By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

The Weekend Report: November 20, 2011

Dawn of the Lively

To no great surprise The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn topped weekend movie going with an estimated $139.6 million debut that accounted for more than 60% of the frame’s ticket sales. The session’s other new national bow Happy Feet Two had to settle for poor seconds of $21.9 million.

Bollywood took a break but Tollywood newcomer, the costume drama Sri Rama Rajyam, got off to a good start of $147,000 at 35 venues and Punjabi Hitler Hero in Love displayed comparable strength of $40,800 from 10 screens.

Limited and exclusive activity largely centered on the launch of Oscar tipped The Descendants that racked up a $40,340 screen average from 29 playdates for a $1.2 million weekend. Conversely there were disappointing results for other touted pics including Another Happy Day and Tyrannosur but an upbeat first round for the non-fiction Eames: The Architect and the Painter of $21,300 at two sites.

The Twilight surge pumped up revenues to about $225 million for the frame that translated into a 65% boost from last weekend and a 15% improvement from 2010. A year back the launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 led with $125 million.

Domestic revenues for the year to date now stand at $9.05 billion or about 4% behind last year’s pace. The current session certainly holds out ample hope that the gap can be closed in the remaining six weeks of 2011.

The fourth Twilight installment had industry pundits salivating with estimates in the ballpark of $140 million to $150 million that proved to be within accepted margin of error range. Early reports also indicate a comparable international box office from 54 territories. As with prior chapters the romantic horror franchise skewed heavily female with exit polls indicating a whopping 80% distaff crowd. It also appears that as the fans hooked by the original outing age, the film’s demos rise with the current outing composed 60% of folk 21 years and older.

Twilight pretty much ran over Happy Feet Two that was expected to open with at least $30 million and rising to more than $35 million. It also had a majority female audience of 60% and despite its younger appeal wound up with an audience of 53% aged 25 years and more upwardly mature. A studio spokesman cited the comparably disappointing opening of Polar Express and crossed fingers that the picture will sustain through the holidays.

Weekend (estimates) November 18 – 20, 2011
Title Distributor Gross (avg) % chng Thtrs Cume
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Summit 139.6 (34,380) NEW 4061 139.6
Happy Feet Two WB 21.9 (6,080) NEW 3606 21.9
Immortals Relativity 12.4 (3,970) -62% 3112 63.1
Jack and Jill Sony 11.8 (3,440) -53% 3438 40.9
Puss in Boots Par 10.7 (3,130) -57% 3415 122.3
Tower Heist Uni 6.9 (2,350) -46% 2942 53.4
J. Edgar WB 5.9 (3,010) -48% 1947 20.7
A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas WB 2.9 (1,580) -52% 1808 28.3
In Time Fox 1.6 (1,200) -60% 1367 33.4
The Descendants Fox Searchlight 1.2 (40,340) NEW 29 1.3
Paranormal Activity 3 Par .96 (680) -73% 1402 102.6
Footloose Par .83 (680) -70% 1218 50.1
Real Steel BV .54 (770) -71% 702 82.6
Like Crazy Par Vantage .52 (4,770) 3% 109 1.8
Moneyball Sony .49 (1,200) -54% 409 72.6
The Ides of March Sony/Alliance .43 (1,440) -54% 298 39.1
Margin Call Roadside/Alliance .40 (2,290) -28% 173 3.9
Courageous Sony/Tricord .39 (750) -61% 517 32.3
Martha Marcy May Marlene Fox Searchlight .38 (2,110) -21% 180 2.2
Melancholia Magnolia/eOne .31 (5,650) 21% 55 0.7
The Help BV .28 (780) 13% 357 168.2
The Skin I Live In Sony Classics .28 (2,460) -6% 113 2.1
The Way PDA .27 (1,960) -19% 137 3
Dolphin Tale WB .25 (740) -64% 388 70
50/50 Summit .21 (1,140) -59% 185 34.2
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films)
$218.25
% Change (Last Year)
15%
% Change (Last Week)
65%
Also debuting/expanding
Sri Rama Rayjam Blue Sky .15 (3,200) 35 0.15
Take Shelter Sony Classics .10 (1,330) -18% 74 1.4
Hero Hitler in Love Viva 40,800 (4,530) 9 0.04
Eames: The Architect & the Painter First Run 21,300 (10,650) 2 0.02
Punch CJ Entainment 14,600 (14,600) 1 0.01
Another Happy Day Phase 4 8,700 (4,350) 2 0.01
Tomboy Dada 7,400 (3,700) 2 0.01
Tyrannosaur Strand 7,100 (1,420) 5 0.01
Heir Apparent: Largo Winch Music Box 2,400 (600) 4 0.01
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Nov. 17, 2011)

