USTownhall: Movie Box Office

Weekend Box Office Summer 2011

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (USTownhall staff) — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:21:56 +0000

Summer movie season officially kicked off on Friday, May 6, 2011, and we'll be bringing you the actual box office results for the domestic market (USA+Canada) each Monday in an easy-to-read chart. Which will be the hits, and which will be the bombs? Follow your favorite movies throughout the summer and see whether they live up to box office expectations.

{tab=September 2-5, 2011}

SEPTEMBER 2-5, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	The Help (Disney)	$19,881,571	+36.8%	$124,272,124	In this final weekend of the summer movie season, The Help surges almost 37% to capture the top spot for a third straight week. This uniquely American tale isn't really translating overseas, but its bargain-priced $25 million budget has been recouped a few times over anyway.
2	The Debt (Focus Features)	$12,851,600	debut	$14,753,014
3	Apollo 18 (Weinstein/Dimension)	$10,705,556	debut	$10,705,556
4	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)	$10,325,485	+16.4%	$162,550,178
5	Shark Night 3D (Relativity)	$10,126,458	debut	$10,126,458	It's got sharks. It's got 3D. It just doesn't have an audience. Along with Judy Moody, Relativity chalks up another bomb in this bummer summer.
6	Columbiana (TriStar)	$9,570,213	-8.1%	$24,132,335
7	Our Idiot Brother (Weinstein Company)	$7,038,249	+0.4%	$17,273,593
8	Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (Weinstein/Dimension)	$6,801,885	+13.2%	$31,201,190
9	Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (FilmDistrict)	$6,382,227	-25.1%	$17,822,416
10	The Smurfs (Sony Pictures)	$5,724,093	+20.4%	$133,676,705
11	Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.)	$4,261,090	+37.1%	$75,464,794
12	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$3,401,110	+32.6%	$375,552,093	We were wrong. Potter logs yet another week in the top 12 thanks to the four-day weekend.

{tab=August 26-28, 2011}

AUGUST 26-28, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	The Help (Disney)	$14,536,118	-27.4%	$96,833,423	Great word of mouth continues and The Help has the smallest drop in the top 10 allowing it to remain on top and hold off three new releases.
2	Columbiana (TriStar)	$10,408,176	debut	$10,408,176
3	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)	$8,867,741	-45.0%	$148,674,018
4	Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (FilmDistrict)	$8,525,728	debut	$8,525,728
5	Our Idiot Brother (Weinstein Company)	$7,011,631	debut	$7,011,631	Lackluster debut for this Paul Rudd comedy that is getting some good reviews. However, it was made on an impossibly miniscule production budget of $5 million, so it might actually make a small profit during its theatrical run.
6	Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (Weinstein/Dimension)	$6,007,180	-48.4%	$21,990,229	Another failed remake.
7	The Smurfs (Sony Pictures)	$4,754,766	-39.1%	$125,948,234
8	Conan the Barbarian (2011) (Lionsgate)	$3,185,094	-68.2%	$16,660,669	There won't be a sequel to this $90 million budgeted disaster. The audience simply didn't care about this film.
9	Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.)	$3,108,178	-35.2%	$69,732,502
10	Fright Night (2011) (Disney)	$3,103,227	-59.8%	$14,281,778	Another of last week's openers that suffered a huge dropoff. We'd like to hope that this signals the ending of the 80s remakes, but we know better – especially with both Footloose and Dirty Dancing coming up.
11	30 Minutes or Less (Sony Picutres)	$2,687,165	-58.0%	$31,789,438
12	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$2,564,370	-43.2%	$370,805,062	The final Harry Potter flick logs its final week in the top 12, and will likely top out around the $375 million range domestically. Add about $1 billion more in international sales, and this last chapter goes out with a bank.

