Posts Tagged ‘Devil’
Sunday, October 31st, 2010
See … Saw … Ouch!
Saw 3D whipped into cinemas with an estimated $24.3 million to take top spot in weekend movie going. Distributors gave a wide berth to the Halloween frame when traditionally there are sharp drops in attendance; making the Saw finale the sole new national release.
A different sort of ghoul — the Millennium finale The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest — went limited wide to solid returns of $890,000, but otherwise the frame’s new entries were dominated by niche and exclusive launches. The best of the bunch was the Chinese trembler Aftershock with a single screen entry of $17,600. Other newcomers with good but not spectacular returns included indie drama Welcome to the Riley’s, Brit spy spoof Wild Target, Mexican prize winner Nora’s Will, Claude Chabrol’s final effort Bellamy and non-fiction entry Waste Land.
Overall box office saw a sharp fall from last weekend and a slight bump from 2009 results.
The seventh annual edition of the Saw franchise was hoping for an exit with bite with the addition of stereoscopic imagery. But pre-release tracking indicated that with or without gimmicks the mania was fading and its mid-$20 million weekend tally was pretty much in line with pundit’s predictions. The gore crowd would appear to be sated with current splatter fare but the past month has seen every segment of the audience unenthusiastic for the new crop of movies beyond their opening sessions.
The global juggernaut for the Millennium trilogy continued with the U.S. bow of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. The first installment, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, has racked up $99 million internationally and it and its second chapter are the top grossing foreign-language movies in America post-Pan’s Labyrinth.
Weekend revenues generated about $95 million in sales that translated into a 28% drop from the immediate prior session. It was a modest 6% improvement from 2009 when Michael Jackson: This Is It bowed to $23.2 million followed by Paranormal Activity with $16.4 million.
The fact-based Conviction expanded nationally to fair results and appears to be headed to the same sort of indifferent commercial returns as the rest of the early award season contenders. A sharp drop for last weekend’s Hereafter departs from the sort of holds associated with recent films directed by Clint Eastwood whereas the better than expected stamina of the geezer spies of RED has confounded box office mavens.
But apart from Jackass 3D (which passed a $100 million tally this weekend) such well-reviewed positive word-of-mouth entries as The Social Network and Secretariat have struggled to maintain a presence (forget about momentum) in a marketplace that has all but eliminated the possibility of a second wind.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 29-31, 2010
Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
Saw 3D |
Lionsgate |
24.3 (8,660) |
New |
2808 |
24.3 |
Paranormal Activity 2 |
Par |
16.4 (5,070) |
-60% |
3239 |
65.6 |
Red |
Summit |
10.9 (3,250) |
-28% |
3349 |
59 |
Jackass 3D |
Par |
8.5 (2,720) |
-60% |
3139 |
101.7 |
Hereafter |
WB |
6.4 (2,630) |
-47% |
2424 |
22.2 |
Secretariat |
BV |
5.0 (1,610) |
-28% |
3108 |
44.7 |
The Social Network |
Sony |
4.7 (1,690) |
-36% |
2767 |
79.7 |
Life As We Know It |
WB |
4.1 (1,440) |
-33% |
2860 |
43.6 |
The Town |
WB |
2.0 (1,250) |
-27% |
1608 |
87.7 |
Conviction |
Fox Searchlight |
1.8 (3,220) |
501% |
565 |
2.4 |
Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
1.8 (880) |
-46% |
2010 |
52.7 |
Easy A |
Sony |
1.1(880) |
-37% |
1262 |
56.3 |
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest |
Music Box/Alliance |
.89 (5,830) |
New |
152 |
0.89 |
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
.78 (840) |
-37% |
933 |
51.2 |
Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.52 (1,580) |
-33% |
330 |
4.6 |
Devil |
Uni |
.51 (800) |
-21% |
635 |
33.1 |
Alpha and Omega |
Lionsgate |
.48 (710) |
-34% |
676 |
24.1 |
It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
.46 (960) |
-32% |
477 |
5.8 |
You Again |
BV |
.41 (610) |
-37% |
673 |
24.7 |
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.33 (1,022) |
-24% |
323 |
2.4 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.31 (920) |
-34% |
337 |
413.9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$89.70 |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
|
6% |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Week) |
|
-28% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
Stone |
Overture |
.22 (1,760) |
-39% |
125 |
1.2 |
Nowhere Boy |
Weinstein Co. |
.13 (840) |
-62% |
153 |
1 |
10.50 |
Alliance |
55,800 (4,290) |
|
13 |
0.06 |
Welcome to the Riley’s |
IDP |
41,600 (4,160) |
|
10 |
0.04 |
Nora’s Will |
Menemsha |
25,300 (4,220) |
|
6 |
0.03 |
Wild Target |
FreeStyle |
23,200 (5,800) |
|
4 |
0.02 |
Bellamy |
IFC |
19,700 (9,850) |
|
2 |
0.02 |
Monsters |
Magnolia |
18,100 (6,030) |
|
3 |
0.02 |
Aftershock |
AMC |
17,600 (17,600) |
|
1 |
0.02 |
Waste Land |
Arthouse |
10.300 (10,300) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Walkaway |
IABA |
9,400 (360) |
|
26 |
0.01 |
Strange Powers |
Variance |
4,800 (4,800) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
The Kids Grow Up |
Shadow |
4,600 (4,600) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Oct. 28, 2010)
Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
Warner Bros. (25) |
1436.3 |
16.40% |
Paramount (16) |
1389.1 |
15.90% |
Fox (16) |
1289.8 |
14.70% |
Buena Vista (15) |
1155.5 |
13.20% |
Sony (23) |
1142.4 |
13.10% |
Universal (17) |
774.3 |
8.90% |
Summit (10) |
473.3 |
5.40% |
Lionsgate (12) |
412.7 |
4.70% |
Overture (7) |
80.6 |
0.90% |
Focus (7) |
74.1 |
0.80% |
Fox Searchlight (6) |
73.4 |
0.80% |
Weinstein Co. (7) |
61.9 |
0.70% |
Sony Classics (21) |
54.7 |
0.60% |
MGM (1) |
51.2 |
0.60% |
CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
Other * (277) |
229.7 |
2.70% |
|
8749 |
100.00% |
* none greater than .04% |
Top Limited Releases * (Jan. 1 – Oct. 28, 2010)
Title |
Distributor |
Gross |
Hubble 3D |
WB |
17,246,918 |
The Ghost Writer |
Summit |
15,569,712 |
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
Music Box/Alliance |
11,270,373 |
The Young Victoria * |
Apparition/Alliance |
11,131,232 |
Get Low |
Sony Classics |
8,980,294 |
A Single Man * |
Weinstein Co. |
7,935,872 |
The Girl Who Played with Fire |
Music Box/Alliance |
7,768,761 |
Cyrus |
Fox Searchlight |
7,461,082 |
Babies |
Focus |
7,444,272 |
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus * |
E1/Sony Classics |
7,394,171 |
City Island |
Anchor Bay |
6,671,036 |
The Last Station |
Sony Classics |
6,617,867 |
The Secret in Their Eyes |
Sony Classics |
6,391,436 |
Winter’s Bone |
Roadside Attractions |
6,204,696 |
It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
5,342,641 |
Under the Sea 3D * |
WB |
5,256,073 |
I Am Love |
Magnolia |
4,982,446 |
An Education * |
Sony Classics |
4,963,224 |
The Hurt Locker * |
Summit |
4,531,548 |
Solitary Man |
Anchor Bay |
4,360,548 |
* does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: 10.50, A Single Man, Aftershock, Alpha and Omega, An Education, Babies, Bellamy, City Island, Conviction, Cyrus, Devil, Easy A, Get Low, Hereafter, Hubble 3D, I Am Love, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Jackass 3D, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, Monsters, Nora's Will, Nowhere Boy, Paranormal Activity 2, Red, Saw 3D, Secretariat, solitary man, Stone, Strange Powers, The Ghost Writer, the girl who kicked the hornet's nest, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Hurt Locker, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The Kids Grow Up, The Last Station, The Secret In Their Eyes, The Social Network, The Town, The Young Victoria, Toy Story 3, Under the Sea 3D, Waiting For 'Superman', Walkaway, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Waste Land, Welcome to the Rileys, Wild Target, Winter's Bone, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | Comments Off on Weekend Box Office Report – October 31
Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Back to Paranormal
Paranormal Activity 2 exceeded pundit expectation (though not necessarily fans) with an estimated $41.6 million to lead weekend movie ticket sales. The session’s only other national bow was Hereafter, which shot up to $11.9 million following last weekend’s limited opener.
