By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Bourne to Run
The Bourne Legacy provided a re-boot to the spy franchise that grossed an estimated $40.2 million and led weekend box office sales. Another newcomer, The Campaign, mixed politics and extreme comedy for a $27.4 million tally that slotted in second in the charts. The third national freshman Hope Springs was two notches back with $15.3 million.
In the niches the daredevil antics of Nitro Circus provided $1.1 million in 800 stereoscopic engagements and just fair returns for French box office hit Sur la piste du Marsupilami of $134,000 from a 43-screen launch in Quebec. However, new Telegu release Julayi was a sensation with box office of $473,000 from 52 venues.
A few incoming exclusives had encouraging starts including Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer that grossed $41,500 from four initial playdates. Single screen runs for a reissue of 1971’s Max et les ferrailleurs and the Hong Kong-set $upercapitalist respectively grossed $10,400 and $9,600.
Overall frame revenues generated slightly more than $145 million and an 18% boost from seven days back. It was however 6% down from 2011 when the second weekend of Rise of the Planet of the Apes led with $27.8 million followed by debuts of The Help and Final Destination with respective bows of $26 million and $18 million.
Tracking on all three national releases was pretty much on target. The Bourne Legacy had long been a big question mark not helped by acrimonious comments by Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass centered on being unceremoniously dumped. Opening exit demos translated into a slight male skew of 52% and 69% of viewers aged north of 30 years-old and good but not sensational response.
Nonetheless, Universal’s summer record has been impressive with a string of originals including Ted, Snow White and the Huntsman and The Lorax, the current re-boot and only the domestic disappointment of Battleship on its release slate.
The Campaign had a major hurdle to clear in lampooning contemporary electioneering that’s become relatively outrageous. It went big just to get close to the current vérité and found a similar crowd to Bourne comprised 55% male and 64% aged 25 years-old and up.
That left Hope Springs to capitalize on women and studio demos reported a 66% skew in that direction. They also identified a 69% list for viewers aged 40 years and older which likely means a very, very smaller percentage of opening weekenders aged 25-years and younger. Expect considerable effort to attract younger women in the coming weeks.
Weekend (estimates) August 10 – 12, 2012 | |||||
Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
The Bourne Legacy | Uni | 40.2 (10,740) | NEW | 3746 | 40.2 |
The Campaign | WB | 27.4 (8,550) | NEW | 3205 | 27.4 |
The Dark Knight Rises | WB | 19.6 (5,310) | -45% | 3690 | 390.3 |
Hope Springs | Sony | 15.3 (6,500) | NEW | 2361 | 19.8 |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | Fox | 8.2 (2,400) | -44% | 3401 | 30.5 |
Total Recall | Sony | 8.1 (2,260) | -68% | 3601 | 44.2 |
Ice Age: Continental Drift | Fox | 6.7 (2,150) | -22% | 3103 | 144 |
Ted | Uni | 3.3 (1,500) | -42% | 2202 | 209.9 |
Step-Up Revolution | Lions Gate | 2.8 (1,480) | -52% | 1898 | 30.1 |
The Amazing Spider-Man | Sony | 2.2 (1,360) | -51% | 1585 | 255.5 |
The Watch | Fox | 2.0 (800) | -70% | 2463 | 31.1 |
Brave | BV | 1.8 (1,440) | -39% | 1259 | 227.3 |
Nitro Circus | Arc Entertainment | 1.1 (1,340) | NEW | 800 | 2.1 |
Beasts of the Southern Wild | Searchlight/eOne | .73 (2,550) | -37% | 286 | 7.2 |
Moonrise Kingdom | Focus | .62 (1,390) | -50% | 447 | 42.1 |
