The Weekend Report: November 6, 2011

Too Little to Fail

Nobody knows nuttin! Both new entries and holdovers defied the wisdom of tracking reports that predicted … well, what didn’t happen.

Collectively it added up to an unexpectedly resilient hold for Puss in Boots that put the stereoscopic animation at the top of weekend viewing with an estimated $33.3 million. The frame’s anticipated chart topper – the caper hijinx of newcomer Tower Heist – arrived below a $30 million plus haul at, instead, $25.1 million. The sessions other new national release, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, also came up short with $13.2 million to slot third overall.

New releases in the niches as well as exclusive bows were also unremarkable. Telugu entry Mogudu limped to $38,800 at 26 venues while American indie The Son of No One got orphaned with $18,200 from 10 locations.

Weekend revenues inched toward $120 million for a 12% boost from last weekend but sank 24% from the comparable 2010 session. Last year the launches of Megamind, Due Date and For Colored Girls led ticket buying with respective ticket sales of $46 million, $32.7 million and $19.5 million.

Pundits anticipated that last weekend’s leader Puss in Boots would take a hit of about 33% but to great surprise the film fluttered by just 2%. No one appears particularly confident as to the reasons why the film would maintain opening appeal and apart from the inarguable fact that it’s an anomaly, one can assume the combination of ideal weather conditions for movie going and a paucity of options for a family outing, Puss got the cream.

Critical response to Tower Heist was mixed and, curiously, apologetic. Its marquee power was expected to overcome its artistic shortcomings and likely did … just not to the expected box office outcome. That scenario’s been rife in the past year as well as the erosion of the historically most avid film going demo. Heist opening exit demos translated into an audience that was 56% female and 62% aged 30 years old and beyond.

Meanwhile the new 3D Harold & Kumar skewed 62% male and 57% younger than 25 years old. The sort of good news was that its bespectacled engagements accounted for 95% of its gross as compared to the soft 49% for the 3D outings of Puss in Boots.

The industry continues to hold out that the audience will return once the economy perks up. At the same time (notwithstanding the results of summer 2011) a very few titles are considered recession proof including Twilight and theater owners are anxiously counting the days to opening the fourth installment of the franchise.

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