Niche and regional bows included a solid $212,000 (in Hindi and Telegu versions) bow for the Indian crime saga Rakhtcharitra. Fans won’t have to wait long for its second part conclusion that’s scheduled for late November. Meanwhile up in Canada the Toronto fest curtain raiser Score: A Hockey Musical failed to live up to its name with a discordant $143,000 from 127 rinks.
Exclusives included good though unsensational debuts that included non-fiction Boxing Gym with a $6,100 TKO in its solo bout and Taqwacores — the tale of an Islamic rock band — grossing $5,500 also in a single outing.
Though there was a marginal dip from last weekend’s box office, the frame saw its first uptick from 2009 in a month with industry mavens already predicting expanded revenues through the end of the year.
Critical response to sleeper sensation Paranormal Activity 2 was at best tepid with the more negative reviews viewing it as a cynical rehash of its inspiration. Nonetheless avids were cueing up to provide Thursday midnight shows a record preview for an R-rated film. It lost traction as the weekend proceeded but the fast start was sufficient to speed past tracking that suggested an opening salvo of not much more than $30 million.
Exit polls for both Paranormal Activity 2 and Hereafter were disappointing. The latter film pretty much brought in the anticipated older crowd and filmmaker Clint Eastwood’s films have a history of hanging in for longer than typical runs and much higher multiples than is the industry norm. Still, this yarn could well stray from that trend.
Weekend revenues amassed roughly $130 million in torn ducats. It represented a slight 2% dip from seven days back but the unexpected Paranormal Activity 2 and overall strong holdovers translated into a 13% box office boost from 2009. A year ago the first Paranormal Activity (in its initial wide weekend) led with $21.1 million followed by Saw VI and Where the Wild Things Are with respective tallies of $14.1 million and $14 million.
With the exception of Waiting for “Superman” it’s been a brutal season for Oscar hopefuls trying to set an early footprint on the awards landscape. Granted, very few have received a wholehearted critical embrace, but even by niche standards the likes of Nowhere Boy, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Jack Goes Boating among others have been comparative under-performers when measured against past films that have employed this tactic.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 22-24, 2010
Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
Paranormal Activity 2 |
Par |
41.6 (12,930) |
New |
3216 |
41.6 |
Jackass 3D |
Par |
21.5 (6,920) |
-57% |
3111 |
87.1 |
Red |
Summit |
15.1 (4,620) |
-31% |
3273 |
43.6 |
Hereafter |
WB |
11.9 (5,450) |
|
2175 |
12.2 |
The Social Network |
Sony |
7.2 (2,450) |
-31% |
2921 |
72.8 |
Secretariat |
BV |
6.9 (2,210) |
-26% |
3108 |
37.3 |
Life As We Know It |
WB |
6.1 (2,010) |
-32% |
3019 |
37.5 |
Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
3.1 (1,390) |
-26% |
2236 |
50.1 |
The Town |
WB |
2.7 (1,390) |
-33% |
1918 |
84.6 |
Easy A |
Sony |
1.7 (1,050) |
-35% |
1632 |
54.7 |
Wal Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
1.2 (960) |
-49% |
1255 |
50 |
My Soul to Take |
Uni/Alliance |
1.0 (600) |
-68% |
1689 |
13.9 |
Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.76 (2,620) |
2% |
290 |
3.7 |
Alpha and Omega |
Lionsgate |
.71 (980) |
-14% |
727 |
23.5 |
It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
.66 (1,180) |
-46% |
560 |
5.1 |
Devil |
Uni |
.63 (980) |
-35% |
642 |
32.4 |
You Again |
BV |
.61 (680) |
-50% |
901 |
24 |
N Secure |
FreeStyle |
.53 (1,190) |
-55% |
445 |
1.9 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.42 (1,211) |
-21% |
350 |
413.4 |
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.40 (1,060) |
46% |
381 |
1.8 |
Case 39 |
Par Vantage |
.38 (530) |
-69% |
721 |
12.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$123.90 |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
|
13% |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Week) |
|
-2% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
Stone |
Overture |
.34 (3,030) |
49% |
113 |
0.76 |
Conviction |
Fox Searchlight |
.30 (5,420) |
192% |
55 |
0.34 |
Rakhtcharitra |
Viva/Happy |
.21 (6,230) |
|
34 |
0.21 |
Nowhere Boy |
Weinstein Co. |
.21 (870) |
-39% |
215 |
0.76 |
Score: A Hockey Musical |
Mongrel |
.14 (1,130) |
|
127 |
0.14 |
Jhootha Hi Sahi |
Viva |
64,700 (1,350) |
|
48 |
0.06 |
My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend |
Fiftyfilms |
10,300 (5,150) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Boxing Gym |
Zipporah |
6,100 (6,100) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Taqwacores |
Rumanni |
5,500 (5,500) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Inhale |
IFC |
5,600 (2,800) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share (Jan. 1 – Oct. 21, 2010)
Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
Warner Bros. (25) |
1403.9 |
16.30% |
Paramount (15) |
1310.6 |
15.30% |
Fox (16) |
1287.9 |
15.00% |
Buena Vista (15) |
1144.7 |
13.30% |
Sony (23) |
1129.9 |
13.20% |
Universal (17) |
771.4 |
9.00% |
Summit (10) |
453.6 |
5.30% |
Lionsgate (12) |
411.5 |
4.80% |
Overture (7) |
79.7 |
0.90% |
Focus (7) |
73.2 |
0.90% |
Fox Searchlight (6) |
72.7 |
0.80% |
Weinstein Co. (7) |
61.6 |
0.70% |
Sony Classics (21) |
53.7 |
0.60% |
MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
Other * (271) |
226.9 |
2.70% |
|
8581.7 |
100.00% |
* none greater than .04% |
Top Domestic Grossers * (Jan. 1 – Oct. 21, 2010)
Title |
Distributor |
Gross |
Avatar * |
Fox |
476,726,209 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
413,013,123 |
Alice in Wonderland |
BV |
334,191,110 |
Iron Man 2 |
Par |
312,445,596 |
Twilight: Eclipse |
Summit |
300,531,751 |
Inception |
WB |
289,881,124 |
Despicable Me |
Uni |
247,148,995 |
Shrek Forever After |
Par |
238,667,087 |
How to Train Your Dragon |
Par |
218,685,707 |
The Karate Kid |
Sony |
176,797,997 |
Clash of the Titans |
WB |
163,214,888 |
Grown Ups |
Sony |
161,942,598 |
The Last Airbender |
Par |
131,733,601 |
Shutter Island |
Par |
128,051,522 |
The Other Guy |
Sony |
118,236,912 |
Salt |
Sony |
118,229,865 |
Valentine’s Day |
WB |
110,509,442 |
Sherlock Holmes * |
WB |