Distributor (releases) Gross Market Share
Paramount (18) 1689.2 19.10%
Warner Bros. (25) 1544.9 17.50%
Sony (27) 1125.6 12.80%
Buena Vista (15) 1108.3 12.50%
Universal (18) 1009.3 11.40%
20th Century Fox (16) 821.5 9.30%
Weinstein Co. (13) 282.6 3.20%
Relativity (8) 185.6 2.10%
Lions Gate (15) 184.1 2.10%
Film District (4) 125.1 1.40%
Focus (7) 123.6 1.40%
Summit (8) 123.2 1.40%
Fox Searchlight (12) 109.6 1.20%
Sony Classics (16) 83.6 1.00%
CBS (3) 57.5 0.70%
Other * (318) 255.3 2.90%
8829 100.00%
* none greater than 0.35%
Top Domestic Grossers (Jan. 1 – Nov. 17, 2011) *
Title Distributor Gross
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 2 WB 380,974,762
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Par 352,424,682
The Hangover 2 WB 254,464,305
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV 241,071,802
Fast Five Uni 209,999,424
Cars 2 BV 191,346,423
Thor Par 181,066,624
Captain America: The First Avenger Par 176,679,192
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Fox 176,368,594
Bridesmaids Uni 169,185,860
The Help BV 167,933,930
Kung Fu Panda 2 Par 165,347,740
X-Men: First Class Fox 146,408,305
Rio Fox 143,619,809
The Smurfs Sony 141,722,064
Super 8 Par 127,021,426
Rango Par 123,481,694
The King’s Speech * Weinstein Co. 121,123,415
Horrible Bosses WB 117,538,559
Green Lantern WB 116,601,172
* does not include 2010 box office
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Leonard Klady's Friday Estimates
Friday Screens % Chg Cume
Title Gross Thtr % Chgn Cume
Venom 33 4250 NEW 33
A Star is Born 15.7 3686 NEW 15.7
Smallfoot 3.5 4131 -46% 31.3
Night School 3.5 3019 -63% 37.9
The House Wirh a Clock in its Walls 1.8 3463 -43% 49.5
A Simple Favor 1 2408 -50% 46.6
The Nun 0.75 2264 -52% 111.5
Hell Fest 0.6 2297 -70% 7.4
Crazy Rich Asians 0.6 1466 -51% 167.6
The Predator 0.25 1643 -77% 49.3
Also Debuting
The Hate U Give 0.17 36
Shine 85,600 609
Exes Baggage 75,900 62
NOTA 71,300 138
96 61,600 62
Andhadhun 55,000 54
Afsar 45,400 33
Project Gutenberg 36,000 17
Love Yatri 22,300 41
Hello, Mrs. Money 22,200 37
Studio 54 5,300 1
Loving Pablo 4,200 15
3-Day Estimates Weekend % Chg Cume
No Good Dead 24.4 (11,230) NEW 24.4
Dolphin Tale 2 16.6 (4,540) NEW 16.6
Guardians of the Galaxy 7.9 (2,550) -23% 305.8
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4.8 (1,630) -26% 181.1
The Drop 4.4 (5,480) NEW 4.4
Let's Be Cops 4.3 (1,570) -22% 73
If I Stay 4.0 (1,320) -28% 44.9
The November Man 2.8 (1,030) -36% 22.5
The Giver 2.5 (1,120) -26% 41.2
The Hundred-Foot Journey 2.5 (1,270) -21% 49.4