By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Critic Poof!
It was definitely a case of take all Prisoners as the gripping child abduction drama ascended to the top in its debut with an estimated $21.2 million. The weekend’s other incoming wide release saw dancing but no stars as Battle of the Year grossed $4.8 million to slot fifth overall. Exclusive newcomers also provided a couple of potent entries starting with the adult rom-com Enough Said that sparked $240,000 from four screens. Just a lap behind, the Formula 1 nail-biter Rush revved up $198,000 from five screens.
Activity in the niches was considerably more competitive with the highly lauded Imax 3D version of the venerable The Wizard of Oz setting a record $2.9 million bow for an Imax-only release. Bollywood provided OK results with Phata Poster Nikla Hero posting $272,000 at 95 venues and non-fiction Generation Iron was pumping $234,000 on its way to the Mr. Universe contest. On the down side audiences weren’t addicted to Thanks for Sharing that debuted to a soft $533,000.
Despite the influx of new product weekend revenues of more than $85 million translated into a 17% dip from the immediate prior frame. It was also 5% off the 2012 pace when it was a tight race for bragging rights between three movies _ End of Watch, The House at the End of the Street, Trouble with the Curve _ with respective openings of $13.1 million, $12.3 million and $12.2 million.
Domestic box office crossed $8 billion for the year on Friday and is a comparatively slim 1% ahead of last year’s pace.
The box office response to the grim saga detailed in Prisoners unquestionably puts the lie to the argument that critics don’t matter. Strong reviews and audience response at its Toronto Festival launch carried over to its theatrical release with women comprising 52% of the audience according to studio tracking. And to no great surprise it skewed older with 72% of the buyers aged 25-years old and more senior. An early entry for this year’s award consideration it remains to be seen how it will withstand the on-coming onslaught.
Battle of the Year also skewed female with a 60% tilt. The film also had an audience that was 55% aged 21% and older and undoubtedly off to the bar after the screening.
On the alternative side the Spanish-language Instructions Not Included continues to defy the odds with superior results week after week and in the current session surpassed the box office of Blue Jasmine. Conversely this week’s expansion of Salinger failed to provide the utz for further platforms.
| Weekend (estimates) September 20 – 22, 2013 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| Prisoners | WB | 21.2 (6,510) | NEW | 3260 | 21.2 |
| Insidious: Chapter 2 | FilmDistrict/eOne | 14.3 (4,540) | -64% | 3155 | 60.7 |
| The Family | Relativity | 6.9 (2,220) | -51% | 3091 | 25.5 |
| Instructions Not Included | Lionsgate | 5.5 (5,660) | 14% | 978 | 34.1 |
| Battle of the Year | Sony | 4.8 (2,380) | NEW | 2008 | 4.8 |
| We’re the Millers | WB | 4.6 (1,540) | -15% | 3003 | 138.1 |
| Lee Daniels’ The Butler | Weinstein Co. | 4.3 (1,460) | -23% | 2931 | 106.4 |
| Riddick | Uni/eOne | 3.7 (1,210) | -47% | 3022 | 37.2 |
| The Wizard of Oz: Imax 3D Experience | WB | 2.9 (9,060) | NEW | 318 | 2.9 |
| Planes | BV | 2.7 (1,000) | -12% | 2739 | 86.4 |
| Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters | Fox | 1.8 (1,200) | -6% | 1473 | 64.2 |
| Elysium | Sony | 1.4 (1,030) | -32% | 1392 | 90.8 |
| Despicable Me | Uni | 1.4 (1,350) | 6% | 1004 | 360.7 |
| Blue Jasmine | Sony Classics | 1.3 (1,500) | -21% | 847 | 29.7 |
| One Direction: This is Us | Sony | 1.1 (660) | -55% | 1706 | 28.4 |
| The World’s End | Focus | .72 (870) | -45% | 832 | 25.2 |
| The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones | Sony/eOne | .66 (630) | -42% | 1047 | 30.7 |
| 2 Guns | Uni/eOne | .64 (850) | -27% | 752 | 74.5 |