106,967,985 |
Robin Hood |
Uni |
105,425,146 |
The Expendables |
Lions Gate |
103,068,524 |
* does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Alpha and Omega, Avatar, boxing gym, Case 39, Clash of the Titans, Conviction, Despicable Me, Devil, Easy A, Grown Ups, Hereafter, How to Train Your Dragon, Inception, inhale, Iron Man 2, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, Jackass 3D, Jhootha Hi Sahi, Legend of the Guardians, Life As We Know It, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, My Soul To Take, N Secure, Nowhere Boy, Paranormal Activity 2, Rakhtcharitra, Red, Robin Hood, Salt, Score: A Hockey Musical, Secretariat, Sherlock Holmes, Shrek Forever After, Shutter Island, Stone, Taqwacores, The Expendables, The Karate Kid, The Last Airbender, The Other Guy, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, Twilight: Eclipse, Valentine's Day, Waiting For 'Superman', Walt Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
Jack’use!
Jackass 3D was better than all right with an estimated $49.3 million that easily ranked it at the top of the weekend movie going charts. Another freshman, the seasoned action-comedy Red, ranked second with $21.9 million. The session’s third national debut in medium-wide release was the inspirational N Secure with an OK $133,000 bow.
Among niche and regional bows the polemical documentary I Want Your Money failed to bring out the vote with a $236,000 tally from 537 screens. Telegu-language Brindaavanam rang up an impressive $10,320 average from 20 venues while Bollywood entry Aakrosh was a washout with a $46,400 gross from 24 screens.
Among the week’s exclusive newbies the clear favorite was Hereafter with a $37,380 per screen from six early peeks. There were also impressive openings for the three-hour plus portrait of a terrorist Carlos of $33,700 from single dates in Manhattan and Montreal and a sturdy $101,000 gross for the ripped from the headlines Conviction at 11 cells.
Overall weekend box office revenues topped $130 million for a sizeable 42% boost from seven days back. However, it fell 4% below last year’s tally and the 2010 box office has shrunk to just 2% better than the prior year’s gross for the same period.
Industry trackers had pegged the stereoscopic version of Jackass at roughly $30 million prior to its opening. But they obviously were deaf to bygone wag Henry Mencken’s observation that “no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” The recently under-served young male audience were eager to don Polaroid glasses and see the aging stars of the reality skein making fools of themselves and others up close and personal.
Pundits also undervalued Red with early estimates in a $15 million to $18 million range. The single joke premise of over the hill spies conscripted back into service (more intentionally mawkish than The Expendables) skewed older but obviously had some appeal for a younger crowd in search of something marginally less mind numbing that required optical gimmicks.
The glacial expansion of Waiting for “Superman” continued to display stamina but it’s clear that Never Let Me Go has peaked and that the rapid expansion of Nowhere Boy left the early years of John Lennon stranded outside the Cavern Club. Stone was experiencing a better than expected hold as it increased its exposure from six to 41 venues.
The frame’s two award contenders – Hereafter and Conviction – constructed solid foundations for their platform bids. Still the early signs suggest a better than anticipated commercial run for the former with the latter yarn requiring a lot of TLC to reach a wider audience.
Among holdovers the second lap for Secretariat showed signs that audiences were discovering the heartfelt saga and The Social Network continues to be propped up by award buzz rather than Facebook fascination.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 15-17, 2010
Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
Jackass 3D |
Par |
49.3 (16,010) |
New |
3081 |
49.3 |
Red |
Summit |
21.9 (6,740) |
New |
3255 |
21.8 |
The Social Network |
Sony |
10.8 (3,910) |
-30% |
2771 |
63 |
Secretariat |
BV |
9.4 (3,070) |
-26% |
3072 |
27.4 |
Life As We Know It |
WB |
9.2 (2,910) |
-37% |
3150 |
28.8 |
Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
4.2 (1,670) |
-39% |
2502 |
46 |
The Town |
WB |
4.0 (1,700) |
-37% |
2368 |
80.6 |
My Soul to Take |
Uni/Alliance |
3.1 (1,240) |
-54% |
2529 |
11.9 |
Easy A |
Sony |
2.6 (1,140) |
-39% |
2314 |
52.3 |
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
2.3 (1,110) |
-50% |
2045 |
47.8 |
N Secure |
FreeStyle |
1.3 (2,730) |
New |
486 |
1.3 |
It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
1.3 (1,660) |
-38% |
757 |
4 |
You Again |
BV |
1.2 (750) |
-53% |
1588 |
22.7 |
Case 39 |
Par Vantage |
1.2 (840) |
-56% |
1406 |
11.9 |
Devil |
Uni |
1.0 (1,100) |
-46% |
891 |
31.6 |
Let Me In |
Overture |
.83 (690) |
-66% |
1211 |
11.1 |
Alpha and Omega |
Lions Gate |
.81 (840) |
-46% |
969 |
22.6 |
Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.74 (4,060) |
17% |
182 |
2.5 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.52 (1,480) |
-6% |
350 |
412.8 |
Inception |
WB |
.35 (1,180) |
-29% |
297 |
289.7 |
Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
.34 (780) |
-73% |
438 |
59.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$125.70 |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
|
-4% |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Week) |
|
42% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
Nowhere Boy |
Weinstein Co. |
.33 (1,550) |
554% |
215 |
0.41 |
Never Let Me Go |
Searchlight |
.32 (1,390) |
-7% |
232 |
1.65 |
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.27 (2,440) |
1% |
112 |
1.26 |
I Want Your Money |
FreeStyle |
.24 (440) |
|
537 |
0.24 |
Stone |
Overture |
.23 (5,780) |
199% |
41 |
0.34 |
Hereafter |
WB |
.22 (37,380) |
|
6 |
0.22 |
Brindaavanam |
Blue Sky |
.21 (10,320) |
|
20 |
0.21 |
Buried |
Lions Gate |
.13 (1,270) |
-41% |
103 |
0.76 |
Conviction |
Fox Searchlight |
.10 (9,200) |
|
11 |
0.1 |
Aakrosh |
Eros |
46,400 (1,930) |
|
24 |
0.05 |
Carlos |
IFC |
33,700 (16,850) |
|
1 |
0.03 |
Knockout |
Eros |
18,100 (700) |
|
26 |
0.02 |
A Better Tomorrow |
CJ Entertainment |
5,800 (5,800) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Down Terrace |
