By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

The Weekend Report: March 11, 2012

Plan Carter in Outer Space

Like a hideous car accident all eyes were on John Carter. Or, at the very least there was the prospect of the anticipated catastrophe that a calculated franchise title would come crashing down to earth (or Mars).

The film proved to be somewhat of a split decision. Its opening estimated gross of $30.1 million ranked it second to Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’s second weekend of $39 million. So, while the hero of the pulps and pecs was not a flame out neither did he flex the sort of commercial heft that would anticipate sequels.

There were two additional new releases in the current frame. The eerie going ons of Silent House charted fifth in the lineup with $6.8 million and a notch down it was not a pretty picture for Eddie Murphy’s antics in A Thousand Words with a box office bow of $6.2  million.

Prospects were slightly better for the limited wide opening of Friends with Kids that grossed $2 million at 374 locations. And in the niches Bollywood entry Kahaani had a decent $241,000 debut at 48 venues.

There were also a number of encouraging exclusive bows beginning with the Brit light drama Salmon Fishing in the Yeman that grossed $223,000 from 18 screens. Israeli Oscar submission Footnote posted $47,300 at two theaters and non-fiction Jiro Dreams of Sushi showed similar potency with $42,500 in another twosome.

Overall weekend revenues generated close to $140 million in e-tickets sales for a 19% decline from the prior frame. It was 7% improve from 2011 when the opening of Battle: Los Angeles led the field with $35.6 million and other newcomers Red Riding Hood and Mars Needs Moms trailed respectively with $14 million and $6.9 million.

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ bygone pulp favorite John Carter of Mars has enticed myriad filmmakers over the decades and seemed a natural to join his Tarzan as a movie staple. But matters appeared to unravel at early previews and from a confused marketing campaign in which reference to the Red Planet was excised. Critical response was extreme and variegated but not surprising considering the scrutiny awarded the costly production.

Domestically John Carter came up short of its targeted young male audience that was 63% composed of that gender but 59% aged 25 and older. International results were considerably more upbeat with an estimated $70 million salvo that included most major territories save for Japan and China. The prospects of an eventual $350 million global gross are good … but not enough to revisit the character on the big screen.

That comeback picture for Eddie Murphy remained on the horizon following the opening of A Thousand Pictures. It skewed 55% female with 61% of viewers aged 25 and older. It seems an eternity since the comic connected with the hip and the young.

Memories of Oscar are also fading fast with The Artist falling significantly short of the $60 million gross predicted by its distributor. The film received a considerable boost internationally last weekend with a current international cume of $70 million. A Separation was another beneficiary of Academy largesse with its international gross now approaching $20 million.

Weekend (estimates) March 9 – 11, 2012
Title Distributor Gross (avg) % chng Thtrs Cume
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Uni 39.0 (10,420) -44% 3746 121.9
John Carter BV 30.1 (8,040) NEW 3749 30.1
Project X WB 11.4 (3,730) -46% 3065 40
Act of Valor Relativity 7.0 (2,380) -48% 2951 56.1
Silent House Open Road/eOne 6.8 (3,210) NEW 2124 6.8
A Thousand Words Par 6.2 (3,290) NEW 1890 6.2
Safe House Uni 4.9 (2,300) -33% 2144 115.7
The Vow Sony 4.0 (1,600) -34% 2478 117.6
This Means War Fox 3.7 (1,910) -33% 1949 46.9
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island WB 3.6 (1,440) -44% 2525 90.7
Good Deeds Lions Gate 3.0 (2,000) -57% 1516 30.6
The Artist Weinstein Co. 2.1 (1,420) -41% 1505 40.3
Friends with Kids Roadside Attractions 2.0 (5,400) NEW 374 2
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Sony 2.0 (1,090) -58% 1804 48.1
Wanderlust Uni 1.7 (1,400) -56% 1220 15.6
Gone Summit ,93 (810) -69% 1144 10.8
Chronicle Fox .91 (1,530) -53% 595 62.3
A Separation Sony Classics .78 (2,770) -18% 281 4.8
The Descendants Fox Searchlight .69 (1,330) -47% 517 81.5
Hugo Par .62 (1,980) -50% 313 72.3
The Iron Lady Weinstein Co. .57 (1,280) -33% 447 27.9
The Woman in Black CBS .46 (1,060) -60% 433 53
The Secret of Arrietty BV .39 (780) -74% 501 17.5
Star Wars, Episode 1 – 3D Fox .32 (1,240) -71% 258 42.8
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $132.00
% Change (Last Year) 7%
% Change (Last Week) -19%
Also debuting/expanding
Kahaani Viva .24 (5,020) 48 0.24
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen CBS .22 (12,390) 18 0.22
We Need to Talk About Kevin Oscilloscope .15 (2,540) 15% 60 1
In Darkness Sony Classics .11 (2,260) 6% 50 0.57
Rampart Millennium 68,200 (1,180) -43% 58 0.66
Undefeated Weinstein Co. 55,700 (4,280) -32% 13 0.25
Footnote Sony Classics 47,300 (23,650) 2 0.05
Being Flynn Focus 43,400 (3,620) -1% 12 0.1
Jiro Dreams of Sushi Magnolia 42,500 (21,250) 2 0.04
Mr. Nookaya Bahrat 20,600 (1,580) 13 0.02
Boy Paladin 28,400 (14,200) -17% 4 0.04
Romeo Onze Metropole 9,100 (2,280) 4 0.01
Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jay Adopt 6,300 (2,100) 3 0.01
Howling CJ Entertainment 5,700 (5,700) 1 0.01
Attenberg Strand 4,300 (4,300) 1 0.01
Bending the Rules IDP 4,100 (410) 10 0.01
Sound of Noise Magnolia 3,200 (1,600) 2 0.01
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – March 8, 2012)
Distributor (releases) Gross Market Share
Universal (6) 295.1 15.70%
20th Century Fox (8) 282.1 15.00%
Sony (9) 279.2 14.90%
Warner Bros. (11) 256.8 13.70%
Paramount (8) 204.9 10.90%
Buena Vista (6) 115.3 6.10%
Relativity (3) 68.8 3.70%
Weinstein Co. (6) 67.5 3.60%
Lions Gate (2) 53.6 2.80%
CBS (1) 52.5 2.80%
Open Road (1) 46.4 2.50%
Summit (4) 44.7 2.40%
Fox Searchlight (3) 44.1 2.40%
Focus (2) 20.9 1.10%
Sony Classics (7) 10 0.50%
Other * (66) 35.3 1.90%
1877.2 100.00%
* none greater than 0.04%
Top Domestic Grossers (Jan. 1 – March 8, 2012) *
Title Distributor Box Office
The Vow Sony 113,613,746
Safe House Uni 110,803,815
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island WB 87,030,611
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol * Par 85,736,441
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Uni 82,878,830
Contraband Uni 66,410,885
Underworld: Awakening Sony 62,342,483
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows * WB 62,313,544
Chronicle Fox 61,362,872
The Devil Inside Par 53,203,521
The Woman in Black CBS 52,540,246
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo * Sony 51,845,543
The Grey Open Road/eOne 50,836,301
Red Tails Fox 49,227,987
Act of Valor Relativity 49,100,597
Beauty and the Beast 3D (reissue BV 47,265,159
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Sony 46,100,147
This Means War Fox 43,139,350
War Horse * BV 42,929,021
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked Fox 42,749,145
* does not include 2011 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