{tab=August 19-21, 2011}

AUGUST 19-21, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	The Help (Disney)	$20,018,659	-23.1%	$71,340,829	Fantastic word of mouth leads to a miniscule dropoff, which allows The Help to move up to the pole position in its second week
2	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)	$16,119,502	-42.1%	$133,583,862
3	Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (Weinstein/Dimension)	$11,644,672	debut	$11,644,672	This week's top debut only manages to climb to number 3. Fortunately, it was made on a shoestring budget of $27 million.
4	Conan the Barbarian (2011) (Lionsgate)	$10,021,215	debut	$10,021,215	Remake lacked the muscle of the Arnold Schwarzenegger original. Doesn't have a shot at recouping its $90 million production budget.
5	The Smurfs (Sony Pictures)	$7,802,377	-43.2%	$117,546,882
6	Fright Night (2011) (Disney)	$7,714,388	debut	$8,114,388	Another failed remake.
7	Final Destination 5 (New Line Cinema)	$7,703,466	-57.3%	$32,326,686
8	30 Minutes or Less (Sony Picutres)	$6,402,602	-52.0%	$25,864,430
9	One Day (Focus Features)	$5,079,566	debut	$5,079,566	Romantic low-budget drama starring Anne Hathaway suffers from lack of promotion and almost premieres outside the top 10.
10	Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.)	$4,797,364	-32.0%	$64,266,969
11	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$4,511,411	-37.8%	$366,007,900
12	Cowboys and Aliens (Universal)	$4,215,780	-46.0%	$89,498,305

{tab=August 12-14, 2011}

AUGUST 12-14, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)	$27,832,307	-49.2%	$105,208,226	Logs a second week at the top in spite of an almost 50% drop. On track to make $160-170 million.
2	The Help (Disney)	$26,044,590	debut	$35,918,416	Excellent debut for this civil rights drama. Will undoutedly recoup its meager $25 million production budget.
3	Final Destination 5 (New Line Cinema)	$18,031,396	debut	$18,031,396	New Line went to the well once too often as the fifth installment opens weaker than any of the previous four.
4	The Smurfs (Sony Pictures)	$13,733,081	-33.7%	$101,778,741	Superb holdover vaults the kiddie favorite over the $100 million mark. Also doing quite well overseas, which is no surprise given the international appeal of the property.
5	30 Minutes or Less (Sony Picutres)	$13,330,118	debut	$13,330,118	Comedy caper failed to find an audience and will likely drop out of the top 10 in a week or two.
6	Cowboys and Aliens (Universal)	$7,811,305	-50.3%	$81,674,015
7	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$7,251,414	-41.7%	$357,337,355
8	Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount)	$7,210,902	-44.6%	$156,971,108
9	Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.)	$7,054,228	-41.3%	$55,526,524
10	The Change-Up (Universal)	$6,306,645	-53.4%	$25,838,850
11	Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (20th Century Fox)	$5,961,231	debut	$5,961,231	Glee's appeal extends beyond television to music, but stops at the cinema with a dead-on-arrival opening weekend outside the top 10.
12	Horrible Bosses (Warner Bros.)	$2,438,498	-46.8%	$110,003,144

{tab=August 5-7, 2011}

AUGUST 5-7, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross
1	Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)	$54,806,191	debut	$54,806,191
2	The Smurfs (Sony Pictures)	$20,702,415	-41.9%	$75,904,246
3	Cowboys and Aliens (Universal)	$15,729,455	-56.8%	$67,349,520
4	The Change-Up (Universal)	$13,531,115	debut	$13,531,115
5	Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount)	$13,021,922	-49.0%	$143,203,967
6	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$12,445,031	-43.4%	$343,086,045
7	Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.)	$12,017,146	-37.1%	$42,102,252
8	Friends with Benefits (Sony Screen Gems)	$4,687,883	-49.5%	$48,526,287
9	Horrible Bosses (Warner Bros.)	$4,583,252	-36.2%	$105,125,415
10	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Paramount)	$3,086,145	-49.3%	$344,244,486
11	Zookeeper (Sony Pictures)	$2,168,776	-49.6%	$73,613,540
12	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$1,222,836	-47.9%	$184,807,330

{tab=July 29-31, 2011}

JULY 29-31, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross
1	Cowboys and Aliens (Universal)	$36,431,290	debut	$36,431,290
2	The Smurfs (Sony Pictures)	$35,611,637	debut	$35,611,637
3	Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount)	$25,554,303	-60.7%	$117,421,571
4	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$21,977,093	-53.7%	$318,511,602
5	Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros.)	$19,104,303	debut	$19,104,303
6	Friends with Benefits (Sony Screen Gems)	$9,275,692	-50.2%	$38,175,973
7	Horrible Bosses (Warner Bros.)	$7,189,365	-39.5%	$96,290,917
8	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Paramount)	$6,086,311	-49.5%	$338,007,725
9	Zookeeper (Sony Pictures)	$4,301,893	-50.6%	$68,832,733
10	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$2,349,142	-58.5%	$182,118,690
11	Winnie the Pooh (Disney)	$1,777,625	-65.6%	$22,435,490
12	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$1,156,947	-35.9%	$46,851,966