Magnolia |
2,900 (1,450) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Samson and Delilah |
Ipix |
2,300 (1,150) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – October 14, 2010
Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
Warner Bros. (24) |
1380.1 |
16.40% |
Fox (16) |
1284.6 |
15.30% |
Paramount (14) |
1242.3 |
14.80% |
Buena Vista (15) |
1129.6 |
13.40% |
Sony (23) |
1111.7 |
13.20% |
Universal (17) |
765.4 |
9.10% |
Summit (9) |
425.1 |
5.10% |
Lionsgate (12) |
410.1 |
4.90% |
Overture (7) |
78.2 |
0.90% |
Fox Searchlight (5) |
72.1 |
0.90% |
Focus (7) |
71.4 |
0.90% |
Weinstein Co. (7) |
61.1 |
0.70% |
Sony Classics (20) |
52.9 |
0.60% |
MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
Other * (266) |
222.3 |
2.60% |
|
8407.3 |
100.00% |
* none greater than .04% |
Tags: A Better Tomorrow, Aakrosh, Alpha and Omega, Brindaavanam, Buried, carlos, Case 39, Conviction, Devil, down terrace, Easy A, Hereafter, I Want Your Money, Inception, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, jackass 3-d, Jackass 3D, Knockout, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, Life As We Know It, My Soul To Take, N Secure, Never Let Me Go, Nowhere Boy, Red, Resident Evil: Afterlife, samson and delilah, Secretariat, Stone, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, Waiting For 'Superman', Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Walt Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | 1 Comment »
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
Nobody Nose Anything
The Social Network surprised pundits with a better than expected hold and won the weekend movie going chase with an estimated $15.3 million. Three national debs were on its tail with lackluster returns. The rom-com Life As We Know It faltered in the clutch with $14.6 million while the much ballyhooed turf saga Secretariat posted $12.4 million, and there was a lack of stereoscopic shock for My Soul to Take with $6.9 million.
There was also a lack of oomph for the comic oddity It’s Kind of a Funny Story with $2 million tally-woo from 742 engagements.
In the niches Telegu-language Khaleja had a buoyant bow of $343,000 from 24 screens and OK returns of $72,700 for French thriller L’Immortel in Quebec. There were also a raft of exclusive bows with Darwinian winners that included the young John Lennon of Nowhere Boy grossing $51,300 at four venues, the squeezed of non-fiction Inside Job with $37,500 at two interviews and psychological thriller Stone with $71,400 from six couches.
Overall business once again took a dip with 2010 box office now less than 2% ahead of last year’s pace and industry mavens sweating out a quick reversal of fortune.
Tracking reports had pegged the uplifting tale of racing Triple Crowner Secretariat as the weekend’s odds-on favorite with estimates in the range of $16 million to $18 million. But its appeal to women and an older demo that remembered the four-legged wonder of the early 1970s failed to bring ‘em out in its maiden performance despite a considerable marketing push.
Life As We Know It was expected to be about a length behind Secretariat but pulled ahead right from the opening gate. It opened ahead of the pack on Friday with a $5.2 million bow but quickly lost ground to The Social Network as the weekend advanced.
And My Soul to Take fell smack in the middle of estimates in the $6 million to $8 million range. All three of the newbies skewed toward distaff viewers and there’s little question the marketplace is in dire need of something for the boys.
Weekend revenues pushed to roughly $92 million that represented a 4% dip from seven days back. It was a considerably steeped 16% fall from 2009 when the launch of Couples Retreat topped the charts on a $34.3 million first salvo.
On the expansion track, the “what’s wrong with our education” doc Waiting for “Superman” is holding up well and Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger continues to draw in aficionados. But the dour Never Let Me Go appears to have peaked early in the awards season. Among the new entries the highly enjoyable Tamara Drewe proved to be the surprise commercial disappointment with a dull $4,300 engagement average from four initial exposures.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 1-3, 2010
Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
The Social Network |
Sony |
15.3 (5,520) |
-32% |
2771 |
45.9 |
Life As We Know It |
WB |
14.6 (4,630) |
New |
3150 |
14.6 |
Secretariat |
BV |
12.4 (4,050) |
New |
3072 |
12.4 |
My Soul to Take |
Uni/Alliance |
6.9 (2,670) |
New |
2572 |
6.9 |
Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
6.8 (2,100) |
-38% |
3225 |
39.2 |
The Town |
WB |
6.3 (2,310) |
-36% |
2720 |
73.7 |
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
4.5 (1,600) |
-55% |
2829 |
43.6 |
Easy A |
Sony |
4.1 (1,450) |
-39% |
2847 |
48.1 |
Case 39 |
Par Vantage |
2.6 (1,160) |
-55% |
2212 |
9.5 |
You Again |
BV |
2.4 (1,030) |
-58% |
2332 |
20.7 |
Let Me In |
Overture |
2.4 (1,160) |
-54% |
2042 |
9.1 |
It’s Kind of a Funny Story |
Focus |
2.0 (2,670) |
New |
742 |
2 |
Devil |
Uni |
1.7 (1,210) |
-51% |
1442 |
30 |
Alpha and Omega |
Lionsgate |
1.4 (890) |
-51% |
1616 |
21 |
Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
1.2 (1,210) |
-56% |
1012 |
58.8 |
Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.63 (6,120) |
54% |
103 |
1.4 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.55 (1,400) |
140% |
393 |
412 |
Inception |
WB |
.52 (1,290) |
-43% |
403 |
289.2 |
Takers |
Sony |
.39 (950) |
-50% |
412 |
56.8 |
Catfish |
Uni/Alliance |
.37 (2,590) |
-37% |
143 |
2.2 |
Khaleja |
Ficus |
.34 (14,290) |
|
24 |
0.39 |
Never Let Me Go |
Searchlight |
.33 (1,990) |
77% |
167 |
1.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$86.30 |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
|
-16% |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Week) |
|
-4% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.25 (3,380) |
15% |
73 |
0.84 |
Buried |
Lionsgate |
.21 (2,300) |
118% |
92 |
0.5 |
L’Immortel |
Seville |
72,700 (3,030) |
|
24 |
0.07 |
Stone |
Overture |
71,400 (11,900) |
|
6 |
0.07 |
Nowhere Boy |
Weinstein Co. |
51,300 (12,820) |
|
4 |
0.05 |
Inside Job |
Sony Classics |
37,500 (18,750) |
|
2 |
0.04 |
Route 132 |
Alliance |
37,300 (1,430) |
|
