By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Grimm and Bear It
If not quite happily ever after, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters bowed at the top of the charts with an estimated $18.5 million. The session’s other debuting national releases proved less potent. The tough guy antics of Parker was fifth in the lineup with $6.8 million while the comic pursuit of an infamous film, Movie 43, was a notch below with $4.8 million.
In the niches a couple of films from the Indian diasporas had strong openings. Hindi Race 2 sped to $832,000 at 153 venues and Tamil Vishwaroopam scored $659,000 from 84 locations. A handful of exclusive openings also stepped out with encouraging results.
Overall weekend revenues pushed to roughly $110 million for the first downturns of 2013. In addition to a 25% dip from last weekend’s MLK holiday session, box office also experienced a 15% slide from 2012 when the opening of The Grey topped viewing options with $19.7 million with fellow newcomer One For the Money grossed $11.5 million.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters was on track to lead weekend ticket sales with estimates in the low to mid-20s. However, it fell short of expectations, in part due to severe winter storms that exhibitors prefer to program on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Obviously hoping to mine the strain of last year’s Snow White and the Huntsman, the adult protagonists ramped up the stakes with 3D and drew in an initial crowd that was 55% male and 57% aged 25 and older. Now stamina will be key going forward.
Parker continues Jason Statham’s position as his generation’s Charles Bronson. It’s a tough legacy … but someone has to do it now that Schwarzenegger and Stallone have segued into self-deprecation.
Movie 43 proved once again that the comedy omnibus film is not dead except in commercial terms. The audience was 51% male and 59% aged 25-years and younger and largely undiscerning.
The industry is hunkering down for next week’s Super Bowl weekend with the inevitable abandon all hope attitude. And on the Oscar front, about the only film in the marketplace that shows the confidence of a winner is Amour … and it’s on 64 screens.
Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters | Par | 18.5 (5,480) | NEW | 3372 | 18.5 |
Mama | Uni/eOne | 12.8 (4,780) | -55% | 2682 | 48.6 |
Zero Dark Thirty | Sony/Alliance | 9.5 (3,250) | -40% | 2929 | 69.6 |
Silver Linings Playbook | Weinstein Co. | 9.4 (3,570) | -12% | 2641 | 68.9 |
Parker | FilmDistrict | 6.8 (3,070) | NEW | 2224 | 6.8 |
Movie 43 | Relativity | 4.8 (2,380) | NEW | 2023 | 4.8 |
Django Unchained | Weinstein Co. | 4.8 (2,400) | -38% | 2007 | 146.1 |
Gangster Squad | WB | 4.1 (1,570) | -53% | 2590 | 39.5 |
Les Miserables | Uni | 3.9 (1,750) | -48% | 2210 | 137.2 |
Broken City | Fox | 3.8 (1,460) | -54% | 2622 | 15.1 |
Lincoln | BV | 3.7 (1,950) | -32% | 1909 | 166.9 |
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | WB | 3.3 (1,990) | -46% | 1675 | 293.3 |
A Haunted House | Open Road | 3.1 (1,570) | -62% | 2002 | 35.3 |
Life of Pi | Fox | 2.6 (2,800) | -21% | 941 | 103.5 |
Parental Guidance | Fox | 2.3 (1,340) | -45% | 1736 | 70.7 |
The Last Stand | Lionsgate | 2.0 (690) | -68% | 2913 | 10.5 |
The Impossible | Lionsgate | 1.9 (2,400) | -24% | 782 | 13.2 |
Argo | WB | 1.8 (2,790) | -22% | 635 | 117.5 |
Quartet | Weinstein Co. | 1.1 (6,630) | 255% | 163 | 1.6 |
Race 2 | UTV | .83 (5,420) | NEW | 153 | 0.83 |
Jack Reacher | Par | .82 (920) | -63% | 888 | 78.2 |
Skyfall | Sony | .75 (1,620) | -23% | 463 | 302 |
This is 40 | Uni | .73 (1,440) | -64% | 507 | 66.3 |
Wreck-It Ralph | BV | .71 (1,210) | -45% | 588 | 182.5 |
Vishwaroopam | Blue Sky | .66 (7,850) | NEW | 84 | 0.66 |
Amour | Sony Classics | .45 (6,960) | 19% | 64 | 1.8 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $104.70 | ||||
% Change (Last Year) | -15% | ||||
% Change (Last Week) | -23% | ||||
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
Rust and Bone | Sony Classics | .12 (1,030) | -47% | 116 | 1.7 |
John Dies at the End | Magnolia | 13,300 (13,300) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Italy: Love It, or Leave It | KinoSmith | 12,400 (12,400) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Catimini | Axia | 11,500 (880) | 13 | 0.01 | |
Yossi | Strand | 10,700 (5,350) | 2 | 0.01 | |
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga | Music Box | 8,900 (8,900) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Supporting Characters | TriBeCa | 2,800 (2,800) | 1 | 0.01 |