{tab=July 22-24, 2011}

JULY 22-24, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount)	$65,058,524	debut	$65,058,524	Box office came in about the same as Thor in May, but had a larger audience due to fewer people opting to see it in 3D.
2	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$47,422,212	-72.0%	$273,539,281	Enormous drop in box office, but mitigated by the record-breaking first weekend.
3	Friends with Benefits (Sony Screen Gems)	$18,622,150	debut	$18,622,150	Could not have ranked higher than third given the competion, and box office was on par for a film of this type and stars of this caliber. Did only $1.1 million less than Ashton Kutcher's & Natalie Portman's No Strings Attached.
4	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Paramount)	$12,051,735	-43.5%	$325,841,185	Already 2011's highest grossing movie, but Harry Potter just might unseat it before each ends its theatrical run.
5	Horrible Bosses (Warner Bros.)	$11,884,319	-33.1%	$82,566,703	Doing slightly better than fellow R-rated, high concept comedy Bad Teacher did at this point. Both will likely cross the $100 million mark domestically.
6	Zookeeper (Sony Pictures)	$8,702,055	-29.4%	$59,206,255	$80 million budget greenlit when it was thought that Kevin James was a movie star after Paul Blart hit big two years ago. James did not deliver the goods a second time.
7	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$5,655,857	-32.7%	$176,375,295	Not a good summer for Disney toons as both Cars and Winnie the Pooh are performing below expectations.
8	Winnie the Pooh (Disney)	$5,162,046	-34.3%	$17,594,297	Is Pooh past his prime? Not doing well either domestically or internationally.
9	Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures)	$2,610,925	-49.3%	$94,365,688	Should just make it over the $100 million mark if it can stay in theaters a few more weeks.
10	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$1,804,662	-3.8%	$44,783,206	Woody Allen's biggest hit in years holds relatively steady in its tenth weekend.
11	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$1,325,985	-23.0%	$163,832,870	Sleeper hit of the summer stays in the race in its eleventh weekend. With a $32.5 million production budget, Bridesmaids has already made tons of profit.
12	Larry Crowne (Universal)	$1,019,475	-61.7%	$34,327,405	High profile failure for stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

{tab=July 15-17, 2011}

JULY 15-17, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross
1	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Warner Bros.)	$169,189,427	debut	$169,189,427
2	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Paramount)	$21,328,545	-54.7%	$302,878,797
3	Horrible Bosses (Warner Bros.)	$17,777,464	-37.2%	$60,149,603
4	Zookeeper (Sony Pictures)	$12,330,512	-38.5%	$42,382,978
5	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$8,407,529	-44.7%	$165,389,754
6	Winnie the Pooh (Disney)	$7,857,076	debut	$7,857,076
7	Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures)	$5,152,447	-42.2%	$88,457,639
8	Larry Crowne (Universal)	$2,664,550	-55.1%	$31,719,560
9	Super 8 (Paramount)	$1,970,377	-59.3%	$122,287,359
10	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$1,876,588	-28.8%	$41,778,698
11	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$1,722,205	-34.5%	$161,329,580
12	Mr. Popper's Penguins (20th Century Fox)	$1,368,355	-56.6%	$61,473,016

{tab=July 8-10, 2011}

JULY 8-10, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross
1	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Paramount)	$47,103,276	-51.9%	$261,078,700
2	Horrible Bosses (Warner Bros.)	$28,302,165	debut	$28,302,165
3	Zookeeper (Sony Pictures)	$20,065,617	debut	$20,065,617
4	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$15,212,015	-42.1%	$148,831,530
5	Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures)	$8,914,412	-38.5%	$78,671,819
6	Larry Crowne (Universal)	$5,936,405	-54.7%	$26,197,690
7	Super 8 (Paramount)	$4,838,205	-38.9%	$118,069,546
8	Monte Carlo (20th Century Fox)	$3,800,604	-49.0%	$16,125,507
9	Mr. Popper's Penguins (20th Century Fox)	$3,154,435	-43.0%	$58,051,209
10	Green Lantern (Warner Bros.)	$3,147,225	-52.0%	$109,731,181
11	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$2,634,785	-26.4%	$38,579,052
12	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$2,628,285	-27.9%	$158,142,030

