The Weekend Report

Things That Go Thud in the Night

The national launch of Zero Dark Thirty led weekend box office with an estimated $23.9 million. The controversial Oscar touted film edged out two debuting movies. The spoofish A Haunted House bowed to $18.5 million while the period yarn of lawlessness Gangster Squad garnered $16.7 million.

In the niches a clutch of Indian films opened for local holidays with Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu making the loudest noise with a $1.44 million tally. Also solid were Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola with $357,000 at 116 venues, Telegu Naayak grossing $166,000 from 55 playdates and Saadi Love Story with $92,500 from 27 engagements.

Among exclusives the Oscar-excluded yarn of aging Brit opera folk Quartet was off to a good start of $48,600 from two screens.

Overall box office generated a little better than $140 million for a 4% dip from the prior weekend. It was 7% improved from 2012 when debuts of Contraband and Beauty and the Beast 3D topped the charts with respective debuts of $24.4 million and $17.6 million.

The critics were withering in regard to the Aurora-delayed Gangster Squad. Compared unfavorably to the likes of L.A. Confidential it drew a 50/50 split among the genders and roughly 65% of the crowd was aged 25-years and older according to studio exit polling.

Also largely dismissed was A Haunted House that appeared to be channeling the Scary Movie franchise … with albeit fuzzy reception. Commercially the best one could say was that it appeared to be less effected by football playoffs than other new and holdover titles in wide release.

Though well-repped in major Academy categories, Zero Dark Thirty had been receiving the most ink for the absence of a best direction nomination. It attracted an audience 59% composed of males and was 62% aged 30 years old and over.

Though the era of big Oscar bumps has largely evaporated, it should come as no great surprise that some films have benefited from the spotlight by dent of strategic release patterns. That said Silver Linings Playbook got an out-sized lift with the modest addition of 65 screens. Otherwise the likes of Lincoln and the Life of Pi were steady and Les Misérables took a dip consistent with early January.

And unquestionably the Austrian-French Amour received considerably more love with nominations in the picture, direction and actress categories in addition to its anticipated slot among foreign-language contenders.

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