By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Weekend Box Office Report – November 14
Take the A Train
The animated Megamind with an estimated gross of $29.9 million again topped the weekend viewing charts despite a trio of new contenders in the marketplace. Second on the rails was the kinetic Unstoppable with $23.2 million while the District 9 homage Skyline slotted fourth with $11.5 million and echoes of Broadcast News in Morning Glory netted $9.4 million.
However, rather than a juggernaut weekend revenues experienced a dip both from last weekend and 2009 box office.
Unstoppable, loosely based on a less spectacular true life incident of a runaway train, hewed more closely to celluloid antecedents including Speed and Bullet Train and arrived at the station pretty much on commercial schedule. It curiously appeared to lack the momentum to truly engage an audience … at least to turn out in droves for opening weekend.
Similarly Skyline, returning to the well of a hostile alien invasion, fell between the cracks of a B movie programmer and a studio effects extravaganza. Industry trackers predicted a $20 million opening that proved overly optimistic.
Also overvalued was Morning Glory, a gentle send up of morning news shows with Amy Adams stepping into Holly Hunter’s well-worn pumps that was expected to gross in the mid-teens. It jump started the weekend with a Wednesday opening that provided a $2.6 million head start. But tepid reviewers and the presence of old vets in supporting roles failed to pump up the volume.
Weekend revenues pushed toward $125 million and a 20% slide from seven days earlier. It was also 13% off last year’s pace when the opening of the animated A Christmas Carol led the field with a commanding $65.2 million.
The session was light on new niche releases with the non-fiction Cool It rather frigid with a $640 average at 41 venues. More encouraging was the solo screen bow of mumble core comedy Tiny Furniture that rendered $20,500.
Bucking the trend of fast fading awards contenders, 127 Hours boosted it sophomore session by upping its theater count from four to 22 venues and maintained close to a $21,000 screen average. Fair Game also expanded with appropriately adverbial results of almost a $5,900 average from 175 screens.
The frame posted few sunny returns with many of the marketplace stalwarts taking sharp hits and new entries lacking the stamina to make up the difference. The industry is collectively crossing its fingers that the Harry Potter finale (Part I) and Thanksgiving entrees will provide a reversal of fortunes.
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Weekend Estimates – November 12-14, 2010
| Title | Distributor | Gross (average) | % change * | Theas | Cume |
| Megamind | Par | 29.9 (7,580) | 3949 | -35% | 89.6 |
| Unstoppable | Fox | 23.2 (7,230) | 3207 | NEW | 23.2 |
| Due Date | WB | 15.6 (4,630) | 3365 | -52% | 59.1 |
| Skyline | Uni | 11.5 (4,010) | 2880 | NEW | 11.5 |
| Morning Glory | Par | 9.4 (3,750) | 2518 | NEW | 12.1 |
| For Colored Girls … | Lions Gate | 6.6 (3,110) | 2127 | -64% | 30.8 |
| Red | Summit | 5.1 (1,780) | 2878 | -41% | 79.8 |
| Paranormal Activity 2 | Par | 3.0 (1,260) | 2403 | -57% | 82 |
| Saw 3D | Lions Gate | 2.8 (1,420) | 1976 | -64% | 43.5 |
| Jackass 3D | Par | 2.3 (1,420) | 1607 | -54% | 114.7 |
| Secretariat | BV | 2.2 (1,050) | -45% | 2109 | 54.8 |
| The Social Network | Sony | 1.7 (1,590) | -50% | 1088 | 87.8 |
| Hereafter | WB | 1.3 (790) | -67% | 1691 | 31.5 |
| Life As We Know It | WB | 1.3 (1,030) | -59% | 1239 | 50.7 |
| Fair Game | Summit | 1.0 (5,880) | 58% | 175 | 1.9 |
| Conviction | Fox Searchlight | .59 (1,200) | -64% | 493 | 6 |
| The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest | Music Box/Alliance | .52 (2,570) | -30% | 202 | 2.8 |
| 127 Hours | Searchlight | .46 (20,980) | 75% | 22 | 0.8 |
| The Town | WB | .44 (1,170) | -62% | 375 | 90.6 |
| Inside Job | Sony Classics | .42 (1,670) | 58% | 252 | 1.5 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $118.00 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | -13% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | -20% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Cool It | Roadside Attract. | 26,300 (640) | 41 | 0.03 | |
| Tiny Furniture | IFC | 20,500 (20,500) | 1 | 0.02 | |
| Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) | Cohen Media | 8,200 (4,100) | 2% | 2 | 0.02 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – November 11, 2010
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share |
| Warner Bros. (26) | 1513.7 | 16.70% |
| Paramount (18) | 1502.4 | 16.50% |
| Fox (16) | 1291.6 | 14.20% |
| Buena Vista (15) | 1170.2 | 12.90% |
| Sony (23) | 1156.9 | 12.70% |
| Universal (17) | 776.8 | 8.50% |
| Summit (11) | 500.8 | 5.50% |
| Lions Gate (14) | 478.8 | 5.30% |
| Overture (7) | 81.5 | 0.90% |
| Fox Searchlight (6) | 78.8 | 0.90% |
| Focus (7) | 75.1 | 0.80% |
| Weinstein Co. (7) | 62.4 | 0.70% |
| Sony Classics (21) | 56.4 | 0.60% |
| MGM (1) | 51.2 | 0.60% |
| CBS (2) | 50 | 0.60% |
| Other * (287) | 237.1 | 2.60% |
| * none greater than .04% | 9083.7 | 100.00% |
