By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Exhibitionists Rivet Robots
It was a trip to the Smithsonian rather than a date with doomsday that prevailed with American audiences at the multiplex. Night at the Museum 2 posted an estimated $53.4 million while Terminator Salvation brought in $43.3 million during the first three days of the Memorial weekend holiday. The impressive showdown nonetheless fell slightly short of last year’s tally.
The session also saw an OK result of $10.9 million for the teen Terpsichore’s spoof Dance Flick,which ranked fifth overall. Among incoming alternative fare the best in show was the stylish Easy Virtue, which grossed $102,400 from 10 screens. Also displaying niche appeal was The Girlfriend Experience with a shade under $150,000 from 30 exposures.
As in recent weekends expectations proved greater than reality with industry pundits and insiders projecting a tight race between the two highly anticipated franchises with final four-day figures between $70 million and $80 million. Night at the Museum 2 appears headed toward a $65 million-plus holiday gross while Terminator Salvation should generate $50 million (plus an additional $13.4 million from Thursday box office). Recent history forces one to conclude that early holiday starts spread out box office rather than creating a snowball effect.
Total weekend box office should generate roughly $215 million but fall short of the 2008 gross by about 3%. Last year Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull had the field to itself and exploded with a $126.9 million debut.
A month into the summer movie season it’s been nothing but retreads and reinventions of past movie stalwarts and while that’s generated record lucre it’s also a cause for some upcoming queasiness. Historically the greatest seasonal box office boosts have derived from playlists where the tilt is toward new franchises and original fare. The last time summer was front-loaded with sequels and their ilk the season got off to its fastest start and then sputtered along as it approached Labor Day.
The summer film season was once described to me by a studio executive as a trip to an amusement park with a lot of nifty thrill rides. He somewhat disdainfully painted the major’s strategy as rooted in the belief that filmgoers will buy tickets for every last attraction on the midway (excuse the mixed metaphor). The reality is closer to a burn out no doubt exacerbated by too many corn dogs and cotton candy.
Weekend Estimates – May 22-24, 2009
Title | Distributor | Gross (avera | % change | Theaters | Cume |
Night at the Museum 2 | Fox | 53.4 (13,030) | – | 4096 | 53.3 |
Terminator Salvation | WB | 43.3 (12,270) | – | 3530 | 59.7* |
Star Trek | Par | 21.8 (5,380) | -49% | 4053 | 177.1 |
Angels and Demons | Sony | 21.2 (6,020) | -54% | 3527 | 81.3 |
Dance Flick | Par | 10.9 (4,470) | – | 2450 | 10.9 |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Fox | 7.5 (2,360) | -49% | 3183 | 162.8 |
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | WB | 3.6 (1,610) | -45% | 2255 | 45.8 |
Obsessed | Sony | 1.9 (1,200) | -58% | 1603 | 65.8 |
Monsters vs. Aliens | Par | 1.3 (910) | -59% | 1434 | 192.9 |
17 Again | WB | 1.0 (890) | -71% | 1107 | 60.3 |
The Soloist | Par | .83 (1,260) | -65% | 654 | 29.2 |
Next Day Air | Summit | .57 (1,050) | -75% | 542 | 8.9 |
Hannah Montana: The Movie | BV | .46 (730) | -71% | 628 | 76.8 |
Earth | BV | .43 (690) | -75% | 619 | 30.4 |
The Brothers Bloom | Summit | .38 (7,400) | 309% | 52 | 0.5 |
State of Play | Uni | .33 (1,190) | -66% | 278 | 36.2 |
Fast & Furious | Uni | .31 (820) | -61% | 378 | 153.5 |
Under the Sea 3D | WB | .28 (6,950) | 0% | 40 | 8.3 |
Race to Witch Mountain | BV | .27 (880) | 82% | 310 | 65.3 |
Rudo y Cursi | Sony Classics | .26 (1,760) | -41% | 149 | 1.1 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $167.20 | – | – | – | |
% Change (Last Year) | — | -3% | — | — | — |
% Change (Last Week) | — | 26% | — | — | — |
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
The Girlfriend Experience | Magnolia | .15 (4,910) | – | 30 | 0.15 |
Management | IDP | .13 (1,240) | -65% | 106 | 0.64 |
Easy Virtue | Sony Classics | .10 (10,240) | 10 | 0.1 | |
Limits of Control | Focus | 39,800 (1,990) | -14% | 21 | 0.26 |
O’Horten | Sony Classics | 22,400 (2,800) | — | 8 | 0.02 |
The Boys: Sherman Brothers | BV | 12,600 (6,300) | — | 5 | 0.01 |
Burma VJ | Oscilloscope | 4,800 (4,800) | — | 1 | 0.01 |
*Cume reflects Thursday opening |
Top Limited Releases – January 1 – May 21, 2009
Title | Distributor (releases) | Gross (millions) |
The Wrestler * | Fox Searchlight | 25,068,864 |
Milk * | Focus | 17,246,974 |
Sunshine Cleaning | Overture | 11,313,290 |
Under the Sea 3D | WB | 8,058,136 |
Entre les murs (The Class) | Sony Classics | 3,748,977 |
Two Lovers | Magnolia | 3,099,149 |
Rachel Getting Married * | Sony Classics | 2,696,170 |
Waltz with Bashir * | Sony Class/E1 | 2,174,364 |
Sin Nombre | Focus | 2,174,123 |
Che * | IFC/E1 | 2,027,381 |
Gomorrah | IFC/E1 | 1,780,341 |
Magnificent Desolation * | Imax | 1,617,058 |
Dede a travers les brumes | Seville | 1,502,220 |
Space Station * | Imax | 1,461,004 |
Polytechnique | Alliance | 1,436,053 |
Is Anybody There? | Story Island | 1,319,161 |
La Sonnambula | Fathom | 1,265,196 |
Sea Monsters – Prehistoric Adventure * | nWave | 1,216,910 |
One Week | Mongrel | 1,106,425 |
Madama Butterfly | Fathom | 1,088,022 |
* does not include 2008 box office |