By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report: January 1, 2012
Ring Out the Old
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol once again topped the weekend charts with a three day estimated gross of $31 million.
Initial estimates peg the year with roughly a $10.2 billion tally that would cash out about 4% below 2011. It’s also apt to mean a 6% decline in admissions with no immediate strategy to reverse the on-going movie going erosion.
The current session also featured the first full weekends for War Horse and The Darkest Hour in wide release and a few new entries squeaking in for award consideration. Of the latter, the most dynamic was the Thatcher portrait The Iron Lady that rang up a considerable $72,000 average from its four playdates. Also potent was Iranian Oscar submission A Separation with $57,500 at three venues while the urban drama Pariah had just OK returns of $43,700 from four screens.
The three-day portion of 2011’s final weekend generated roughly $170 million worth of ticket sales. Following weeks of declines, the final surge posted a 28% boost from the prior weekend and was up 4% from last year’s 52nd weekend when Little Fockers posted $30.8 million and True Grit was the bridesmaid with $24.6 million.
New editions of Mission: Impossible, Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks have emerged as the seasonal hits. The commercial fates of War Horse, We Bought a Zoo and especially The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with two further episodes in the works hinge on sustainability in the new year and international response. This particular trio won’t likely maximize on awards traction.
The season has already seen disappointing response for family friendly The Muppets, Hugo and Happy Feet Two while Young Adult prospects for a second wind based upon Oscar nominations remain a giant question mark.
The announcement of Oscar nominations are just a few weeks away and with so many critics groups and Golden Globe postings already known the Academy declaration could be a giant anti-climax. The biggest surprise could well boil down to the number of best picture nominees.
Still, there’s a margin of time for companies with Oscar contenders to “remind” us all of their wares and shoe horn some high profile nominations. It’s gearing up like the fight for a Republican presidential candidate – with a perceived front runner that no one’s YET fully embraced and the prospect looming that someone can upset the apple cart.
And btw Happy New Year!
| Weekend (estimates) December 30, 2011 – January 1, 2012 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Par | 31.0 (8,960) | 5% | 3455 | 133.9 |
| Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows | WB | 22.1 (5,960) | 9% | 3703 | 132.1 |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked | Fox | 18.1 (4,850) | 44% | 3724 | 94.4 |
| War Horse | BV | 16.7 (6,540) | NEW | 2547 | 42.7 |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | Sony | 15.6 (5,350) | 22% | 2914 | 56.4 |
| We Bought a Zoo | Fox | 14.1 (4,460) | 51% | 3163 | 41.6 |
| The Adventures of Tintin | Par | 11.7 (3,780) | 4% | 3087 | 47.5 |
| New Year’s Eve | WB | 6.8 (3,070) | 106% | 2225 | 46.5 |
| The Darkest Hour | Summit | 4.3 (1,860) | NEW | 2327 | 13.3 |
| The Descendants | Fox Searchlight | 3.8 (4,990) | 82% | 758 | 39.8 |
| The Muppets | BV | 2.7 (1,760) | 26% | 1541 | 82.6 |
| Hugo | Par | 2.4 (2.550) | 14% | 951 | 49.4 |
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn | Summit | 2.1 (1,460) | 40% | 1411 | 275.5 |
| Young Adult | Par | 2.1 (2,160) | -1% | 987 | 12.1 |
| The Artist | Weinstein Co. | 1.5 (8,800) | 66% | 167 | 5.2 |
| The Sitter | Fox | 1.5 (1,130) | -12% | 1348 | 26.2 |
| Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy | Focus | 1.2 (21,270) | 63% | 55 | 4 |
| My Week with Marilyn | Weinstein Co. | 1.0 (1,520) | 71% | 630 | 9 |
| Arthur Christmas | Sony | .76 (500) | -64% | 1524 | 46 |
| Puss in Boots | Par | .74 (1,900) | 74% | 389 | 145.5 |
| Don 2 | Big Pictures | .42 (2,590) | -75% | 162 | 3.1 |
| Happy Feet Two | WB | .39 (740) | 78% | 525 | 60 |
| A Dangerous Method | Sony Classics | .31 (5,380) | 58% | 58 | 1.6 |
| J. Edgar | WB | .27 (590) | 93% | 455 | 36.6 |
| Tower Heist | Uni | .26 (1,030) | 90% | 253 | 76.7 |
| The Iron Lady | Weinstein Co. | .23 (72,000) | NEW | 4 | 0.23 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $160.20 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | 4% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | 28% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Shame | Searchlight/Alliance | .19 (3,510) | 56% | 55 | 1.9 |
| Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | WB | .10 (17,330) | 6 | 0.31 | |
| Carnage | Sony Classics | .10 (8,300) | 71% | 12 | 0.36 |
| A Separation | Sony Classics | 57,500 (19,170) | 3 | 0.06 | |
| Pariah | Focus | 43,700 (10,920) | 4 | 0.08 | |
| In the Land of Blood and Honey | Film District | 7,700 (3,850) | -59% | 2 | 0 |
| Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Dec. 18, 2011) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share | |||
| Paramount (22) | 1786.1 | 18.40% | |||
| Warner Bros. (29) | 1701.5 | 17.60% | |||
| Sony (28) | 1212.4 | 12.50% | |||
| Buena Vista (16) | 1182.9 | 12.20% | |||
| Universal (18) | 1039.4 | 10.70% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (18) | 868.3 | 9.00% | |||
| Summit (9) | 391.5 | 4.00% | |||
| Lions Gate (16) | 185 | 1.90% | |||
| Fox Searchlight (13) | 140.3 | 1.60% | |||
| Film District (4) | 125.9 | 1.30% | |||
| Focus (8) | 124.5 | 1.30% | |||
| Sony Classics (18) | 86.6 | 0.90% | |||
| CBS (3) | 57.5 | 0.60% | |||
| Other * (337) | 269.1 | 2.80% | |||
| 9688 | 100.00% |