26 |
0.06 |
I Spit on Your Grave |
Anchor Bay |
30,800 (2,570) |
|
12 |
0.03 |
Tamara Drewe |
Sony Classics |
17,200 (4,300) |
|
4 |
0.02 |
Ghetto Physics |
IDP |
10,700 (1,190) |
|
9 |
0.01 |
Budrus |
Balcony |
8,400 (8,400) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
It’s a Wonderful Afterlife |
UTV |
5,500 (770) |
|
20 |
0.01 |
As Good as Dead |
First Look |
1,850 (1,850) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – October 7, 2010
Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
Warner Bros. (23) |
1340.5 |
16.20% |
Fox (16) |
1277.7 |
15.40% |
Paramount (14) |
1237.4 |
15.00% |
Buena Vista (14) |
1107.4 |
13.40% |
Sony (23) |
1081.3 |
13.10% |
Universal (16) |
753.6 |
9.10% |
Summit (9) |
425.1 |
5.10% |
Lionsgate (12) |
407.1 |
4.90% |
Overture (6) |
74.5 |
0.90% |
Fox Searchlight (5) |
71.5 |
0.90% |
Focus (6) |
68.4 |
0.80% |
Weinstein Co. (6) |
60.9 |
0.70% |
Sony Classics (19) |
52.3 |
0.60% |
MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
Other * (260) |
217.3 |
2.60% |
|
8275.4 |
100.00% |
* none greater than .04% |
Top Global Grossers: January 1 – October 7, 2010
Title * |
Distributor |
Gross |
Avatar * |
Fox |
1,948,069,404 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
1,047,492,510 |
Alice in Wonderland |
BV |
1,024,537,295 |
Twilight: Eclipse |
Summit |
691,330,829 |
Inception |
WB |
803,799,128 |
Shrek Forever After |
Par |
732,163,289 |
Iron Man 2 |
Par |
622,718,660 |
How to Train Your Dragon |
Par |
494,288,254 |
Clash of the Titans |
WB |
489,778,913 |
Sherlock Holmes * |
WB |
367,796,599 |
Despicable Me |
Uni |
367,194,481 |
The Karate Kid |
Sony |
357,206,535 |
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time |
BV |
335,020,929 |
Robin Hood |
Uni |
311,610,747 |
The Last Airbender |
Par |
310,375,125 |
Shutter Island |
Par |
301,977,955 |
Sex and the City 2 |
WB |
301,158,934 |
Salt |
Sony |
287,626,258 |
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel |
Fox |
264,341,533 |
Grown Ups |
Sony |
261,324,243 |
The Expendables |
Lionsgate |
257,529,373 |
Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
244,795,280 |
Knight and Day |
Fox |
229,686,302 |
Percy Jackson & the Olympians |
Fox |
226,497,209 |
Valentine’s Day |
WB |
217,596,116 |
|
|
* does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: Alpha and Omega, As Good as Dead, Budrus, Buried, Case 39, Catfish, Devil, Easy A, Ghetto Physics, I Spit on Your Grave, Inception, Inside Job, It's a Wonderful Afterlife, It's Kind Of A Funny Story, khaleja, L'Immortel, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, Life As We Know It, My Soul To Take, Never Let Me Go, Nowhere Boy, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Route 132, Secretariat, Stone, Takers, Tamara Drewe, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, Waiting For 'Superman', Walt Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | 3 Comments »
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
I Am Not a Robot … or Not
The uber-ballyhooed The Social Network buzzed above the pack with an estimated $22.6 million to lead weekend ticket sales. Two other national releases proved commercial disappointments. The much-admired horror remake Let Me In ranked seventh overall with $5.3 million and the thriller Case 39 was a peg behind with $5.2 million.
The big noise for the frame came from new regional and niche titles. The Tamil language Robots (the most expensive film ever produced in India) rewrote the record books with the biggest ever North American debut with a $2.1 million tally. The simultaneous release of Anjaana Anjaani from Bollywood’s Hindi sector was also impressive with a $560,000 bow. In Canada, the Brit import StreetDance 3D generated a hefty $423,000 and the indigenous Fubar II rang up $209,000 from just 30 venues.
However, a couple of indie horror entries failed to ignite pre-Halloween frenzy. Chain Letter eked out a $300 average from 401 screens and Hatchet II was marginally better with an $880 average from a more contained 68 playdates.
Overall business experienced a roll back from both the prior weekend and 2009 revenues.
Critical response to The Social Network was predominantly rapturous. Still, media reports detailed concerns based on tracking and previews that the flamboyant saga of Facebook and its youthful creators was a tough sell. Exit polls showed that opening weekend skewed slightly female with 53% of the audience and plus 25s comprised 55% of sales. Trackers had predicted grossed in the range of $25 million to $28 million and its clear that its future rests on playing the awards card and eventually drawing in younger viewers obviously spending too much time on the net to go see the movie.
Let Me In also received enthusiastic thumbs ups from reviewers that failed to translate at the box office. Prognosticators pushed its envelope to the $10 million to $12 million strata but ticket buyers opted to catch up with The Town, Easy A or the Wall Street sequel. Case 39, which opened internationally in late 2008 and has grossed more than $10 million overseas, arrived as a theatrical afterthought and performed more or less as expected … blah.
Weekend sales came up just short of $100 million, which amounted to a 3% decline from seven days earlier. 2009 comparisons saw a steeper erosion of 9%. A year ago the debuts of Zombieland and the 3D pairing of Toy Story’s first two installments ranked first and third with respective openings of $24.7 million and $12.5 million.
Robot, with echoes of Metropolis, is a more optimistic yarn of a scientist who creates an android in his own image and watches the somewhat amusing results unfold. The big budget production went full out with dubbed versions in Hindi and Telegu in addition to the Tamil original. The largely Indian diasporas came out in force to generate a record opening box office. Still, despite considerable efforts in the past five years, the Indian cinema is just one film short of producing a crossover mainstream hit.
The session didn’t include a new platform in what looks like a crowded, eclectic awards season. However a clutch of early entries including Never Let Me Go, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Catfish added dates and continued to keep a foot in the door. Only Jack Goes Boating appears to have run out of steam early.
