The Weekend Report

Mere quibbling! Transformers: Age of Extinction pretty much hit its target with an estimated $99.2 million that consumed roughly 55% of the marketplace and set the benchmark for 2014 opening debuts. And to no great surprise, its brethren majors opted not to set up a sacrifice title as counter-programming.

New titles in exclusive bows also registered some potent starts including dystopian sci-fier Snowpiercer with a torrid $163,000 at eight railways and the musical romcom Begin Again tuning up $143,000 at five gigs. Biopic Yves Saint Laurent fashioned $23,700 from two screens and the fanciful historical rewrite America summed up to $36,300 from four playdates.

The frame coincided with the start of Ramadan and a trio of new Indian releases. Best of the bunch was the Hindi Ek Villain with a $441,000 gross at 104 locations but comparably potent was Punjabi 1984 with a $254,000 tally from 58 engagements. The love just wasn’t there for  Telugu Autonagar Surya with a $96,300 box office from 77 venues.

Weekend biz hovered around $180 million that expanded revenues 21% from the immediate prior session. Nonetheless it was 8% off of the 2013 pace when the second weekend of Monsters University led with $45.6 million with the launch of The Heat in the bridesmaid spot with $39.1 million.

The fourth installment in The Transformers’ franchise changed up the cast and ramped up the mayhem and that combo appears to have gotten the thumbs up from fans domestic and foreign. Tracking pegged its North American debut at between $95 million and $100 million and following Thursday advance screening of $8.8 million it progressed to an inevitable commercial conclusion.

Studio exit polls also painted an anticipated picture with a 64% male tilt and a crowd that was 58% aged 25-years and older.

Internationally Tranformers: AOE bowed day and date in 37 foreign climbs and also set the year’s opening best with an estimated $201 million including a $90 million bow in China that ranks as the biggest ever for a non-local movie. Its $21.7 million tally in Russia ranks as the second biggest opener there and the film set all-time opening debuts figures in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malayasia.

Domestic holdovers generally were transformed with 50% declines though alternative fare virtually appeared un-tussled by the appearance of a commercial behemoth. Such titles as Chef, Ida and The Grand Seduction experienced little more than a flutter and the expansion of Obvious Child held up well and slotted in the frame’s top 20.

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