| Thanks for Sharing | Roadside Attractions | .53 (1,980) | NEW | 269 | 0.53 |
| The Wolverine | Fox | .45 (980) | -20% | 462 | 130.9 |
| Turbo | Fox | .42 (1,250) | -3% | 333 | 81.6 |
| The Spectacular Now | A24 | .41 (730) | -41% | 571 | 6.4 |
| The Conjuring | WB | .40 (720) | -33% | 561 | 136.6 |
| This is the End | Sony | .33 (650) | -59% | 511 | 101.1 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $80.35 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | -5% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | -17% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Austenland | Sony Classics | .27 (1,140) | -29% | 234 | 1.6 |
| Phata Poster Nikla Hero | Eros | .27 (2,860) | 95 | 0.27 | |
| In a World | Roadside Attract. | .26 (1,830) | -18% | 144 | 2.4 |
| Enough Said | Searchlight | .24 (59,850) | 4 | 0.29 | |
| Generation Iron | Vladar | .23 (3,040) | 77 | 0.23 | |
| Rush | Uni | .20 (39,280) | 5 | 0.2 | |
| Salinger | Weinstein Co. | .18 (1,290) | 304% | 138 | 0.35 |
| Short Term 12 | Cinedigm | .15 (2,240) | -2% | 68 | 0.72 |
| Gabrielle | eOne | .13 (4,910) | 27 | 0.13 | |
| Wadjda | Sony Classics | 69,800 (7,750) | 69% | 9 | 0.21 |
| My Lucky Star | China Lion | 45,700 (1,990) | 23 | 0.05 | |
| The Short Game | IDP | 32,400 (1,620) | 20 | 0.03 | |
| C.O.G. | Screen Media | 30,100 (1,080) | 28 | 0.03 | |
| The Spy | CJ Entertainment | 21,300 (21,300) | 1 | 0.02 | |
| Jewtopia | Petit Canyon | 19,200 (1,200) | 16 | 0.02 | |
| After Tiller | Oscilloscope | 14,700 (4,900) | 3 | 0.01 | |
| Haute Cuisine | Weinstein Co. | 14,600 (4,870) | 3 | 0.01 | |
| A Single Shot | TriBeCa | 10,500 (880) | 12 | 0.01 | |
| Our Man in Tehran | eOne | 8,400 (8,400) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Ip Man: The Final Fight | Well Go | 8,300 (590) | 14 | 0.01 | |
| In Search of the American Dream | Adelante | 8,200 (1,370) | 6 | 0.01 | |
| Newlyweeds | Phase4 | 6,100 (2.030) | 3 | 0.01 | |
| The Colony | Image Ent. | 4,800 (480) | 10 | 0.01 | |
| Zaytoun | Strand | 3,700 (1,850) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Sept. 19, 2013) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office (millions) | Market Share | |||
| Warner Bros. (18) | 1292.8 | 16.20% | |||
| Universal (14) | 1266.5 | 15.90% | |||
| Buena Vista (10) | 1158.6 | 14.50% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (13) | 941.1 | 11.80% | |||
| Sony (14) | 789.1 | 9.90% | |||
| Paramount (12) | 728 | 9.10% | |||
| Lionsgate (20) | 519.8 | 6.50% | |||
| Weinstein Co. (20) | 459.1 | 5.70% | |||
| FilmDistrict (6) | 163.8 | 2.00% | |||
| Relativity (5) | 131.8 | 1.70% | |||
| Open Road (5) | 108.2 | 1.30% | |||
| Focus (8) | 83.9 | 1.10% | |||
| Sony Classics (15) | 61.5 | 0.80% | |||
| eOne/Seville (19) | 47.1 | 0.60% | |||
| Other * (252) | 234.2 | 2.90% | |||
| 7985.5 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.4% | |||||
| Top Domestic Grossers (Jan. 1 – Sept. 19, 2013) | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Box Office | |||
| Iron Man 3 | BV | 409,087,356 | |||
| Despicable Me 2 | Uni | 359,370,400 | |||
| Man of Steel | WB | 291,045,518 | |||
| Monsters University | BV | 265,537,030 | |||
| Fast & Furious 6 | Uni | 238,712,288 | |||
| Oz the Great and Powerful | BV | 234,911,825 | |||
| Star Trek Into Darkness | Par | 228,792,885 | |||
| World War Z | Par | 201,948,971 | |||
| The Croods | Fox | 187,168,425 | |||
| The Heat | Fox | 158,400,132 | |||
| The Great Gatsby | WB | 144,875,623 | |||
| The Conjuring | WB | 136,207,598 | |||
| Identity Thief | Uni | 134,863,488 | |||
| We’re the Millers | WB | 133,506,297 | |||
| Grown Ups 2 | Sony | 131,074,058 | |||
| The Wolverine | Fox | 130,426,802 | |||
| G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Par | 122,551,310 | |||
| Now You See Me | Lions Gate | 117,617,749 | |||
| The Hangover Part III | WB | 112,200,072 | |||
| Epic | Fox | 107,518,682 |