__________________________________________________
Weekend Estimates – October 1-3, 2010
Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
The Social Network |
Sony |
22.6 (8.170) |
New |
2771 |
22.6 |
Legend of the Guardians |
WB |
10.9 (3,040) |
-33% |
3575 |
30.1 |
Walt Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Fox |
10.2 (2,840) |
-46% |
3597 |
36 |
The Town |
WB |
10.1 (3,430) |
-36% |
2935 |
64.4 |
Easy A |
Sony |
6.8 (2,280) |
-36% |
2974 |
42.2 |
You Again |
BV |
5.5 (2,150) |
-35% |
2548 |
16.4 |
Let Me In |
Overture |
5.3 (2,610) |
New |
2021 |
5.3 |
Case 39 |
Par Vantage |
5.2 (2,370) |
New |
2211 |
5.2 |
Devil |
Uni |
3.6 (1,510) |
-45% |
2392 |
27.3 |
Alpha and Omega |
Lions Gate |
3.0 (1,290) |
-38% |
2302 |
19 |
Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
2.8 (1,450) |
-44% |
1907 |
56.6 |
Robot/Endhiran |
Ficus/B4U |
2.1 (15,260) |
New |
139 |
2.1 |
Inception |
WB |
.84 (1,340) |
-37% |
625 |
288.3 |
Takers |
Sony |
.79 (1,020) |
-46% |
773 |
56.2 |
Catfish |
Uni/Alliance |
.61 (4,480) |
80% |
136 |
1.6 |
Anjaana Anjaani |
Eros |
.56 (6,090) |
New |
92 |
0.56 |
The Other Guys |
Sony |
.43 (760) |
-57% |
566 |
117.7 |
StreetDance 3D |
Alliance |
.42 (2,940) |
New |
144 |
0.42 |
Waiting for “Superman” |
Par Vantage |
.41 (12,010) |
193% |
34 |
0.6 |
Despicable Me |
Uni |
.39 (840) |
-33% |
463 |
246 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$90.90 |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
|
-9% |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Week) |
|
-3% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
Fubar 2 |
Alliance |
.21 (6,970) |
|
30 |
0.21 |
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger |
Sony Classics |
.20 (7,010) |
27% |
29 |
0.286 |
Never Let Me Go |
Searchlight |
.19 (3,470) |
-23% |
54 |
0.62 |
Chain Letter |
New Film |
.12 (300) |
|
401 |
0.12 |
Jack Goes Boating |
Overture |
.10 (1,300) |
29% |
78 |
0.27 |
Buried |
Lions Gate |
96,200 (2,920) |
-4% |
33 |
0.23 |
Hatchet II |
Vitagraph |
59,700 (880) |
|
68 |
0.06 |
Le Poil de la bete |
Seville |
48,800 (1,740) |
|
28 |
0.05 |
Freakomomics |
Magnolia |
32,400 (1,620) |
|
20 |
0.03 |
Leaving |
IFC |
12,700 (6,350) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Douchebag |
Paladin |
3,600 (3,600) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – September 23, 2010
Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
Warner Bros. (23) |
1312.1 |
16.10% |
Fox (16) |
1263.7 |
15.50% |
Paramount (11) |
1228.6 |
15.10% |
Buena Vista (14) |
1099.5 |
13.50% |
Sony (22) |
1035.9 |
12.70% |
Universal (16) |
747.4 |
9.20% |
Summit (9) |
424.9 |
5.20% |
Lions Gate (12) |
403.1 |
5.00% |
Fox Searchlight (5) |
71.2 |
0.90% |
Focus (6) |
68.1 |
0.80% |
Overture (5) |
67.6 |
0.80% |
Weinstein Co. (6) |
60.8 |
0.70% |
Sony Classics (19) |
51.7 |
0.60% |
MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
Other * (253) |
211 |
2.60% |
|
8146 |
100.00% |
* none greater than .04% |
Top Limited Releases: January 1 – September 30, 2010
Title * |
Distributor |
Gross |
Hubble 3D |
WB |
16,036,317 |
The Ghost Writer |
Summit |
15,569,712 |
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
Music Box/Alliance |
11,250,177 |
The Young Victoria * |
Apparition/Alliance |
11,131,232 |
/tr>
Get Low |
Sony Classics |
8,449,788 |
A Single Man * |
Weinstein Co. |
7,935,872 |
The Girl Who Played with Fire |
Music Box/Alliance |
7,539,151 |
Babies |
Focus |
7,444,272 |
Cyrus |
Fox Searchlight |
7,442,641 |
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus * |
E1/Sony Classics |
7,394,171 |
City Island |
Anchor Bay |
6,671,036 |
The Last Station |
Sony Classics |
6,617,867 |
The Secret in Their Eyes |
Sony Classics |
6,384,875 |
Winter’s Bone |
Roadside Attraction |
6,077,440 |
An Education * |
Sony Classics |
4,963,224 |
Under the Sea 3D * |
WB |
4,950,071 |
I Am Love |
Magnolia |
4,900,430 |
The Hurt Locker * |
Summit |
4,531,548 |
Solitary Man |
Anchor Bay |
4,359,937 |
Greenberg |
Focus |
4,283,056 |
|
|
* does not include 2009 box office |
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Case 39, Devil, Easy A, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | 5 Comments »
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
The Social Network|22.6|New| 22.6
Legend of the Guardians|10.9|-33% |30.1
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|10.2|-46%|36
The Town|10.1|-36%|64.4
Easy A|6.8|-36%|42.2
You Again|5.5|-35%|16.4
Let Me In|5.3| New|5.3
Case 39|5.2| New|5.2
Devil|3.6| -45%| 27.3
Alpha and Omega|3.0|-38%|19
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Case 39, Devil, Easy A, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in Estimates, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Weekend Estimates — October 3
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
Interesting.
Basically, Sony is now hoping that The Social Network, which they have pushed about as hard as any drama has ever been pushed, does slightly better than The Town this weekend. $26.85m is the magic number to pass, as it is the number Ben Button opened to… and they want that across-the-board Oscar nominee to be their first point of reference. If things go well, about one of every 20 million Facebook users will have rushed out to see the film.
Back in the Land of Reality, this is an excellent opening for a drama with no box office stars. Aside from chick-flicky films like Dear John and Eat Pray Love, you don’t see $20m opening dramas these days.
That said, as this Social Network and Let Me In were both reminded this weekend, you gotta sell your goods and not get caught up in your own in-house excitement. Social Network sold itself to the media elite, smartly and with style. And as a result, they’re getting box office returns from that limited group. That could, as Sony hopes, still mean $100 million.
It’s really a different conversation than box office, but Sony should embrace and be fully pleased with this number for an Aaron Sorkin script… which means a specific slice of people who want to hear rapid-fired clever dialogue and not walk away with much more than that story being well told. They made the movie they set out to make… and then, I am afraid, got a little too caught up in their own belief that it was the second coming. There is a ton of talent on display in the film, but it is only as much as it is. And perspective gets lost.
The same need to sell what you have and not what you think you have is true for Let Me In, which is a much bigger mystery non-opening this weekend, as they chose to take a gentle, weird, very Euro movie and make it into a horror film with fancy arthouse edges. I don’t see the movies as the same at all, i believe that film can be reimagined (and think Fincher will take Dragon Tattoo miles further than the director of the series now on screen does), so I am fine with what Matt Reeves did. So the question is, why couldn’t Overture sell what Lionsgate or Screen Gems would have opened to 3x as much of a gross. (My first suspect would be TV spending and time for a strong pr rollout, but honestly, I have been so in TIFF mode for weeks that I don’t have a great idea of what the team left at Overture was able to get done, aside from fests and geek community hype.)
This opening neither puts Social Network behind some 8-ball with awards season or profitability, nor does it make it a smash success. It’s just box office. And awards are just awards. And really, what will live on forever is The Film. I am not as over the moon about Social Network as some. I think a lot of critics projected their personal issues with the web onto the movie. But It’s a damned good movie, especially from a major studio.
But I digress…
Nice holds again for The Town and Easy A.