{tab=July 1-4, 2011}

JULY 1-4, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Paramount)	$115,886,050	debut	$180,651,397	Obviously the best debut of the year, but does noticeably less than the previous entry in the series. It's not accurate to call this an underperformer, but it's another franchise that is seeing diminishing returns this summer.
2	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$31,629,695	-52.2%	$122,560,310	Big drop considering it's $200 million production budget.
3	Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures)	$17,261,534	-45.4%	$62,707,505	Holding over quite well. Made on a miniscule $20 million budget, Bad Teacher will make a tidy profit just on theater grosses alone. DVD, pay-per-view, and cable revenues are just gravy.
4	Larry Crowne (Universal)	$16,098,795	debut	$16,098,795	Surprisingly low number considering the star power here, but it was made on a $30 million budget, which makes it a worthy investment.
5	Super 8 (Paramount)	$9,527,129	-20.8%	$110,070,156
6	Monte Carlo (20th Century Fox)	$8,588,318	debut	$8,588,318
7	Green Lantern (Warner Bros.)	$7,928,176	-56.0%	$103,616,460	Once again, GL has the steepest drop in the top 12, and it lost many 3D screens to Transformers.
8	Mr. Popper's Penguins (20th Century Fox)	$6,702,940	-33.9%	$51,727,662
9	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$4,382,382	+5.1%	$34,582,454
10	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$4,354,515	-17.2%	$153,728,880
11	X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox)	$3,617,628	-45.8%	$139,329,355
12	The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.)	$2,799,390	-49.8%	$248,651,272

{tab=June 24-26, 2011}

JUNE 24-26, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	Cars 2 (Disney-Pixar)	$66,135,507	debut	$66,135,507	Just-ok debut for the latest Pixar feature in terms of audience attendance.
2	Bad Teacher (Sony Pictures)	$31,603,106	debut	$31,603,106	R-rated comedy came in around expectations. Opened better than Bridesmaids, and if word of mouth is strong, it can be another sleeper hit.
3	Green Lantern (Warner Bros.)	$18,028,056	-66.1%	$88,989,477	The news keeps getting worse for GL as it suffers the largest percentage drop in the top 12. Will likely not even hit the $120 million mark domestically. Foreign box office is likewise lackluster. Won't get anywhere near recouping its $200 million production budget in theaters.
4	Super 8 (Paramount)	$12,028,092	-44.0%	$95,114,324	In contrast to GL, Super 8 will break even on its $50 million production budget with theatrical grosses alone.
5	Mr. Popper's Penguins (20th Century Fox)	$10,145,662	-45.0%	$39,293,341	Not a terrible drop, but considering how low opening weekend was, this really does count as a high-profile bomb for Carrey.
6	X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox)	$6,680,480	-44.0%	$132,895,408
7	The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.)	$5,574,179	-44.7%	$243,651,860
8	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$5,260,290	-25.9%	$146,547,315
9	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Disney)	$4,928,925	-25.8%	$229,287,226
10	Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks)	$4,173,144	-53.8%	$153,065,641
11	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$4,171,047	-14.6%	$28,270,637
12	The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight)	$1,328,026	+14.1%	$5,843,290

{tab=June 17-19, 2011}

JUNE 17-19, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	Green Lantern (Warner Bros.)	$53,174,303	debut	$53,174,303	Worst debut of the summer blockbusters and with good reason. Mass audience didn't get it, and those that went often wish they didn't.
2	Super 8 (Paramount)	$21,472,020	-39.4%	$73,002,809	Small drop for the genre. Positive word of mouth kept Super 8 in the game.
3	Mr. Popper's Penguins (20th Century Fox)	$18,445,355	debut	$18,445,355	Disastrous opening for a Jim Carrey movie. Likely won't even get to $75 million total domestic.
4	X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox)	$11,933,524	-50.5%	$120,358,086
5	The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.)	$10,071,339	-43.0%	$233,110,617	Stll hanging in there with a fourth consecutive $10 million-plus weekend.
6	Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks)	$9,027,671	-45.4%	$143,670,468
7	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$7,097,735	-29.5%	$136,450,725	The undisputed sleeper hit of the summer so far has made tens of millions of dollars in profit in theaters alone.
8	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Disney)	$6,646,249	-39.3%	$220,746,502	In spite of the relatively lackluster performance domestically, Pirates has made a ton of money overseas. Enough for a Pirates 5?
9	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$4,884,800	-16.2%	$21,446,614
10	Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (Relativity Pictures)	$2,103,465	-65.4%	$11,029,307	Lethal second weekend actually upstages bummer debut. We won't be seeing any more of Judy at the multiplex.
11	The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight)	$1,163,923	+40.7%	$3,900,355	More than doubles its theater count leading to an uptick in box office, but still a far cry away from recouping its $32 million budget.
12	Thor (Paramount)	$1,145,076	-53.0%	$176,111,078	Thor will be part of the Avengers movie next summer, but will we get a Thor sequel?

