By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report: May 29, 2011
The Cuddly Morning After
By Leonard Klady
Despite withering reviews The Hangover Part II lived up to industry expectations to take the crown for the three-day portion of the Memorial weekend with an estimated $86.5 million. The frame’s other national debut Kung Fu Panda 2 ranked second with a lower than anticipated tally of $48.2 million.
The only other conspicuous bow was recent Cannes award winner The Tree of Life that grossed a hefty $353,000 from a mere four screens. And adding 52 engagements in its second session Midnight in Paris maintained a torrid $32,280 screen average and a $1.9 million gross.
Overall it was a record box office for the Memorial holiday that should wind up in the neighborhood of $285 million. It’s 44% ahead of 2010 when two anticipated newcomers – Prince of Persia with $37.8 million and Sex and the City 2 at $36.8 million – failed to unseat Shrek Forever After that added $57.1 million to its larder.
Speculation was not whether The Hangover sequel would work commercially but the magnitude of its reception. The film got a huge jumpstart on the weekend with a Thursday bow of $31.6 million (including $10.4 million from Midnight sneaks). Prior to its debut some wild eyed pundits pegged its ceiling as high as $160 million for the 5-day span but the tracking that generally nudged right up to 6-figures was very close t the mark that easily set a new benchmark for an R-Rated comedy.
Exit polls saw a relatively even split between the sexes (women nosing ahead with 51%) and 54% of ticket buyers under the age of 25. The studio also provided a 13% figure for patrons under the age of 18 who presumably cajoled a parent or sibling to walk him/her into the auditorium. Early estimates are that the picture added close to $60 million from its openings in 40 international territories.
Kung Fu Panda 2 – which was always pegged as the weekend bridesmaid – on the other hand was supposed to debut at around $80 million according to pundits. Its four-day box office is at best in the area of $65 million.
As with last weekend’s opening of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean, the Panda sequel underperformed most conspicuously in its 3D engagements. Roughly 66% of its playdates were stereoscopic but only 45% of its gross came from those screens. Whether two consecutive 3D disappointments constitute an ensuing trend or not, this wrinkle was both unexpected and potentially has major implications in the digital conversion of the nation’s multiplexes. Of interest there’s no indication based on Pirates that this is occurring internationally. A Disney exec said more than 60% of that pictures international box office has come from 3D engagements.
Panda 2 tilted male with 54% and 53% of attendees were under the age of 25. A third of the opening weekend crowd was under the age of 18 and presumably couldn’t get into The Hangover … legitimately.
As with first quarter earnings, the likes of Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life attest to the growth in plus 35s at the cinema. Summer 2010 had record box office for specialized films and early days suggest comparable strength for this season.
Weekend (estimates) May 27 – 30, 2011 | |||||
Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Theaters | Cume |
The Hangover Part II | WB | 86.5 (23,930) | NEW | 3615 | 118.1 |
Kung Fu Panda 2 | Par | 48.2 (12,2900 | NEW | 3925 | 54 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | BV | 39.7 (9,540) | -56% | 4164 | 153.3 |
Bridesmaids | Uni | 16.3 (5,500) | -22% | 2958 | 84.9 |
Thor | Par Intl | 9.4 (2,8500 | -39% | 3296 | 159.7 |
Fast Five | Uni | 6.6 (2,210) | -38% | 2981 | 196 |
Midnight in Paris | Sony Classics | 1,9 (32,280) | 212% | 58 | 2.8 |
Something Borrowed | WB | 1.8 (1,280) | -48% | 1440 | 34.7 |
Jumping the Broom | Sony | 1.8 (1,9400 | -51% | 939 | 34.1 |
Rio | Fox | 1.8 (1,060) | -62% | 1672 | 134.8 |
Priest | Sony | 1.7 (890) | -64% | 1918 | 27.3 |
Water for Elephants | Fox | 1.1 (1,340) | -51% | 794 | 54.4 |
Soul Surfer | Sony | .39 (980) | -58% | 401 | 41.3 |
Medea’s Big Happy Family | Lions Gate | .36 (1,010) | -62% | 359 | 52.3 |
The Tree of Life | Fox Searchlight | .35 (88,300) | NEW | 4 | 0.35 |
The Cave of Forgotten Dreams | IFC | .35 (2,810) | -17% | 123 | 2.5 |
Rango | Par | .33 (1,180) | -16% | 280 | 121.7 |
Source Code | Summit | .32 (1,070) | -22% | 299 | 53.4 |
Everything Must Go | Roadside | .26 (1,650) | -50% | 160 | 2.1 |
Born to Be Wild | WB | .25 (5,380) | 1% | 47 | 5.9 |
Hop | Uni | .22 (730) | -15% | 299 | 107.5 |
Limitless | Relatvity | .21 (840) | -38% | 254 | 78.5 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $216.80 | ||||
% Change (Last Year) | 44% | ||||
% Change (Last Week) | 35% | ||||
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
The Beaver | Summit | .11 (980) | -43% | 109 | 0.77 |
The First Grader | National Geo | 54,600 (1,520) | 43% | 36 | 0.13 |
Tuesday, After Christmas | Lorber | 5,200 (5,200) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Bobby Fischer Against the World | Mongrel | 3,500 (3,500) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Small Town Murder Songs | Monterey Media | 1,000 (500) | 2 | 0.001 | |
Untitled Red Army | Lorber | 900 (900) | 1 | 0.001 | |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – May 26, 2011) | |||||
Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share | |||
Universal (11) | 624.1 | 17.10% | |||
Paramount (11) | 576.9 | 15.80% | |||
Sony (13) | 475.3 | 13.00% | |||
Buena Vista (9) | 398.6 | 10.90% | |||
Warner Bros. (18) | 386.9 | 10.60% | |||
Fox (8) | 325.9 | 8.90% | |||
Weinstein Co. (6) | 182.6 | 5.00% | |||
Lions Gate (9) | 115.8 | 3.20% | |||
Relativity (4) | 110.1 | 3.00% | |||
Fox Searchlight (5) | 91.1 | 2.50% | |||
Focus (4) | 70.9 | 2.00% | |||
Summit (5) | 66.2 | 1.80% | |||
CBS (3) | 57.5 | 1.60% | |||
Film District (10) | 52.6 | 1.50% | |||
Roadside Attractions (7) | 19.7 | 0.50% | |||
Other * (156) | 94.8 | 2.60% | |||
3649 | 100% |
NO!! big brither kills me