treated for what?"

"We don't know yet, do we?"

"For wanting another child? Is that why Jake made me come to you? Does he want you to persuade me not to have another child?"

"I am not here to persuade you of anything. You came of your own free will."

"In that case I do everything of my own free will. Crying, worrying about the dust. Even having children. But you don't believe that, do you?"

"I'm not here to believe you, Mrs. Armitage. That isn't the point."
"You keep saying you're not here to do this, that and the other. What are you here for?"

"Perhaps," he gave another of his wan smiles, "to find out why you hate me so much, at the moment. Oh, I don't mean myself, personally, of course. But you hate something, don't you ... other than dust?"

"Doesn't everyone?"
"What was the first thing you hated ? can you remember?"

"It wasn't a thing. It was a man. Mr. Simpkin ... "

"Yes?"

"And a girl called ... Ireen Douthwaite, when I was a child. And a woman called Philpot. I don't remember ... "

"Your previous husbands?"

"Oh no. No. I liked them."

"Your present husband? ... Jake?"

"No!"

"Tell me about Jake."

"Tell you ...?"

"Yes. Go on. Tell me about Jake." He sounded as though he were daring me. I laughed and spread my hands out, looking down on them.

"Well, what ... what do you want to know?"

"Whatever you want to tell me."

"Well, Jake ... It's impossible to tell you about Jake."

"Try."

Excerpted from The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimer. Copyright 2011 by Penelope Mortimer. Excerpted by permission of the New York Review of Books. All rights reserved.

Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/04/22/135607349/pumpkin-eater-1960s-domesticity-sardonically?ft=1&f=1032

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SRS Labs iWOW 3D Audio Enhancement Adaptor Review

If you are like most people in today?s economy, you are always looking for ways to save a little (or a lot) of money. The same holds true in the audio world. It doesn?t matter whether you are happy with the earbuds that came with your iPod/iPhone or have invested in better quality headphones or [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/04/30/srs-labs-iwow-3d-audio-enhancement-adaptor-review/

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Join us at Google I/O 2011

As you may have heard, Google I/O sold out in a record 59 minutes. If you were one of the lucky ones to snag a ticket, we look forward to seeing you in person at the Moscone Center in San Francisco next week.  Don’t forget to download the official Google I/O 2011 conference app for your Android phone or tablet.

We will be hosting two sessions at Google I/O:

May 10, 2011 @ 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
“Don’t Just Build a Mobile App. Build a Business.”
Wayne Pan, our lead front-end engineer for AdMob, will show you how to build a business on mobile apps so maybe one day you can quit your day job. Walk away with an understanding of app business basics and how to use house ads for app promotion, mediation to optimize in-app advertising revenues and analytics to measure real ROI. 

May 11, 2011 @ 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM
“Implementing Money Making SDKs”
Watch our mobile display ads engineers, Mike Ying, Dean Browne and Paul Hounshell, integrate the Google AdMob Ads SDK across Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7. Learn integration tips and tricks from our experts so you can start making money from your app immediately.

Additionally, if you have any questions or just want to drop by and say hi, our product experts and engineers will be at Office Hours on both days.

If you weren’t able to grab a ticket or can’t attend one of our I/O Extended viewing parties around the world, don’t worry.  You can watch the keynote and other major sessions (including our “Don’t Just Build a Mobile App. Build a Business session”), live.  In addition, HD video recordings from all sessions that are not livestreamed will get posted within 24 hours.  For more about the livestream event, check out the I/O Live blog post.

Posted by Lauren Usui, Google Mobile Ads Marketing Team

Friday Box Office: 'Fast Five' Grosses $33.2 million in First Day Domestically

Jaimie Trueblood/Universal Pictures

"Fast Five"

Universal's Fast Five is racing towards a $80 million weekend opening after grossing an estimated $33.2 million on Friday -- a stunning single day number, considering the top weekend opening of the year at the domestic box office is around $39 million.

If Universal insiders are correct about the numbers, Fast Five --?receiving a perfect A CinemaScore -- will mark the studio's biggest opening in history. The previous best was $72.1 million for Lost World: Jurassic Park.?

Overseas,the franchise installment has earned $55.1 million in its first week. By Sunday, Universal says Fast Five will have grossed $80 million overseas for a worldwide debut of $160 million.

Directed by Justin Lin, Fast Five?is a much-needed win for Universal, and has already grossed at least $50 million at the international box office, where it began rolling out last weekend. The movie reunites franchise stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson. Joining the series is Dwayne Johnson.

Universal has a lot riding on the event pic, set this time in Rio de Janeiro. The studio says Fast Five cost $125 million after production incentives and tax credits, but other put the price tag as high as $150 million.

The box office glow enjoyed by Fast Five?didn't extend to the other new films, including tween-driven Prom, the first film greenlit by Disney chair Rich Ross.

Despite receiving a B+ CinemaScore, Prom?grossed a soft $1.9 million on Friday from 2,730 theaters and is looking at a weak weekend opening of around $5 million or $5.5 million. Financially, Disney isn't that exposed, having spent $8 million to produce pic.

Directed by Joe Nussbaum, Prom's cast includes Aimee Teegarden, Nicholas Braun, Danielle Campbell, Cameron Monaghan and Christine Elise McCarthy

The Weinstein Co.'s 3D toon Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil --?also receiving a B+ CinemaScore -- also struggled, grossing roughly $1.1 million on Friday from 2,505 locations. The toon is now projected to open to $4 million or $4.4 million for the weekend.

Hoodwinked Too! is a co-production with Maurice Kanbar's Kanbar Entertainment (Kanbar created SKYY Vodka). Insiders say Kanbar put up much of the financing for the $30 million film.

Prom placed No. 5 on Friday; Hoodwinked Too!, no 6.

Twentieth Century Fox's Rio came in No. 2 on Friday, grossing $3.6 million for a cume of $92.8 million. The blockbuster toon will cross the $100 million sometime after the weekend, while its worldwide total could hit $350 million in the next few days.

Lionsgate's Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family?placed No. 3, grossing an estimated $3.1 million for a eight day cume of $34.1 million.

Fox 2000's Water for Elephants grossed $2.9 million for a cume of $26 million.

All three films saw bigger than usual drops on Friday, since so many kids were out of school a week ago.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thr/news/~3/jLLODb4yzOA/friday-box-office-fast-five-183767

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