{tab=June 10-12, 2011}

JUNE 10-12, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	Super 8 (Paramount)	$35,451,168	debut	$36,451,168	Relatively soft debut given the hype. A manageable budget of $50 million may still allow a profit to be made even before it gets to DVD and cable.
2	X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox)	$24,128,986	-56.2%	$98,023,335	Standard drop for the genre. First Class will likely top out at under $160 million domestically.
3	The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.)	$17,667,329	-43.7%	$215,727,461	Even with another big drop, Hangover II has already more than doubled its $80 million production budget.
4	Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks)	$16,543,166	-30.7%	$126,813,240
5	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Disney)	$10,945,764	-39.0%	$208,873,258
6	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$10,066,290	-16.4%	$123,815,865
7	Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (Relativity Pictures)	$6,076,859	debut	$6,076,859	Looks like the summer will be a bummer for Judy after all. Will likely not even get to $20 million.
8	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$5,830,723	+110.5%	$13,909,196	Woody Allen's latest opens wide and becomes his highest grosser since Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Still needs to make more than $10 million to exceed it, though.
9	Thor (Paramount)	$2,435,215	-42.7%	$173,664,723
10	Fast Five (Universal)	$1,727,330	-45.4%	$205,094,205
11	The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight)	$827,009	+33.8%	$2,361,655	Terrence Malik's latest, which stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, is doing nice business at fewer than 50 theaters domestically.
12	Rio (20th Century Fox)	$670,101	-9.3%	$137,780,829

{tab=June 3-5, 2011}

JUNE 3-5, 2011
	Title	Weekend Gross (US+Canada)	change from last week	Total Gross	Analysis
1	X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox)	$55,101,604	debut	$55,101,604	Prequel entry becomes the worst opener in the series. Excellent film may prove to be a costly failure given its $160 million budget.
2	The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros.)	$31,381,234	-63.5%	$185,808,194	Huge drop considering it was a comedy, a genre which tends to hold over better in succeeding weeks
3	Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks)	$23,887,914	-49.9%	$100,028,372
4	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Disney)	$17,954,603	-54.9%	$190,200,880	Box office has been very lopsided for this film. It's already made $615 million overseas, but this fourth entry will undoubtedly be the lowest grosser domestically.
5	Bridesmaids (Universal)	$12,040,875	-27.3%	$107,167,230
6	Thor (Paramount)	$4,250,044	-55.4%	$169,122,948
7	Fast Five (Universal)	$3,165,355	-50.6%	$201,979,665
8	Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)	$2,769,992	+43.6%	$6,796,731
9	Something Borrowed (Warner Bros.)	$848,013	-54.4%	$36,673,330
10	Jumping the Broom (TriStar)	$844,909	-53.7%	$35,907,300
11	Rio (20th Century Fox)	$738,518	-59.1%	$136,690,395
12	Water for Elephants (20th Century Fox)	$694,517	-36.1%	$55,733,195

Weekend Box Office - October 1-3, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:35:55 +0000

As expected, the quasi-biographical Facebook story, The Social Network, took the top spot, and the other two new releases, Case 39 and Let Me In, both of which were horror movies, were dead on arrival. For this time of year, the $22 million haul for The Social Network was okay, but given the amount of publicity and hype this movie has received, we have to wonder just how happy Sony is with this number. At a cost of $50 million before marketing, this movie should turn a profit once all revenue streams are counted, but it likely won't make more than $60 million at the domestic box office.

Next week comes three new wide releases: the romantic comedy Life as We Know It, yet another horror flick, My Soul to Take (albiet directed by Wes Craven), and the equine biopic, Secretariat. We're not seeing any of these open above $20 million.

