The Weekend Report

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 supped on an estimated opening salvo of $34.4 million to easily take top spot with weekend moviegoers. Three other films debuted nationally and, like Meatballs, none had quite the spice that had been anticipated. Following last week’s teaser opening, Formula 1 racing saga Rush slotted third with $10.3 million while urban romantic comedy Baggage Claim grossed $9.4 million. The naughty but nice Don Jon trailed with $9 million.

In limited and exclusives, nonfiction Inequality for All didn’t boost economist Robert Reich to rock star status, with a lower-class $128,000 tally from 27 screens. A couple of other documentaries scored well, including Watermark with $26,800 at two sites and the musical Muscle Shoals grossing $12,700 at a solo engagement.

In the niches Atharintiki Daaredi set a new opening record for an Indian Telugu film, with a launch of $1.53 million and Tamil Raja Rani posted a solid $181,000 at 34 venues. 3D concert phantasmagoria Metallic: Through the Never opened loud then sputtered and wound up down the list with $1.6 million.

Weekend revenues shot up to roughly $115 million for a 33% boost from the immediate prior session. However, that lagged behind the 2012 mark by 6%. One year back newcomers Hotel Transylvania and Looper led all comers with respective debuts of $42.5 million and $20.8 million.

Pundits pegged Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 to bow around $40 million. It was no great surprise that the film played to an 80% family crowd according to studio exits. Slightly more intriguing was the fact that 57% of adults were female but children under the age of 12-years tilted ever so slightly 51% male.

Despite overwhelming critical thumbs ups, Rush was always viewed as a difficult sell for the domestic market and box office response has backed that up. At least the exit demos showed only a slight male tilt of 52% but the fact the studio is only listing an age break of over/under 40-years with the more senior comprising 53% suggests an infinitesimally younger audience.

Exit demos weren’t available for either Baggage Claim or Don Jon at deadline but both films were tracking for bows of roughly $12 million.

The session also saw Instructions Not Included taking the crown from Pan’s Labyrinth as the highest grossing Spanish-language movie in the domestic marketplace. The Mexican comedy opened three weeks ahead of its bow last weekend South of the border where it bowed with a staggering $11.5 million.

And on the alternative side, the romantic comedy Enough Said added 223 engagements, maintaining a very healthy per-location average of $9,820.

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