By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Webutante
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 dominated the box office with an estimated $91.8 million opening that accounted for roughly 55% of all weekend sales. The webslinger was the sole national newcomer … imagine that.
Among exclusive openers there were a couple of bright lights. The Brit import Belle centering on true-story historical racial discrimination scored a solid $104,000 launch at four locations while acclaimed Polish drama Ida grossed $51,300 at three convents.
It was relativity quiet in the other sectors with dull results for a trio of new films from India barely registering a ripple. The limited bow of the comedic Walk of Shame couldn’t muster more than a giggle with a $36,700 tally from 51 screens.
Session revenues topped $155 million that expanded nicely from last weekend by 33%. It was conversely 30% lagging 2013 figures when the opening salvo of Iron Man 3 unleashed $174.1 million in ticket sales.
The critics generally responded with a tepid response to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and tracking pundits sensed viewer skepticism to the re-boot sequel that reined in expectations to about $90 million. Nonetheless the film received a solid Thursday midnight advance of $8.7 million and saw a very positive 24% Friday to Saturday boost in box office.
Spider-Man 2 skewed 61% male with 51% of the crowd aged 25-years old and younger. Studio exit polls also identified 33% of the audience as families and that has to give a new spin to superhero movies. The film is in its third weekend internationally where it amassed about $155 million plus $55 million for the current frame.
On the alternative side the likes of Fading Gigolo and Only Lovers Left Alive continue slow roll outs as they prepare for the onslaught of summer tentpoles. The hot season has been a fertile period for adult movies and 2014 ought to continue that trend in light of the aging of the core moviegoing crowd.
| Weekend (estimates) May 2 – 4, 2014 | |||||
| Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Sony | 91.8 (21,240) | NEW | 4324 | 91.8 |
| The Other Woman | Fox | 14.4 (4,440) | -42% | 3238 | 47.5 |
| Heaven is for Real | Sony | 8.7 (2,960) | -40% | 2930 | 65.6 |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | BV | 7.7 (2,430) | -52% | 3179 | 237.1 |
| Rio 2 | Fox | 7.6 (2,300) | -45% | 3314 | 106.5 |
| Brick Mansions | Reliance/VVS | 3.5 (1,310) | -64% | 2647 | 15.4 |
| Divergent | Lionsgate | 2.2 (1,320) | -41% | 1639 | 142.6 |
| The Quiet Ones | Lionsgate | 2.0 (1,000) | -48% | 2027 | 6.8 |
| The Grand Budapest Hotel | Fox Searchlight | 1.8 (2,000) | -28% | 884 | 51.5 |
| God’s Not Dead | FreeStyle | 1.7 (1,290) | -39% | 1330 | 55.5 |
| Bears | BV | 1.6 (910) | -56% | 1790 | 14.3 |
| Draft Day | Lionsgate | 1.4 (1,040) | -49% | 1354 | 26.4 |
| Transcendence | WB | 1.1 (630) | -74% | 1775 | 21.3 |
| A Haunted House 2 | Open Road/VVS | 1.0 (780) | -68% | 1328 | 16.1 |
| Noah | Par | .87 (940) | -62% | 929 | 99 |
| Oculus | Reliance/VVS | .73 (830) | -67% | 884 | 26.7 |
| The Railway Man | Weinstein | .51 (3,110) | -12% | 164 | 1.6 |
| Fading Gigolo | Millennium | .49 (4,450) | 63% | 110 | 1.1 |
| Mr. Peabody & Sherman | Fox | .36 (880) | -34% | 410 | 108.5 |
| Lunchbox | Sony Classics | .28 (1,860) | -14% | 149 | 3.1 |
| Muppets Most Wanted | BV | .24 (630) | -58% | 376 | 49.8 |
| Only Lovers Left Alive | Sony Classics | .23 (3,490) | 16% | 67 | 0.83 |
| The Lego Movie | WB | .21 (970) | -40% | 220 | 253.1 |
| 2 States | UTV | .19 (2,010) | -56% | 95 | 2 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $149.10 | ||||
| % Change (Last Year) | -30% | ||||
| % Change (Last Week) | 33% | ||||
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Under the Skin | A24 | .17 (1,350) | -38% | 125 | 1.8 |
| Finding Vivian Maier | IFC | .15 (1,810) | 0% | 81 | 0.93 |
| Locke | A24 | .14 (5,540) | 71% | 25 | 0.25 |
| Walking with the Enemy | Liberty | .13 (1,000) | -61% | 129 | 0.62 |
| Blue Ruin | Weinstein | .12 (1,970) | 263% | 60 | 0.17 |
| Belle | Searchlight | .10 (25,950) | 4 | 0.1 | |
| Le Weekend | Music Box | 94,900 (1,100) | -37% | 86 | 2 |
| Ida | Music Box | 51,300 (17,100) | 3 | 0.05 | |
| Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar | Viva | 50,400 (2,290) | 22 | 0.05 | |
| The German Doctor | IDP | 44,100 (3,150) | 29% | 14 | 0.09 |
| Jodorowsky’s Dune | Sony Classics | 43,800 (720) | -10% | 61 | 0.46 |
| Water and Power | AMC | 37,600 (2,350) | 16 | 0.04 | |
| Walk of Shame | Focus World | 36,700 (720) | 51 | 0.04 | |
| NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage | Abramorama | 24,700 (8,230) | 3 | 0.02 | |
| Kotha Janta | Blue Sky | 24,500 (720) | 34 | 0.02 | |
| Anaamika | Viva | 15,700 (310) | 50 | 0.02 | |
| Decoding Annie Parker | eOne | 13,800 (1,610) | 13 | 0.01 | |
| Farmland | D & E | 5,900 (1,470) | 4 | 0.01 | |
| Documented | CNN | 5,200 (5,200) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| The M Word | Rainbow | 4,800 (600) | 8 | 0.01 | |
| Bad Johnson | Gravitas | 4,700 (470) | 10 | 0.01 | |
| For a Woman | Film Movement | 4,500 (2,250) | 2 | 0.01 | |
| Domestic Market Share (January 1 – May 1, 2014) | |||||
| Distributor (releases) | Box Office | Mrkt Share | |||
| Buena Vista (9) | 520.7 | 16.20% | |||
| Warner Bros. (10) | 509.4 | 15.80% | |||
| Universal (8) | 383.1 | 11.90% | |||
| 20th Century Fox (9) | 355.9 | 11.10% | |||
| Sony (10) | 349.6 | 10.90% | |||
| Paramount (8) | 319.4 | 9.90% | |||
| Lionsgate (13) | 269.5 | 8.40% | |||
| Open Road (5) | 84.9 | 2.60% | |||
| Weinstein (8) | 70.5 | 2.20% | |||
| Fox Searchlight (4) | 69.1 | 2.20% | |||
| Relativity (5) | 66.7 | 2.10% | |||
| FreeStyle (4) | 54.3 | 1.70% | |||
| Focus (3) | 39 | 1.20% | |||
| eOne/Seville (12) | 31.8 | 1.00% | |||
| Other * (123) | 90.6 | 2.80% | |||
| 3214.5 | 100% | ||||
| * none greater than 0.4% |