Here are the domestic box office actuals for the weekend of October 1-3, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - September 24-26, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:42:13 +0000

In spite of the struggling economy that many people blame, rightly or wrongly, on irresponsible behavior on Wall Street, the Michael Douglas / Shia LaBeouf sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, was bullish with the public and landed at the top spot ahead of the family friendly animated flick, Legend of the Guardians and way ahead of the dead-on-arrival comedy, You Again. Guess Betty White can't save everything.

On Friday, the film to beat seems to be The Social Network, which purports to tell the origins of the website Facebook. Will Facebook's reported 500 million users tear themselves away from their computers long enough to see this? Also two horror movies vie for audience attention, Case 39 and Let Me In.

Here are the domestic box office actuals for the weekend of September 24-26, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - September 17-19, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 06:42:51 +0000

Ben Affleck's second shot as director, The Town, easily took the number one slot and grossed more in its first three days than Affleck's directorial debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone, did in its entire run. Easy A opened in second place with almost $18 million, which was solid for the teen comedy genre. Costing only $8 million to make, Easy A has already broken even on its production budget. The other two openers, the horror flick, Devil, and the animated Alpha and Omega performed on the low end of their respective genres.

Among holdovers, Drew Barrymore's Going the Distance dropped like a brick from number 5 to number 13 after only 3 weeks. As of now, it stands at $16.7 million total domestic gross, about half of its modest production budget. Last week's champ, Resident Evil: Afterlife, shed 62.5% of its audience and fell to number 4 on the chart. However, Resident Evil is a solid worldwide franchise, and this fourth film in the series has already made over $100 million additionally in overseas markets owing largely to the higher ticket prices that its 3D format commands. Elsewhere, Sylvester Stallone has achieved a symbolic victory: his first $100 million domestic grossing movie in 25 years as The Expendables crossed the mark after 36 days in release.

Next week's new entries seem somewhat more promising: the animated fable, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, the greed-is-good sequel, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and the comedy, You Again, starring Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Sigourney Weaver.

Here are the domestic box office actuals for the weekend of September 17-19, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - September 10-12, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 01:09:36 +0000

It was a week with a single new major release, so sure enough, Resident Evil: Afterlife landed in the top spot. The Summer season has been giving way to the Fall doldrums the last couple of weeks – problem is, it's still Summer. But with the kids back to school, there were significant drops in movies across the board. Takers, however, seems to be holding on a little better, and lifted itself one position even as its box office fell almost 48%. Meanwhile, The Expendables is inching ever closer to the $100 million mark, and might just get there after next weekend.

Speaking of next weekend, it officially begins the Fall movie season as no less than four movies are opening in wide release: Alpha and Omega, Devil (story, but not directed by, M. Night Shyamalan), Easy A, and The Town (starring and directed by Ben Affleck).

Here are the domestic box office actuals for the weekend of September 10-12, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - September 3-6, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:23:49 +0000

With the three-day Labor Day weekend concluded, the Summer movie season that began back in May is officially over. As usual for this time of year, none of the new releases wowed at the box office, but George Clooney's latest, The American, nabbed the top spot with $16.6 million. Factoring in the box office from its early debut on Wednesday, and its domestic total stands at $19.8 million.

Machete, starring Danny Trejo, did okay with a $14.1 million opening, while Drew Barrymore's latest romantic comedy, Going the Distance, underwhelmed in fifth place with an $8.5 million three-day take. Distance's production budget, at $32 million, was actually larger than that of either The American or Machete, making its mediocre debut all the more disappointing.

Among holdovers, Takers increased its lead over last week's fellow opener, The Last Exorcism, falling a smaller than normal 34% in its second weekend and lifting its domestic total to about $40 million. Despicable Me, this summer's surprise animated hit increased its box office by 41.5% and leaped back into the top 12 based on, we suspect, being released on the budget theater circuit.

We'll be back later in the week for our Summer Movie Season wrap up of winners and losers.

Here are the domestic box office actuals for the weekend of September 3-6, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - August 27-29, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:01:48 +0000

All five of last week's new releases crashed during their second weeks on the charts, while older entries, The Expendables, Eat Pray Love, and The Other Guys held better, and rounded out the top 5 with the two main new releases. In a photo-finish, Takers squeaked past The Last Exorcism by less than $200,000 to nab the pole position. Outside of the Fast and the Furious franchise, actor Paul Walker has never exactly been a huge box office draw, and Takers is pretty much on par with his stronger openings – that is, on the low side for an action flick. The Last Exorcism, Hollywood's latest attempt to score another Exorcist-like hit has met the same fate as every other attempt since the original: relative indifference on the part of the mass audience. As for the aforementioned The Expendables, no Stallone movie (we don't count Spy Kids 3D: Game Over) has made over $100 million at the North American box office in 25 years. Could The Expendables break the curse? It's going to be close and very interesting to watch.

