By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Man of Steel reset the record book with an opening weekend estimated at $111.6 million. The session’s sole brave national counter-programmer debut, the apocalyptic comedy. Raptured the second spot with a solid $20.2 million.
Brighter by far were a couple of exclusive newcomers. Nonfiction yarn of session singers 20 Feet from Stardom opened to $51,200 at three spotlights and the youthful felons of The Bling Ring made off with a big haul of $197,000 from just five crime scenes.
In the niches a number of imports from India bowed to blah including Hindi Fukrey that grossed $72,600 at 60 locations.
Overall, it was to Krypton and back with close to $200 million in ticket sales for a 32% jump from last weekend. It was an even sturdier 52% improvement from 2012 that translated into the biggest June weekend ever. Last year the second weekend of Madagascar 3 led with a $34 million tally; top newcomer was Rock of Ages, third with $14.4 million.
The latest reboot of the Superman franchise arrived with high anticipation and the expectation of a $100 million-plus debut, and it delivered the biggest June debut on record. The picture also received a pre-release boost from a massive promotional tie-in with Walmart that offered shoppers an early peek of the man in tights tied in merchandizing buys. While there had been previous efforts like this, the Man of Steel push was the most massive campaign to date, with the studio expected to reap $10-$12 million additional at the box office, a 50% hike in Superman toy and paraphernalia sales, according to a Warner Bros. spokesman.
The film skewed older and male. Men accounted for 56% of opening viewers and the crowd was 62% aged 25-years and older according to studio exit polling.
Man of Steel also launched in 24 international territories, adding an estimated $71 million to its weekend battle royale. Among the major markets were the United Kingdom with $17 million, Mexico with $9.8 million and South Korea’s $8.8 million.
This is The End came in on target with tracking that suggested a gross in the low-to-mid-$30 million range. The studio decided to get a jump on the Kryptonian crusader with a Wednesday opening and collected $12.3 million pre-weekend. The buddy comedy unsurprisingly drew 60% male with 52% of eyes aged 25-years old and more senior.
Few of the alternative titles in the marketplace were able to secure new screens this weekend with the exception of Before Midnight,w chich expanded to a national presence with 897 engagements, with a disappointing $1.5 million box office. Modernized Much Ado About Nothing added 18 venues and maintained a strong PSA of $6,350.
| Weekend (estimates) June 14 – 16, 2013 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Man of Steel | WB | 111.6 (27,640) | NEW | 4207 | 123.6 |
| This is the End | Sony | 20.2 (6,600) | NEW | 3055 | 32.5 |
| Now You See Me | Lionsgate | 10.3 (3,340) | -46% | 3082 | 80 |
| Fast & Furious 6 | Uni | 9.4 (2,780) | -53% | 3375 | 219.5 |
| The Purge | Uni | 8.2 (3,150) | -78% | 2591 | 51.8 |
| The Internship | Fox | 7.0 (2,060) | -61% | 3399 | 31 |
| Epic | Fox | 5.8 (1,850) | -51% | 3151 | 95.3 |
| Star Trek Into Darkness | Par | 5.0 (2,130) | -58% | 2331 | 209.8 |
| After Earth | Sony | 3.7 (1,530) | -66% | 2432 | 54.2 |
| Iron Man 3 | BV | 2.8 (1,720) | -54% | 1649 | 399.5 |
| The Hangover Part III | WB | 2.7 (1,420) | -64% | 1901 | 108 |
| The Great Gatsby | WB | 1.6 (1,380) | -64% | 1175 | 139.9 |
| Before Midnight | Sony Classics | 1.5 (1,630) | 177% | 897 | 3.1 |
| 42 | WB | .62 (1,400) | 70% | 444 | 93.7 |
| The Croods | Fox | .56 (1,520) | -20% | 368 | 182.6 |
| Mud | Roadside | .52 (1,290) | -58% | 402 | 19.5 |
| Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani | Eros | .30 (2,710) | -62% | 112 | 3.4 |
| Frances Ha | IFC | .28 (1,330) | -48% | 213 | 2.9 |
| The East | Searchlight | .28 (2,440) | 23% | 115 | 0.7 |
| Oz The Great and Powerful | BV | .21 (820) | -43% | 259 | 234.1 |
| The Bling Ring | A24 | .20 (39,480) | NEW | 5 | 0.2 |
| Olympus Has Fallen | Film Distict/VVS | .17 (850) | -13% | 201 | 98.4 |
