By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
I Heart Presidents
February 15, 2010
It was candy and roses for Valentine’s Day as it ascended to the top of long weekend viewing with an estimated four-day box office of $66.2 million. In a bountiful frame two other freshmen entries followed. The youth targeted Percy Jackson and the Olympians bowed to $38.9 million and the revived The Wolfman chewed up $36.4 million.
Also excellent was Fox’s first Bollywood foray My Name is Khan, which grossed $2.2 million in its opening session.
Overall it added up to a record haul for President’s holiday weekend as well as an all-time individual crown for the frame for the top ranked picture.
Valentine’s Day had been tracking strong with little doubt that it would top the charts. But not even partisans were expecting more than a $50 million debut. Bucking recent trends, the ensemble love fest reversed a Saturday downturn with a significant 25% bounce and proceeded to add another 28% on Sunday. Despite fair to poor critical reaction, hearts trumped all naysayers.
Kid-lit favorite Percy Jackson entered the marketplace with fingers crossed that it could command sufficient interest to consider franchise prospects. And at least initially the prospects are positive and will obviously improve if good holds and international box office buttress the domestic tally.
The Wolfman also suffered the slings and arrows of reviewers (particular those versed in the 1941 original) but nonetheless performed as expected based on tests and surveys. Still it’s doubtful he’ll be howling at the moon any time soon.
Weekend revenues even with Olympic distraction rose to the top of the medal stand with about $243 million banked. Current weekend box office (on a comparative three-day basis) exploded by 82% from the immediate prior session. Additionally it was an impressive 11% better than in 2009 when the launch of a re-invented Friday the 13th led with $43.6 million followed by holdover biz of $22.3 million for He’s Just Not That Into You and $21.8 million for Taken.
The old Hollywood expression states that “If you can’t beat ‘em … buy ‘em.” And Bollywood’s been largely resistant to American movies or adapting their home grown movies to international tastes. My Name is Khan works just fine on its own terms; recording a North American debut second only to all-time champion 3 Idiots.
On the awards trail Crazy Heart continued to expand effectively while Up in the Air and The Blind Side are performing on a steady basis. The sub rosa re-issue of The Hurt Locker also appears to be OK but truly the real benefit will come from ancillaries.
But last weekend’s expansions of Precious and An Education took a fast fade. Meanwhile interest for foreign-language nominees The White Room and Ajami is solid and nicely pave the way for the imminent release of A Prophet.
Weekend Estimates: February 12-14, 2010
| Title | Distributor | Gross (average) | % change * | Theaters | Cume |
| Valentine’s Day | WB | 66.2 (18,070 | New | 3665 | 66.2 |
| Percy Jackson & the Olympians | Fox | 38.9 (11,610) | New | 3356 | 38.9 |
| The Wolfman | Uni | 36.4 (11,290) | New | 3222 | 36.4 |
| Avatar | Fox | 28.2 (10,520) | 2% | 2685 | 665.9 |
| Dear John | Sony | 18.7 (6,290) | -48% | 2975 | 56.6 |
| The Tooth Fairy | Fox | 7.7 (2,790) | -11% | 2748 | 43.6 |
| From Paris with Love | Lionsgate | 6.3 (2,310) | -34% | 2722 | 17.4 |
| Edge of Darkness | WB | 5.5 (2,110) | -30% | 2615 | 37 |
| Crazy Heart | Fox Searchlight | 5.0 (4,940) | 18% | 1005 | 17.5 |
| When in Rome | BV | 4.2 (1,960) | -34% | 2125 | 26.8 |
| Book of Eli | WB | 4.1 (2,260) | -26% | 1825 | 88.1 |
| The Blind Side | WB | 2.6 (2,200) | -7% | 1175 | 247.3 |
| My Name is Khan | Fox | 2.2 (18,580) | New | 120 | 2.2 |
| Up in the Air | Par | 2.0 (2,190) | -25% | 925 | 79.5 |
| Legion | Sony | 2.0 (1,430) | -53% | 1424 | 38.1 |
| Sherlock Holmes | WB | 1.8 (1,910) | -37% | 950 | 204.3 |
| Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel | Fox | 1.7 (1,580) | -43% | 1057 | 214.3 |
| It’s Complicated | Uni | 1.4 (1,740) | -43% | 787 | 109.7 |
| The Lovely Bones | Par | .81 (970) | -71% | 833 | 43 |
| The Princess and the Frog | BV | .72 (1,630) | 27% | 441 | 101.9 |
| Twilight: New Moon | Summit | .71 (1,780) | 85% | 398 | 295.1 |
| The Last Station | Sony Classics | .61 (7,180) | 52% | 85 | 1.5 |
| An Education | Sony Classics | .59 (1,720) | -50% | 343 | 10.6 |
| A Single Man | Weinstein Co. | .56 (1,790) | -26% | 313 | 7 |
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
| * comparisons are 3-day to 3-day | – | – | – | – | – |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | – | $108.87 | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Year) | – | 11% | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Week) | – | 82% | – | – | – |
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| The Hurt Locker | Summit | .24 (1,940) | 45% | 125 | 13.6 |
| The White Ribbon | Sony Classics | .20 (4,520) | 21% | 45 | 1.05 |
| Ajami | Kino | 46,500 (15,500) | 5% | 3 | 0.1 |
| October Country | Intl Film Circ | 8,650 (8,650) | New | 1 | 0.01 |
| Order of Chaos | Cinema Epoch | 3,520 (3,520) | New | 1 | 0.01 |
Domestic Market Share: January 1 – February 11, 2010
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share |
| Fox (4) | 483.4 | 38.40% |
| Warner Bros. (9) | 274.2 | 21.80% |
| Universal (4) | 94.6 | 7.50% |
| Sony (9) | 87.6 | 7.00% |
| Paramount (3) | 85.7 | 6.80% |
| Lionsgate (5) | 70.5 | 5.60% |
| Buena Vista (4) | 50.5 | 4.00% |
| Weinstein Co. (4) | 31.5 | 2.50% |
| Sony Classics (6) | 12.2 | 1.00% |
| CBS Films (1) | 12.1 | 1.00% |
| Fox Searchlight (1) | 12 | 1.00% |
| Summit (3) | 10.5 | 0.80% |
| Apparition (2) | 7.4 | 0.60% |
| Other * (51) | 25.9 | 2.00% |
| 1258.1 | 100.00% |
