The Weekend Report: August 21, 2011

At Your Service: The Squeakel

The box office got some unexpected assistance as The Help rose to the top of weekend ticket sales with an estimated $20.4 million. However a quartet – three in 3D – of new national releases failed to enliven late summer movie going. Best of the newcomers was a fourth installment of the pre-teen targeted Spy Kids that grossed $11.8 million to rank third in the lineup.

Also debuting below expectations were the re-boot of Conan the Barbarian with an initial thrust of $9.7 million and the redo of Fright Night that scared up $8.1 million. The frame’s final incoming disappointment was the upscale Brit rom-com One Day that just entered the top 10 with $5.1 million.

Limited and exclusive openers were generally dull though the $38,500 box office of French import The Hedgehog at six sites was at least encouraging. Otherwise the $33,600 tally for John Sayles Philippines-set political drama Amigo at 10 venues was typical of the session and Australian import Griff the Invisible with $4,750 on six screens was the weekend nadir.

Overall three-day revenues struggled to $125 million and a 20% decline from last weekend. It was also a slight 2% decline from 2011 when the $17 million second weekend of The Expendables trumped newcomers Vampires Suck and Lottery Ticket arrived respectively with $12.2 million and $10.6 million.

In addition to the stereoscopic connection shared by a trio of new entries, the films are also all retreads. The original screen Conan _ starring a former California governor not named Reagan, bowed in 1982 and spawned a 1984 sequel and a TV series in the early 1990s; Fright Night bowed in 1985 and also begat a sequel three years later; and Spy Kids entered the scene in 2001 and added chapter in the two subsequent years.

Clearly the remakes hoped to attract a new audience rather than capitalizing on what fleeting nostalgia might be engendered from those who lined up three decades back. However, both films attracted copy cat demos of 60% that identified buyers as 25 years of age or older per their respective distributors. Additionally, they again mirrored a male gender bias of 60%.

Tracking surveys pegged Conan’s opening at between $16 million and a high end near $20 million while Fright Night was expected to bow in the $13-$15 million range. Once again it appears that the once rabid 18-25 year old crowd that planned to see either became otherwise engaged.

As to the 3D component, the two new adult skewing movies said those engagements accounted for just better that 60% of their box office while Spy Kids – with a significantly younger appeal – was closer to 45%.

One Day, based on a popular British novel, had a choppy Atlantic crossing. Its theater average fell short of $3,000 and the decision to open wide means a likely absence during the awards season.

Aside from the sturdy hold for The Help, the alternative highlight of the weekend was the initial expansion of the non-fiction profile Senna that added 12 playdates (up 10) and maintained an impressive $11,640 engagement average. Other current platforms with momentum include Sarah’s Key and The Guard.

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