| Oblivion | Uni | .17 (650) | -32% | 258 | 88.8 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $191.5 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | 52% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | 32% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Much Ado About Nothing | Roadside | .15 (6,350) | -15% | 23 | 0.37 |
| The Kings of Summer | CBS | .14 (2,210) | -35% | 63 | 0.53 |
| Love is All You Need | Sony Classics | .11 (1,540) | -47% | 72 | 1.2 |
| Stories We Tell | Roadside | 81,300 (1,290) | -43% | 63 | 0.88 |
| Fill the Void | Sony Classics | 78,100 (4,340) | 0% | 18 | 0.38 |
| Fukrey | Eros | 72,600 (1,210) | 60 | 0.07 | |
| Dirty Wars | IFC | 55,800 (3,490) | -12% | 16 | 0.14 |
| Ephraim’s Rescue | Excel | 54,400 (1,940) | -13% | 28 | 0.34 |
| 20 Feet from Stardom | Weinstein Co. | 51,200 (17,070) | 3 | 0.05 | |
| Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru | UTV | 43,500 (3,110) | 14 | 0.04 | |
| Something Something | ATMUS | 26,600 (1,770) | 15 | 0.03 | |
| Pandora’s Promise | Abramorama | 21,400 (1,340) | 16 | 0.02 | |
| Oye Hoye Pyar Ho Gaya | Viva | 21,300 (2,130) | 10 | 0.02 | |
| So Young | China Lion | 5,200 (1,730) | 3 | 0.01 | |
| 200 Cartas | Vanguardia | 4,950 (2,475) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| More Than Honey | Kino | 4,650 (4,650) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Vehicle 19 | Ketchup | 4,400 (440) | 10 | 0.01 | |
| Call Me Kuchu | Cinedgm | 3,900 (3,900) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Berberian Sound Studio | IFC | 3,700 (620) | 6 | 0.01 | |
| Far Out Isn’t Far Enough | First Run | 3,400 (3,400) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Stepping High | Content | 2,700 (2,700) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Hatchet III | Dark Sky | 2,300 (2,300) | 3 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – June 6, 2013) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office (millions) | Market Share | |||
| Buena Vista (7) | 706.9 | 15.70% | |||
| Universal (9) | 696.3 | 15.50% | |||
| Warner Bros. (14) | 624.7 | 13.90% | |||
| Paramount (11) | 500.9 | 11.20% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (9) | 464.7 | 10.30% | |||
| Lionsgate (16) | 339.7 | 7.60% | |||
| Weinstein Co. (11) | 325.7 | 7.20% | |||
| Sony (8) | 275.1 | 6.10% | |||
| FilmDistrict (5) | 119.4 | 2.70% | |||
| Relativity (3) | 105.9 | 2.40% | |||
| Open Road (4) | 93.9 | 2.10% | |||
| Focus (6) | 53.5 | 1.20% | |||
| eOne/Alliance (14) | 23.6 | 0.50% | |||
| Roadside Attractions (3) | 22.7 | 0.50% | |||
| Sony Classics (11) | 21.7 | 0.50% | |||
| Other * (152) | 117.9 | 2.60% | |||
| 4492.6 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.4% | |||||
| Top Global Grossers (Jan. 1 – June 13, 2013) | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Box Office | |||
| Iron Man 3 | BV | 1,198,239,663 | |||
| Fast & Furious 6 | Uni | 603,223,192 | |||
| The Croods | Fox | 579,511,653 | |||
| Oz the Great and Powerful | BV | 492,176,198 | |||
| Star Trek Into Darkness | Par | 384,674,356 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Par | 366,347,599 | |||
| Django Unchained * | Weinstein/Sony | 355,466,101 | |||
| A Good Day to Die Hard | Fox | 304,834,148 | |||
| Les Miserables * | Uni | 301,287,664 | |||
| The Hangover Part III | WB | 292,914,835 | |||
| The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey * | WB | 288,252,146 | |||
| The Great Gatsby | WB | 286,819,868 | |||
| Life of Pi * | Fox | 281,934,486 | |||
| Oblivion | Uni | 280,913,615 | |||
| Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters | Par | 226,393,241 | |||
| Journey to the West | Huayi Brothers | 208,631,598 | |||
| Silver Linings Playbook * | Weinstein Co. | 208,257,053 | |||
| Jack the Giant Slayer | WB | 202,136,306 | |||
| Epic | Fox | 200,566,244 | |||
| Wreck-It Ralph * | BV | 188,059,002 | |||
| Identity Thief | Uni | 174,725,819 | |||
| Olympus Has Fallen | FilmDistrict | 162,929,713 | |||
| Mama | Uni | 147,369,960 | |||
| Lincoln * | BV/Fox | 141,579,929 | |||
| Jack Reacher * | Par | 137,698,244 | |||
| * does not include 2012 box office |