Tags: anjaana anjaani, Case 39, chain letter, Devil, Douchebag, Easy A.Let Me In, Freakomomics, fubar 2, hatchet II, Le Poil de la bête, leaving, Legend of the Guardians, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Robot, StreetDance 3D, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in MCN Blogs, MCN Originals, Movie City News, The Hot Blog | 36 Comments »
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010
The Social Network|8|2771||8
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|3.3 |3565|-53%|29
The Town|3.1|2885|-38%|57.4
Legend of the Guardians|2.6|3575|-43%|21.8
Easy A|2.2|2974|-38%|37.7
Let Me In|1.9|2021||1.9
Case 39|1.8|2211||1.8
You Again|1.6|2548|-40%|12.5
Devil|1.1|2392|-48%|24.8
Resident Evil: Afterlife|0.75|2642|-44%|54.6
Also Debuting
Robot|0.4 5|89||0.45
Anjaana Anjaani|0.16|92||0.16
StreetDance 3D|0.12|144||0.12
Fubar 2|81,600|30||81,600
Chain Letter|37,800|401||37,800
Hatchet II|25,300|67||25,300
Le Poil de la bete|16,400|28||16,400
Freakonomics|9,300|17||9,300
Leaving|4,100|2||4,100
Douchebag|2,050|1||2,050
||||
*in millions|||
Tags: anjaana anjaani, Case 39, chain letter, Devil, Easy A, Freakonomics, hatchet II, Legend of the Guardians, Let Me In, Resident Evil: Afterlife, The Social Network, The Town, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in Friday Box Office Estimates, MCN Weekend | Comments Off on Friday Estimates – October 2
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps| 19.5|New| 19.5
Legend of the Guardians|16.3|New |16.3
The Town| 15.9|-33%|49
Easy A|10.7|-40%|32.8
You Again|8.4|New|8.4
Devil|6.4|-48%|21.7
Resident Evil: Afterlife| 4.8| -52%| 51.9
Alpha and Omega|4.6| -49%|15.1
Takers| 1.6| -46%| 53.26
Inception| 1.2| -37%|287
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Devil, Easy A, Inception, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Takers, The Town, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, You Again
Posted in Estimates, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Weekend Estimates – September 26
Saturday, September 25th, 2010
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps|6.9|3565||6.9
The Town|5|2885|-40%|38.1
Legend of the Guardians|4.5|3575||4.5
Easy A|3.6|2856|-47%|25.7
You Again|2.7|2548||2.7
Devil|2.1|2809|-57%|17.3
Resident Evil: Afterlife|1.4|2642|-54%|48.5
Alpha and Omega|1.1 |2625|-53%|11.5
Takers|0.5|1413|-49%|53.7
Inception|0.4|907|-37%|286.2
Also Debuting
The Virginity Hit|0.1|700||0.1
Waiting for Superman|52,300|4||52,300
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger|44,800|6||44,800
Like Dandelion Dust|37,100|26||37,100
Buried|34,100|11||34,100
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Buried, Devil, Easy A, Inception, Legend of the Guardians, like dandelion dust, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Takers, The Town, the virginity hit, Waiting For 'Superman', Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, You Again, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger
Posted in Friday Box Office Estimates, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Friday Estimates – September 25
Sunday, September 19th, 2010
A trio of new films was expected to duke it out for weekend bragging rights but Friday box office returns burst that bubble. The cops and robbers of The Town prevailed with an estimated $23.6 million while the high school angst and hijinx of Easy A took place position with $18 million; followed with a $12.5 million gross for the horror entry Devil.
The session’s fourth national bow was the family-targeted Alpha and Omega (in 3D) that ranked fifth with $9.2 million.
And despite the surge of new blood, weekend box office was no better than on par with 2010; albeit with fewer people buying tickets.
The frame was also chock-a-block with new additions in regional and exclusive play. The Toronto fest favorite Incendies had a solid bow in Quebec of $170,500 at 29 venues while another TIFF debut, the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, rang up a per engagement average of $29,370 from four screens. Also good in limited exposure were Philip Seymour Hoffman’s directorial debut Jack Goes Boating and the black comic Leaves of Grass.
Though The Town was clearly out-pacing its competition in advance ticket sales, tracking pundits pegged the latter day Ridgemont High antics of Easy A as the box office leader for the frame. Devil was expected to be very close behind the duo.
But some unexpected twists altered the scenario. The most telling wild card was the fact that Devil went against the grain of drawing in women (horror films generally draw a majority distaff audience). Exit polls revealed the horror film’s audience at 60% while The Town, which was expected to be predominantly male, had a better than expected 45% female buyers.
Conversely, Easy A’s composition was two-thirds female and whenever two films display comparable strength, the one that favors males usually dominates. Men out-weigh women among avid filmgoers.
Weekend revenues should top out just shy of $100 million for a sizeable 24% boost from the immediate prior weekend. However, that also translated into a 1% box office drop from 2009. A year ago the debuts of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The Informant held the top two slots with respective opening salvos of $30.3 million and $10.5 million.
Holdovers largely took it on the chin with last weekend’s chart topper Resident Evil: Afterlife going free fall by 63%. In general older titles saw their box office halved. The alternative hits of summer have pretty much run their course and specialized exhibitors are almost rabid about getting the deluge of film festival favorites on screen to bolster flagging sales.