Julayi | Ficus | .47 (9,100) | NEW | 52 | 0.65 |
To Rome with Love | Sony Classics | .44 (1,680) | -46% | 264 | 15.1 |
Ruby Sparks | Fox Searchlight | .43 (1,660) | 9% | 261 | 1.2 |
Magic Mike | WB | .43 (950) | -70% | 450 | 112.2 |
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | Par | .42 (1,390) | -28% | 306 | 211.7 |
Intouchables | Alliance/Weinstein | .40 (2,050) | -29% | 194 | 9.6 |
The Hunger Games | Lions Gate | .32 (990) | -25% | 325 | 407.3 |
Madea’s Witness Protection | Lions Gate | .31 (840) | -58% | 364 | 64.8 |
Snow White and the Huntsman | Uni | .28 (1,010) | -13% | 273 | 154.3 |
The Avengers | BV | .26 (1,190) | -37% | 220 | 617.3 |
Savages | Uni | .26 (810) | -74% | 316 | 46.8 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $139.95 | ||||
% Change (Last Year) | -6% | ||||
% Change (Last Week) | 18% | ||||
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
The Queen of Versailles | Magnolia | .20 (2,430) | -24% | 84 | 0.9 |
Killer Joe | LD | .14 (3,920) | -12% | 36 | 0.43 |
Sur la piste du Marsupilami | Equinoxe | .13 (3,120) | 43 | 0.13 | |
Celeste and Jesse Forever | Sony Classics | .13 (7,280) | 21% | 18 | 0.29 |
Searching for Sugar Man | Sony Classics | 61,700 (4,110) | 59% | 15 | 0.16 |
The Imposters | Indomina | 42,600 (3,280) | 19% | 13 | 0.17 |
Red Hook Summer | Variance | 41,500 (10,370) | 4 | 0.04 | |
2 Days in New York | Magnolia | 22,300 (5,570) | 4 | 0.02 | |
Max et les ferrailleurs (reissue) | Rialto | 10,400 (10,400) | 1 | 0.01 | |
$upercapitalist | RAW | 9,600 (9,600) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Meet the Fokkens | Lorber | 7,100 (7,100) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Compliance | eOne | 6,800 (3,400) | 2 | 0.01 | |
Goats | Image | 1,950 (490) | 4 | 0.01 | |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – August 9, 2012) | |||||
Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share | |||
Buena Vista (11) | 1075.3 | 15.40% | |||
Warner Bros. (19) | 1074.7 | 15.40% | |||
Sony (17) | 1067.6 | 15.30% | |||
Universal (12) | 1005.4 | 14.40% | |||
20th Century Fox (14) | 698.1 | 10.00% | |||
Lions Gate (11) | 669.5 | 9.60% | |||
Paramount (14) | 585.9 | 8.40% | |||
Relativity (5) | 170.8 | 2.50% | |||
Fox Searchlight (8) | 98.8 | 1.40% | |||
Weinstein Co. (9) | 87.6 | 1.30% | |||
Open Road (3) | 72.2 | 1.00% | |||
Focus (5) | 70.8 | 1.00% | |||
CBS (2) | 63.6 | 0.90% | |||
Summit (4) | 47.1 | 0.70% | |||
Sony Classics (17) | 38.2 | 0.60% | |||
Other * (208) | 141 | 2.00% | |||
6966.6 | 100.00% | ||||
* none greater than 0.4% | |||||
Top Domestic Grossers (Jan. 1 – Aug. 9, 2012) | * | ||||
Title | Distributor | Gross | |||
The Avengers | BV | 617,021,093 | |||
The Hunger Games | Lions Gate | 406,970,235 | |||
The Dark Knight Rises | WB | 370,608,819 | |||
The Amazing Spider-Man | Sony | 253,343,442 | |||
Brave | BV | 225,442,866 | |||
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax | Uni | 214,407,041 | |||
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | Par | 211,252,716 | |||
Ted | Uni | 206,624,910 | |||
Men in Black III | Sony | 177,019,474 | |||
Snow White and the Huntsman | Uni | 154,024,710 | |||
21 Jump Street | Sony | 138,591,227 | |||
Ice Age: Continental Drift | Fox | 137,314,052 | |||
Safe House | Uni | 126,367,263 | |||
Prometheus | Fox | 125,937,261 | |||
The Vow | Sony | 125,074,813 | |||
Magic Mike | WB | 111,816,618 | |||
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | WB | 103,969,647 | |||
Think Like a Man | Sony | 91,823,043 | |||
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol * | Par | 87,174,082 | |||
Wrath of the Titans | WB | 83,712,950 | |||
* does not include 2011 box office |