Next week, three more dumped movies open, none of which is likely to take in significantly more than $20 million in its opening: George Clooney's The Last American, Drew Barrymore's Going the Distance, and The Machete starring Danny Trejo.

Here are the domestic box office actuals for the weekend of August 27-29, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - August 20-22, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:57:06 +0000

Despite slipping a full 51% from its opening weekend, Sylvester Stallone's box office comeback, The Expendables, outgunned and outmuscled no less than five new releases this past weekend to hold on to the number one slot. As is usual for the mid-August dumping ground season, all of these five debuting flicks were dead on arrival, but fortunately for the studios, they were mostly cheaply-made fare. Really not much more to say about this.

This Friday, only two new releases are opening in wide release: the horror flick, The Last Exorcism and the action caper, Takers, starring Paul Walker.

Here are the box office actuals for the weekend of August 20-22, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - August 13-15, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:16:14 +0000

The Expendables proved to have the most firepower among this weekend's debuts as the Sylvester Stallone written and directed action flick powered its way to the number one slot. The Expendables, which was independently financed, reportedly cost Lionsgate Films about $20 million for the rights to distribute, making this a wise investment on its part. Julia Roberts' latest, Eat Pray Love, managed an okay beginning at over $23 million, good enough for second. However, the latest indie comic to be brought to the big screen, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, faltered, coming in fifth place with a subpar $10.6 million in spite of being squarely marketed to the Playstation generation with a story that somewhat mirrored a video game itself. Last week's openers, The Other Guys and Step Up 3D, each fell more than 50% in their second weekends.

August is typically the month where a lot of not-quite blockbusters are dumped as the back-to-school season begins, and this Friday's five new releases will likely continue that trend and underwhelm at the box office. They include Lottery Ticket, Nanny McPhee Returns, Piranha 3D, The Switch, and Vampires Suck. Still, all that overcrowding will undoubtedly cut heavily into the second week tallys of this week's debuts.

Here are the box office actuals for the weekend of August 13-15, 2010:

Weekend Box Office - August 6-8, 2010

scottkatz@ustownhall.com (US Townhall staff) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:04:27 +0000

After three weeks at the top spot, Christopher Nolan's Inception has been dethroned by the Will Ferrell / Mark Wahlberg action comedy, The Other Guys, coming as a surprise to no one. The other new entrant, Step Up 3D, had the weakest debut among the trilogy in spite of its appearing in the more costly 3D theaters. The first Step Up, starring a then-relatively unknown Channing Tatum, was a surprise hit, grossing over $114 million worldwide on a $12 million production budget. 2008's Step Up 2: The Streets actually fared better, even with Tatum appearing in just a cameo, amassing almost $150 million globally. While Step Up 3D only made $5 million less in its opening weekend than the first did, it is audience attendance that truly tells the story here. A full 81% of its box office came from the more expensive 3D theaters meaning that there was a significant dropoff in audience from the first two movies to this latest, and possibly final, film in the series.

None of last week's three debuts held well in their second weeks. Dinner for Schmucks proved to be a schlemiel and tumbled almost 56% percent, while Charlie St. Cloud proved to be a one-week wonder and plunged 62%. In better news, the animated hits Despicable Me and Toy Story 3 continued to do well, with Toy Story closing in on $400 million domestically.

This Friday, three quite different and interesting movies debut. It would be a surprise if the weekend didn't belong to Julia Roberts and Eat Pray Love, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has all the potential of becoming a break out surprise hit. This is one to keep an eye on as pre-release buzz and a successful promo at the recent San Diego Comic-Con may turn this relatively obsure comic into a dark horse favorite. The other new release, The Expendables, stars a cast that, quite frankly, Hollywood has found expendable in recent years including Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren. Stallone also directed and co-wrote the script. Not only that, but Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his triumphant return to acting in this action flick. What more can we say?

Here are the box office actuals for the weekend of August 6-8, 2010: