The Weekend Report

Despite formidable competition, Despicable Me 2 eked out ahead of the pack to top the weekend chart with an estimated $44.7 million. Close on its tail were a pair of newcomers. The comedy ensemble Grown Ups 2 bowed to $42.7 million while the science-fiction spectacle Pacific Rim opened with $38.2 million.

Exclusive freshmen included some encouraging results that included indie road trip Crystal Fairy with $25,800 at two locations; Danish drama The Hunt targeting $36,200 at four sites; and comedian Jeff Garlin’s third feature Dealin’ with Idiots chuckling $10,800 in its solo bow.

But the biggest noise came from Sundance award winner, torn from the headlines Fruitville Station, arrived with a very potent $392,000 at seven initial spots. Its proximity to the (then-forthcoming) verdict in the George Zimmerman trial may have an affect on its ongoing prospects

The session also saw good results for a couple of Indian imports. The Hindi Bhaag Mikha Bhaag bagged $587,000 from 139 engagements and the Telugu Sahasam grossed $159,000 from 51 exposures. In Québec, the biopic of 19th century strongman Louis Cyr flexed a solid $326,000 at 76 venues.

Weekend revenues climbed roughly to $210 million for a 13% decline from last weekend and a 21% rise from 2012. Last year the debut of Ice Age: Continental Drift shifted to top spot with $46.6 million. And also of note Buena Vista became the first distributor to surpass revenues of $1 billion domestically on Thursday.

As opening day loomed, pundits were largely giving the edge to Pacific Rim as it had been building momentum during the past two weeks. Nonetheless the top three finishers were tightly packed and Despicable Me 2 surely would decline by more than 50% of its opening weekend salvo.

Grown Ups 2 surprised trackers in light of the general cynicism accorded this type of sequel and major critics certainly complied with reviews that skewed toward the withering. But as the old adage goes, no one ever went broke under-anticipating the American public. Studio exec demos provided some surprises including a slight female tilt of 53%. But the major clue to its opening strength was an audience composed 54% of viewers 25-years and under… the most undiscerning movie going crowd.

Conversely it was an uphill slog for Pacific Rim with a title that provided scant indication of its contents. A concentrated and concerted ad blitz helped build the monster opus’ profile but fell short of a $40 million-plus debut. The opening weekend audience was 61% male and 54% aged 25-years and older. A studio spokesman said opening weekend box office wasn’t that “far off from internal expectations” and while response was very good, work had to be done to “broaden its audience.”

The film also went out day-and-date in 38 international territories to significantly better response with an estimated $53 million.

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