Weekend Estimates – September 17-19, 2010
Title |
Distributor |
Gross (average) |
% change * |
Theaters |
Cume |
The Town |
WB |
23.6 (8,250) |
New |
2861 |
23.6 |
Easy A |
Sony |
18.0 (6,310) |
New |
2856 |
18 |
Devil |
Uni |
12.5 (4,460) |
New |
2809 |
12.5 |
Resident Evil: Afterlife |
Sony/Alliance |
9.9 (3,090) |
-63% |
3209 |
43.8 |
Alpha and Omega |
Lions Gate |
9.2 (3,490) |
New |
2625 |
9.2 |
Takers |
Sony |
3.0 (1,390) |
-48% |
2139 |
52.3 |
The American |
Focus |
2.7 (1,110) |
-52% |
2457 |
32.8 |
Inception |
WB |
2.0 (1,510) |
-29% |
1305 |
285.1 |
The Other Guys |
Sony |
1.9 (1,050) |
-43% |
1827 |
115.3 |
Eat Drink Pray |
Sony |
1.6 (980) |
-44% |
1668 |
77.6 |
Machete |
Fox |
1.6 (940) |
-63% |
1704 |
24.2 |
Going the Distance |
WB |
1.3 (660) |
-65% |
2007 |
16.7 |
The Expendables |
Lions Gate |
1.3 (720) |
-59% |
1854 |
101 |
The Last Exorcism |
Lions Gate |
1.2 (600) |
-64% |
2013 |
40.1 |
Nanny McPhee Returns |
Uni |
1.0 (600) |
-53% |
1588 |
27.6 |
The Switch |
BV |
.91 (790) |
-55% |
1158 |
26.6 |
Despicable Me |
Uni |
.86 (910) |
-48% |
944 |
244.7 |
Lottery Ticket |
WB |
.62 (920) |
-49% |
677 |
23.5 |
Get Low |
Sony Classics |
.57 (1,380) |
-34% |
421 |
7.8 |
Vampires Suck |
Fox |
.54 (560) |
-64% |
964 |
35.8 |
Toy Story 3 |
BV |
.43 (900) |
-44% |
475 |
410.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
|
$94.30 |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
|
-1% |
|
|
|
% Change (Last Week) |
|
24% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also debuting/expanding |
|
|
|
|
|
Catfish |
Uni |
.25 (21,080) |
|
12 |
0.25 |
Incendies |
eOne |
.17 (5,880) |
|
29 |
0.17 |
Never Let Me Go |
Searchlight |
.12 (29,370) |
|
4 |
0.16 |
I’m Still Here |
Magnolia |
.11 (970) |
11% |
111 |
0.25 |
Jack Goes Boating |
Overture |
30,300 (7,580) |
|
4 |
0.03 |
Leaves of Grass |
First Look |
24,300 (8,100) |
|
3 |
0.02 |
Picture Me |
Strand |
6,800 (6,800) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
The Freebie |
Phase 4 |
4,400 (4,400) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
GasLand |
HBO |
2,800 (1,400) |
|
2 |
0.01 |
Kings of Pastry |
First Run |
2,250 (2,250) |
|
1 |
0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – January 1 – September 16, 2010
Distributor (releases) |
Gross |
Market Share |
Fox (15) |
1232.8 |
15.60% |
Warner Bros. (21) |
1229.4 |
15.60% |
Paramount (11) |
1227.5 |
15.60% |
Buena Vista (13) |
1086.8 |
13.80% |
Sony (20) |
967.9 |
12.30% |
Universal (14) |
718.4 |
9.10% |
Summit (9) |
424.5 |
5.40% |
Lions Gate (10) |
382.2 |
4.80% |
Fox Searchlight (4) |
70.6 |
0.90% |
Overture (5) |
67.4 |
0.90% |
Focus (6) |
62.8 |
0.80% |
Weinstein Co. (6) |
60.3 |
0.80% |
MGM (1) |
50.4 |
0.60% |
CBS (2) |
50 |
0.60% |
Sony Classics (18) |
49.8 |
0.60% |
Other * (235) |
199.9 |
2.60% |
|
7880.7 |
100.00% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
* none greater than 0.45% |
|
|
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Box Office, Catfish, Devil, Easy A, I'm Still Here, incendies, Jack Goes Boating, Leaves of Grass, Never Let Me Go, Resident Evil: Afterlife, The Town
Posted in Columns, Klady, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News, The Weekend Report | Comments Off on Weekend Box Office Report – September 19
Sunday, September 19th, 2010
The Town| 23.6|New| 23.6
Easy A| 18|New | 18
Devil| 12.5| New| 12.5
Resident Evil: Afterlife| 9.9| -63%| 43.8
Alpha and Omega| 9.2|New|9.2
Takers|3|-48%|52.3
The American| 2.7| -52%| 32.8
Inception| 2 | -29%| 285.1
The Other Guys| 1.9| -43%| 115.3
Eat Pray Love| 1.6| -44%| 77.6
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Box Office, Devil, Easy A, Eat Pray Love, Inception, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Takers, The American, The Other Guys, The Town
Posted in Estimates, MCN Weekend | Comments Off on Weekend Estimates – September 19
Sunday, September 19th, 2010
(Tardy writing… 7p… football and family… and not much to say…)
So not only didn’t Easy A chase down The Town, Affleck’s latest was actually quite muscular after its Friday launch.
Devil reminds us again that Screen Gems is not an easy act to imitate. Not a horrible launch… but not surprisingly strong, given the marketing pedigree.
I’m Still Here, expanding to 5x the screens and still doing less than $1000 per screen is a tribute to how publicity can fail to draw a crowd. They must be hoping Phoenix’s Letterman slot this week turns the corner on the VOD, if not the theatrical.
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Devil, Easy A, Inception, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Takers, The American, The Other Guys, The Town
Posted in MCN Blogs, The Hot Blog | 42 Comments »
Saturday, September 18th, 2010
The Town|8.2|2861||8.2
Easy A|6.7|2856||6.7
Devil|4.8|2809||4.8
Resident Evil: Afterlife|3|3209|-72%|36.9
Alpha and Omega|2.3|2625||2.3
Takers|0.9|2139|-49%|50.3
The American|0.8|2457|-53%|30.9
Inception|0.6|1305|-29%|283.7
The Other Guys|0.6|1827|-42%|114
Machete|0.5|1704|-62%|23.1
Also Debuting
Catfish|87,000|12||87,000
Incendies|44,000|29||44,300
Never Let Me Go|33,500|4||33,500
Jack Goes Boating|8,300|4||8,300
Leaves of Grass|6,900|2||6,900
Picture Me|2,900|1||2,900
The Freebie|1,900|1||1,900
Tags: Alpha and Omega, Catfish, Devil, Easy A, incendies, Inception, Jack Goes Boating, Leaves of Grass, Machete, Never Let Me Go, picture me, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Takers, The American, The Freebie, The Other Guys, The Town
Posted in Friday Box Office Estimates, MCN Originals, MCN Weekend, Movie City News | Comments Off on Friday Estimates – September 17
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Two times in the past week, I’ve gone to the movie theater and seen the preview for Devil. Both times, I thought the trailer was well-cut, moody, and effective. And both times, the audience started giggling as soon as they saw M. Night Shyamalan’s name on the screen. By no means am I a fan of the man’s recent output – in fact, I’d go so far as to say that the films he’s made since Signs have all been somewhat embarrassing travesties – but I don’t root for anyone’s failure. I think Shyamalan is clearly a talented individual who has made at least one excellent film (Unbreakable) and one very good one (The Sixth Sense), but I don’t think anything has really changed in him. I don’t think he’s a different kind of storyteller now, I just think he hasn’t evolved as a filmmaker. Some chalk it up to an out-sized ego – and certainly there’s proof of that – but I’m not going to play amateur psychologist and assume that’s the case. I think he is very comfortable making films the way he makes them and doesn’t see that much of a need to listen to outside opinions.
Having said all that, Universal should be more aware of what has happened to the M. Night Shyamalan over the last few years. I don’t think it’s right that people are laughing at Shyamalan’s producer credit on Devil, but I also don’t think it’s smart for the marketing folks to prominently display the name of a man who has tarnished his brand in the eyes of most moviegoers. One could point to the $130 million that The Last Airbender grossed, but that film had a built-in audience and still couldn’t make its budget back.
Devil is a smaller film that needs word of mouth and positive buzz. It seems to be set almost entirely in an elevator with an outlandish premise, but the trailer is cut so well that it intrigued me and I don’t know why the studio would risk putting Shyamalan’s name in lights. Let’s all hope the film is good and that it is step one in Shyamalan getting back into our good graces. Step two is letting someone else write his scripts.
Tags: Devil, M. Night Shyamalan
Posted in Frenzy On Blog, MCN Blogs | 1 Comment »
It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon