By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
The Weekend Report
Memory Lapse
The Dark Knight Rises scored a hat trick at the top of the box office charts with a weekend estimate of $36.2 million. New national releases took place and show positions. The re-imagined Total Recall bowed to $25.9 million and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days opened with $14.6 million.
In the niches there wasn’t much love for Bollywood newcomer Jism 2 as it struggled to $29,500 at 20 locations and Quebec production Liverpool was comparable moribund with a $33,900 tally at 26 sites. There was a more dire response for the 47 screen launch of Soldiers of Fortune that grossed $20,400.
Exclusive openers saw OK results for the omnibus drama 360 of $22,300 on two screens and an encouraging $125,000 total for the rom-com Celeste and Jesse Forever from six playdates.
Overall weekend revenues generated roughly $125 million for a 10% decline from seven days earlier. There was additionally a 27% decline from 2011 when the debut of Rise of the Planet of the Apes led the charge with box office of $54.8 million.
Sunday box office pushed Universal domestic box office past $1 billion, a mark set four days earlier by Warner Bros. Sony and Buena Vista had already hit that benchmark with three more companies pushing to hit that level by Thanksgiving.
Science-fiction actioner Total Recall_a hit for Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1990_had tracking that pundits translated into an opening between $28 million and $32 million. But viewer malaise for another high tech adventure set in and that has to be worrisome news for the upcoming release of The Bourne Legacy. Exit demos indicated a 58% male audience with 53% of viewers aged 30-years old and beyond. Response was mixed which doesn’t bode well for the picture’s longevity.
While never a box office phenom the Wimpy Kid franchise has been a rock solid earner in ancillaries and the third installment, Dog Days, shows no signs of reversing that trend. Its opening weekend skewed 58% female and 62% 25 years-old and younger.
With a couple of exceptions the upcoming pre-Labor Day releases will again provide the majors with an opportunity to do some significant house cleaning. That should benefit holdover titles and alternative fare in summer’s remaining weeks.
Weekend (estimates) August 3 – 5, 2012 | |||||
Title | Distributor | Gross (avg) | % chng | Thtrs | Cume |
The Dark Knight Rises | WB | 36.2 (8,530) | -42% | 4242 | 354.4 |
Total Recall | Sony | 25.9 (7,180) | NEW | 3601 | 25.9 |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days | Fox | 14.6 (4,320) | NEW | 3391 | 14,6 |
Ice Age: Continental Drift | Fox | 8.3 (2,350) | -38% | 3542 | 131.8 |
The Watch | Fox | 6.3 (2,000) | -50% | 3168 | 25.3 |
Ted | Uni | 5.4 (1,970) | -26% | 2767 | 203.4 |
Step-Up Revolution | Lions Gate | 5.2 (2,010) | -55% | 2606 | 23 |
The Amazing Spider-Man | Sony | 4.2 (1,740) | -37% | 2425 | 250.6 |
Brave | BV | 2.9 (1,380) | -32% | 2110 | 223.3 |
Magic Mike | WB | 1.4 (1,160) | -47% | 1202 | 110.9 |
Moonrise Kingdom | Focus | 1.2 (1,800) | -14% | 687 | 40.8 |
Beasts of the Southern Wild | Srchlight/eOne | 1.2 (3,710) | 27% | 318 | 5.9 |
Savages | Uni | 1.0 (1,380) | -47% | 704 | 46.1 |
To Rome with Love | Sony Classics | .82 (2,150) | -18% | 382 | 14.3 |
Medea’s Witness Protection | Lions Gate | .78 (1,060) | -40% | 737 | 64.2 |
Men in Black III | Sony | .63 (1,900) | 242% | 331 | 176.6 |
Intouchables | Alliance/TWC | .54 (2,780) | 5% | 194 | 8.9 |
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | Par | .53 (1,050) | -43% | 504 | 210.8 |
The Hunger Games | Lions Gate | .42 (1,440) | -19% | 291 | 406.7 |
The Avengers | BV | .39 (1,310) | -23% | 300 | 616.7 |
Ruby Sparks | Searchlight | .39 (6,110) | 177% | 64 | 0.63 |
Snow White and the Huntsman | Uni | .31 (1,010) | -22% | 309 | 153.8 |
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | Fx Srchlight | .30 (1,490) | -11% | 200 | 45 |
The Queen of Versailles | Magnolia | .27 (3,980) | 99% | 68 | 0.56 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $117.10 | ||||
% Change (Last Year) | -27% | ||||
% Change (Last Week) | -10% | ||||
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
Killer Joe | LD | .16 (11,410) | 321% | 14 | 0.22 |
Celeste and Jesse Forever | Sony Classics | .12 (20,900) | 6 | 0.12 | |
Searching for Sugar Man | Sony Classics | 37,800 (5,400) | 38% | 3 | 0.08 |
Liverpool | Remstar | 33,900 (1,300) | 26 | 0.03 | |
Jism 2 | Viva | 29,500 (1,470) | 20 | 0.03 | |
Girlfriend Boyfriend | China Lion | 25,600 (1,600) | 16 | 0.03 | |
360 | Magnolia | 22,300 (11,150) | 2 | 0.02 | |
Soldier of Fortune | Roadside | 20,400 (430) | 47 | 0.02 | |
Craig’s List Joe | CLJ | 6,800 (6,800) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Zarafa | Seville | 6,100 (610) | 10 | 0.01 | |
Babymakers | Millennium | 5,700 (520) | 11 | 0.01 | |
Mosquita y Mari | Wolfe | 4,800 (4,800) | 1 | 0.01 | |
The Healing | ABS | 4,700 (4,700) | 1 | 0.01 | |
You’ve Been Trumped | Montrose | 4,100 (4,100) | 1 | 0.01 | |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – August 2, 2012) | |||||
Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Share | |||
Buena Vista (11) | 1069.4 | 15.80% | |||
Warner Bros. (19) | 1019.1 | 15.00% | |||
Sony (15) | 1018.7 | 15.00% | |||
Universal (12) | 994.5 | 14.70% | |||
Lions Gate (11) | 658.1 | 9.70% | |||
20th Century Fox (13) | 651.1 | 9.60% | |||
Paramount (14) | 584.5 | 8.70% | |||
Relativity (5) | 170.8 | 2.50% | |||
Fox Searchlight (8) | 96.2 | 1.40% | |||
Weinstein Co. (9) | 86.8 | 1.30% | |||
Open Road (3) | 72.2 | 1.10% | |||
Focus (5) | 68.9 | 1.00% | |||
CBS (2) | 63.6 | 0.95% | |||
Summit (4) | 47.1 | 0.70% | |||
Sony Classics (15) | 36.7 | 0.55% | |||
Other * (202) | 136.3 | 2.00% | |||
6774 | 100.00% | ||||
* none greater than 0.4% |