By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Monsters University picked up considerable steam in the days prior to its release and breezed past World War Z in industry tracking. When the dust settled MU bowed to an estimated $81.3 million and WWZ packed a wallop of $66.2 million. Together they propelled weekend business to another industry record for the month of June.
Overall session revenues topped $245 million for a tidy 16% boost from seven days prior. It was a highly significant 47% boost from 2012 when the launch of Brave topped the charts with a $66.3 million box office and bridesmaid Madagascar 3 added $19.7 million to the pot. Early fears that the current summer would be muggy and dry are being drastically reassessed.
In the niches, Bollywood newcomer Raanjhnaa debuted to an OK $373,000 at 99 locations. And it was a comparatively light frame for exclusive titles. Among the new limited releases that showed encouraging returns were the Danish thriller A Hijacking with $35,600 at six sites; Middle Eastern powderkeg The Attack grossed $26,500 from three screens and Brit drama Unfinished Song generated $25,300 for two playdates.
Monsters University continues Pixar’s unprecedented streak of chart toppers and global hits. Still the days of rapturous critical reception have dissipated as the factory churns out a new generation of sequels–literal and figurative.
The film tilted somewhat female at 56% and was unquestionably family-friendly with studio exit polling placing that sector at 73%. It was also reflected a very encouraging 60% aged 25-years and younger. No doubt the studio’s decision to reissue Monsters Inc. last year established a solid base from which to launch the new incarnation.
Monsters U also went out in a more aggressive than usual thrust internationally, with 35 territories opening simultaneously to an estimated $54 million.
Despite highly publicized postproduction problems that pushed back the release of World War Z, the apocalyptic yarn of us against rampaging zombies received generally positive reviews. It was ever so slighted slanted female with 51% of viewers and decidedly adult with 67% of the opening weekend crowd aged 25-years and more senior. However, with no World War Y to prepare audiences it remained a step behind the animated Pixie.
That was also the case internationally where WWZ bowed day-and-date in 25 nations and generated an impressive $46 million.
On the alternative side, both The Bling Ring and Much Ado About Nothing added screens, the latter more cautiously. The former appears to have somewhat less expansive possibilities than A24’s earlier sneak hit, Spring Breakers, while the Shakespearian adaptation looks to embody slow and steady appeal through the season.
| Weekend (estimates) June 21 – 23, 2013 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Monsters University | BV | 81.3 (20,312) | NEW | 4004 | 81.3 |
| World War Z | Par | 66.2 (18,360) | NEW | 3607 | 66.2 |
| Man of Steel | WB | 41.2 (9,800) | -65% | 4207 | 210 |
| This is the End | Sony | 13.0 (4,270) | -37% | 3055 | 57.8 |
| Now You See Me | Lionsgate | 7.8 (2,760) | -29% | 2823 | 94.4 |
| Fast & Furious 6 | Uni | 4.7 (1,940) | -51% | 2417 | 228.4 |
| The Purge | Uni | 3.4 (1,540) | -59% | 2201 | 59.4 |
| The Internship | Fox | 3.4 (1,770) | -53% | 1916 | 38.3 |
| Star Trek Into Darkness | Par | 3.0 (1,900) | -53% | 1565 | 216.6 |
| Iron Man 3 | BV | 2.2 (2,360) | -26% | 924 | 403.1 |
| The Bling Ring | A24 | 1.9 (2,970) | 802% | 650 | 2.3 |
| Epic | Fox | 1.7 (860) | -73% | 1994 | 101 |
| Before Midnight | Sony Classics | .89 (2,020) | -36% | 441 | 4.6 |
| After Earth | Sony | .84 (720) | -79% | 1166 | 57.3 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | Roadside | .68 (3,300) | 320% | 206 | 1.1 |
| The Hangover Part III | WB | .67 (1,260) | -76% | 530 | 110 |
| The Great Gatsby | WB | .56 (1,550) | -67% | 362 | 141.6 |
| The Croods | Fox | .51 (1,570) | -11% | 324 | 183.6 |
| Raanjhnaa | Eros | .37 (3,770) | NEW | 99 | 0.37 |
| The East | Searchlight | .34 (1,740) | 18% | 195 | 1.2 |
| Mud | Roadside | .27 (1,290) | -49% | 213 | 20.1 |
| 42 | WB | .25 (760) | -59% | 325 | 94.2 |
| Frances Ha | IFC | .28 (1,330) | -48% | 135 | 3.04 |
| Oz The Great and Powerful | BV | .19 (810) | -35% | 233 | 234.5 |
| Fill the Void | Sony Classics | .17 (3,660) | 86% | 46 | 0.6 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $233.95 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | 47% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | 16% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| The Kings of Summer | CBS | .13 (2,060) | -14% | 65 | 0.76 |
| 20 Feet from Stardom | Weinstein Co. | 64,300 (10,720) | 18% | 6 | 0.15 |
| Dirty Wars | IFC | 46,700 (2,340) | -4% | 20 | 0.2 |
| Love is All You Need | Sony Classics | 58,700 (1,330) | -42% | 44 | 1.3 |
| Stories We Tell | Roadside | 48,200 (1,460) | -42% | 33 | 0.97 |
| Hannah Arendt | Zeitgeist | 36,700 (2,450) | 37% | 15 | 0.2 |
| A Hijacking | Magnolia | 35,600 (5,930) | 6 | 0.04 | |
| The Attack | Cohen Media | 26,500 (8,830) | 3 | 0.03 | |
| Unfinished Song | Weinstein Co. | 25,300 (12,650) | 2 | 0.03 | |
| SOMM | IDP | 20,600 (5,150) | 4 | 0.02 | |
| 1er amour | Seville | 17,200 (1,080) | 16 | 0.02 | |
| Action | Ficus | 9,400 (410) | 23 | 0.01 | |
| Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire | Dead Patriot | 3,700 (220) | 17 | 0.01 | |
| Made in Cleveland | Striped Ent. | 3,400 (680) | 5 | 0.01 | |
| Downloaded | Abramorama | 1,900 (1,900) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – June 20, 2013) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office (millions) | Market Share | |||
| Warner Bros. (14) | 780.4 | 16.30% | |||
| Universal (9) | 722.7 | 15.10% | |||
| Buena Vista (8) | 714.3 | 14.90% | |||
| Paramount (12) | 513.5 | 10.70% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (9) | 486.5 | 10.20% | |||
| Lionsgate (16) | 356.8 | 7.50% | |||
| Weinstein Co. (12) | 326.3 | 6.80% | |||
| Sony (8) | 313.6 | 6.50% | |||
| FilmDistrict (5) | 119.6 | 2.50% | |||
| Relativity (3) | 105.9 | 2.20% | |||
| Open Road (4) | 93.9 | 2.00% | |||
| Focus (6) | 53.6 | 1.10% | |||
| Sony Classics (11) | 24.1 | 0.50% | |||
| eOne/Alliance (14) | 23.8 | 0.50% | |||
| Roadside Attractions (3) | 23.7 | 0.50% | |||
| Other * (159) | 121.3 | 2.70% | |||
| 4780 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.4% |
What is happening with Before Midnight? Why is it not getting a bigger push (in terms of ads and number of screens)? They already missed out on potentially big profits with Bernie last year, and while this one isn’t as friendly toward casual moviegoers, it’s got the stellar reviews to support it.