The Weekend Report

The true-life war zone endurance saga Lone Survivor hit a bull’s-eye in its national debut with an estimated $38.5 million. That left the session’s only wide newcomer The Legend of Hercules looking less than buff with $8.7 million that slotted it fourth in the lineup.

There was also a deluge of incoming exclusives with fair to middling results, although the inspirational Different Drummers looks like one to watch with a $19,400 box office from a solo flight.

In the niches, the Indian circuit started the New Year with a flood of releases. Most impressive was 1 (Nenokkadine) that was just shy of $1 million, and Yevdu that grossed $234,000 with an unusual Saturday launch. There were also good starts for three other titles but disappointment for the Bengali Mountains of the Moon that eked by with $25,300 from 16 engagements. There was also a very impressive bow of $352,000 for Filipino comedy Boy, Girl, Bakla, Tomboy that was one of the big hits of the recently completed Metro Manilla Film Festival.

Overall revenues for the frame topped $145 million for a slight 1% bump from the first weekend of 2014. It was a slight 4% dip from 2013 when the expansion of Zero Dark Thirty led with $24.4 million and the newcomers A Haunted House and Gangster Squad followed respectively with $18.1 million and $17.1 million.

Last year’s domestic box office final recorded revenues of $10.98 billion for an extremely modest 1% improvement from 2012. And again that translated into a drop in ticket sales of 3%.

Industry tracking clearly pegged Lone Survivor as the presumed box office leader but expectations were for a national bow no better than $23 million. The studio had mapped out an unusual strategy for the picture that emulated many Oscar contenders and a well=orchestrated publicity campaign that incorporated the film’s real life protagonist.

Opening weekend not surprisingly skewed 57% male with 57% of opening viewers aged 30-years and older.

The Legend of Hercules garnered withering reviews and rare comparative love for the original Italian production that Joseph E. Levine foisted on the public back in the 1960s. The new incarnation in 3D had similar demos to Lone Survivor with, again, a 57% male slant and a slightly younger core with 55% of eyes aged 25-years and older.

With the Golden Globes later tonight, a number of pictures are hoping to clear another hurdle along the Oscar path. August: Osage County went wide and generated good returns but TLC titles such as Philomena, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska are anxious for more award recognition to maintain their profile and box office in a highly competitive and merciless award season.

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