By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
A Hard Hobbit to Break
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was given a clear field and generated a record-breaking December debut estimated at $84.7 million. It was a sufficient launch to elevate weekend revenues and attendance as the holiday bonanza looms.
Activity in the niches and exclusive bows was also comparatively light … and non-propulsive. Telugu entry Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu arrived with $173,000 from 47 venues and Any Day Now, the saga of a gay couple in the 1970s, eked out $35,700 from 16 screens. The handful plus of titles opening with one or two engagements all failed to register the type of debuts necessary for significant expension.
Weekend box office nonetheless pushed to roughly $140 million following the early December doldrums and a chipper 73% upward swing from seven days earlier. It was also 17% improved from 2012 when a trio of sequels held the top spots. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows led with $39.6 million followed by Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked at $23.3 million and a limited bow of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol added $12.8 million to the larder.
Critical indifference to The Hobbit failed to blunt fan enthusiasm that began with early Thursday screenings generating $13 million. Overall the film rang up screen averages of more than $20,000 with its 326 Imax and 461 48 f.p.s. excursions performing at a more ramped up level. The film accounted for about 60% of all weekend sales and the Tolkien adaptation itself roughly split viewers with 49% opting for stereoscopic engagements.
The audience itself skewed 57% male with 58% of the crowd aged 25 years-older and advanced.
Internationally the film went out day-and-date beginning last Wednesday in most major nations save Japan and China. Initial projections peg foreign revenues at more than $135 million.
The session also saw a few of the films positioning for Oscar attention making strategic expansions. Hitchcock appears to have hit its commercial glass ceiling while Hyde Park on Hudson remained on a roll with 32 new playdates following its four-screen bow last weekend. At this juncture prognosticators only see potential performing nods for either picture.
Presently Lincoln is the only major contender in wide release with Silver Linings Playbook struggling to stay above water until next month’s official Academy announcement of nominees. In the meantime one awaits a clutch of other hopefuls including the potential commercial blockbuster Les Miserables.
| Weekend (estimates) December 14 – 16, 2012 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | WB | 84.7 (20,930) | NEW | 4045 | 84.7 |
| Rise of the Guardians | Par | 7.3 (2,150) | -30% | 3387 | 71.2 |
| Lincoln | BV | 7.0 (3,060) | -22% | 2285 | 107.6 |
| Skyfall | Sony | 6.6 (2,270) | -39% | 2924 | 272 |
| Life of Pi | Fox | 5.3 (2,080) | -36% | 2548 | 69.5 |
| The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | Lionsgate | 5.1 (1,680) | -44% | 3042 | 276.8 |
| Wreck-It Ralph | BV | 3.2 (1,260) | -34% | 2549 | 168.7 |
| Playing for Keeps | Film District | 3.1 (1,100) | -46% | 2840 | 10.7 |
| Red Dawn | Film District | 2.4 (1.060) | -44% | 2754 | 40.9 |
| Silver Linings Playbook | Weinstein Co. | 2.0 (5,500) | -6% | 371 | 16.9 |
| Flight | Par | 1.9 (1,050) | -39% | 1823 | 89.4 |
| Argo | WB | 1.1 (1,680) | -24% | 667 | 104.9 |
| Hitchcock | Fox Searchlight | 1.1 (1.930) | 51% | 561 | 3 |
| Anna Karenina | Focus | 1.0 (2,400) | -37% | 409 | 8.3 |
| Killing Them Softly | Weinstein Co. | 1.0 (690) | -64% | 1427 | 14.1 |
| The Collection | LD Entertainment | .55 (880) | -63% | 621 | 6.5 |
| Taken 2 | Fox | .29 (860) | -25% | 339 | 138.1 |
| Hyde Park on Hudson | Focus | .29 (8.030) | 3492% | 36 | 0.4 |
| Pitch Perfect | Uni | .23 (700) | -24% | 332 | 63.8 |
| Talaash | Big Pictures | .18 (1,600) | -63% | 113 | 2.7 |
| Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu | iDream | .17 (3,680) | NEW | 47 | 0.2 |
| The Sessions | Fox Searchlight | .15 (990) | -31% | 151 | 5.2 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $133.35 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | 17% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | 73% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Esimesac | Alliance | 90,300 (1,610) | -32% | 56 | 0.67 |
| Chasing Ice | National Geo | 57,200 (1,190) | -44% | 48 | 0.64 |
| Rust and Bone | Sony Classics | 52,500 (8,750) | 1% | 6 | 0.2 |
| A Werewolf Boy | CJ Entertainment | 49,200 (2730) | -42% | 18 | 0.22 |
| Any Day Now | Music Box | 35,700 (2,230) | 16 | 0.04 | |
| The End of Time | First Run | 4,800 (2,400) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Trashed | Blenheim | 4,500 (2,250) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Save the Date | IFC | 3,600 (1,800) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Let Fury Have the Hour | Cavu | 2,800 (2,800) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| In the Hive | eOne | 2,700 (2,700) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Broken Roads | Sykronized | 1,800 (900) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Dec. 13, 2012) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share | |||
| Sony (24) | 1750.9 | 17.30% | |||
| Buena Vista (16) | 1486.7 | 14.60% | |||
| Warner Bros. (27) | 1430.3 | 14.10% | |||
| Universal (15) | 1212.6 | 12.00% | |||
| Lions Gate (20) | 1193.4 | 11.80% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (18) | 967.7 | 9.50% | |||
| Paramount (21) | 809.3 | 8.00% | |||
| Relativity (6) | 202.4 | 2.00% | |||
| Weinstein Co. (18) | 173.4 | 1.70% | |||
| Focus (9) | 139.5 | 1.40% | |||
| Open Road (6) | 138.3 | 1.40% | |||
| Fox Searchlight (10) | 113.4 | 1.10% | |||
| CBS (4) | 90.2 | 0.90% | |||
| Film District (5) | 50.6 | 0.50% | |||
| Summit (4) | 47.1 | 0.45% | |||
| Sony Classics (20) | 46.8 | 0.45% | |||
| Other * (337) | 286.8 | 3.20% | |||
| 10139.4 | 100.00% |
It looks very possible, it not downright likely, that Skyfall will eventually catch up with Breaking Dawn 2 in overall B.O.