Friday Box Office

Friday Box Office – CHRONICLE and THE WOMAN IN BLACK in Tight Race for Super Bowl Title

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 4th, 2012 at 8:47 am

Box office watchers were not expecting much from this year’s crop of Super Bowl Weekend releases. The three films opening against America’s biggest sporting event had modest goals to match their (mostly) modest budgets; and yet, here we are, with a photo finish for first on Friday and a weekend that is shaping up to make 2011’s Super Bowl weekend pale by comparison.  Estimates put Fox’s Chronicle on top with $8.6 million from 2,907 locations. Not far behind, however, is CBS Film’s The Woman in Black with an estimate of $8.3 million from 2,855 locations. That’s 45% higher than anyone expected from the supernatural-thriller. Right now, Chronicle is expected to edge out Black with $20 million to $19.7 million this weekend; but it is important to note that neither film was projected to make anything close to $20 million by Sunday. Only Universal’s Big Miracle is coming in as projected. The family film made an estimated $2.3 million on Friday for what looks like an $8 million first weekend. Join us tomorrow for a more detailed look at the studios’ counterprogramming successes, unless you have other plans…?

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Chronicle	$8,650,000	$8.6
2	The Woman in Black	$8,300,000	$8.3
3	The Grey	$3,200,000	$28.4
4	Big Miracle	$2,300,000	$2.3
5	Underworld Awakening	$1,700,000	$50.5

Friday Box Office – THE GREY Bares Its Fangs In First; ONE FOR THE MONEY Stronger Than Expected

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 28th, 2012 at 8:58 am

Open Road’s The Grey debuted in first place on Friday with an estimated $6.5 million from 3,185 locations.  That is only a bit less than the debut of Unknown, Liam Neeson’s last turn as a tough-guy, but substantially more than Open Road saw from Killer Elite, its first release last September. The thriller is projected to earn $18.5 million for the weekend, giving 2012 its fourth winning frame in a row.  Friday’s number two was Lionsgate’s One For the Money, which made an estimated $4.1 million from 2,737 venues. It is unclear, however, how much of an impact the film’s Groupon ticket deal had on its debut, but, so far, Money is not looking like the confirmed disaster that many expected/hoped for.  Discounted tickets were also offered for Summit’s new Man On A Ledge.  From 2,998 locations the PG-13 thriller took in a reported $2.5 million – enough for fifth place behind holdovers Underworld Awakening and Red Tails.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Grey	$6,500,000	$6.5
2	One For the Money	$4,100,000	$4.1
3	Underworld Awakening	$3,400,000	$36
4	Red Tails	$2,800,000	$26.1
5	Man On A Ledge	$2,500,000	$2.5

 

Friday Box Office – UNDERWORLD AWAKENING Emerges with $9.4 Million Opening

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 21st, 2012 at 9:38 am

In terms of box office numbers, January keeps offering up pleasant surprises.  This week, the big winner is Underworld Awakening with an estimated $9.4 million from 3,078 locations.  While not an unexpected first-place victory, part four in Screen Gems’ franchise is on track to earn about 15% more than the last installment, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, saw on its first weekend back in January of 2009.  And unlike 2010, when No Strings Attached was the only major new release, there are plenty of other titles crowding into theatres this weekend.  George Lucas’s Red Tails is at number two with $6 million from 2,512 venues – a better start for the WWII drama than would be suggested by the twenty-plus years it took to open the film.  After a month in limited release, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close expanded to 2,630 locations and took in $3.2 million.  The only film that is not meeting or exceeding expectations is Relativity’s Haywire.  After earning an estimated $2.9 million from 2,439 on Friday, the Steven Soderbergh drama will have trouble topping the $8 million weekend mark set by the studio.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Underworld Awakening	$9,400,000	$9.4
2	Red Tails	$6,000,000	$6
3	Contraband	$3,700,000	$37.6
4	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close	$3,200,000	$3.9
5	Haywire	$2,900,000	$2.9

Friday Box Office – CONTRABAND Grabs Number One with $8.7 Million; BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: January 14th, 2012 at 8:44 am

If 2011 closed as a bit of a downer, 2012 continues to surprise with its robust (early) box office performances.  Last week Paramount’s The Devil Inside caught most of us off-guard with its big number one finish; this weekend it was Universal’s turn with Contraband.  The R-rated thriller earned an estimated $8.7 million from 2,863 locations on Friday – a first place debut that puts it on track for a weekend 25% higher than expected.  In second place, Disney’s 3D reissue of Beauty and the Beast took in $5.6 million from 2,625 venues and should reach $23 million by the end of the four-day MLK Holiday weekend.  Warner Brothers’ Joyful Noise was the final new title of the weekend, not counting TWC’s The Iron Lady which expanded into 802 theatres and finished Friday in eighth-place.  Noise earned $3.3 million from its 2,863 locations for a third-place tie with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  Rounding out the top five, The Devil Inside was down a giant 87% from its debut.  With the film’s awful reviews, expect it to relinquish its current slot to Sherlock Holmes 2 by Sunday. Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Contraband	$8,700,000	$8.7
2	Beauty & the Beast 3D	$5,600,000	$5.6
3	Joyful Noise	$3,300,000	$3.3
4	Mission: Impossible 4	$3,300,000	$178.5
5	The Devil Inside	$2,700,000	$41

Friday Box Office – THE DEVIL INSIDE Is the First Hit of 2012 with $16.9 Million Opening Day

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 7th, 2012 at 9:37 am

The Devil Inside is a critical punching bag, but Paramount knew what they were doing with the marketing with this cheap $1 million acquisition.  The horror movie grossed $16.9 million opening day on its way to a potential $30 million weekend.  The Devil Inside has already become infamous for a terrible ending, so it’s unlikely this will hold up over the coming weeks, but a great start might be enough for the low-budget effort.  The top 5 is rounded out by the big holiday movies, with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows leading the charge.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo continues to find an audience three weeks into its run—it may yet hit the $100 million mark.  War Horse came in at #5 while passing $50 million.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Devil Inside	$16,850,000	$16.9
2	Mission: Impossible 4	$6,213,000	$155.9
3	Sherlock Holmes 2	$4,285,000	$147.6
4	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	$3,500,000	$69.0
5	War Horse	$2,606,000	$50.8

Friday Box Office – MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL Stays Ahead of Holiday Competition

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: December 31st, 2011 at 9:23 am

With three days before Hollywood’s jam-packed holiday season comes to a close, and with no major new studio releases, last week’s holdovers got a chance to stretch their legs on Friday.  After dominating the charts since it went wide ten days ago, Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol was yesterday’s winner with an estimated $10.7 million. This season’s all-purpose hit passed the $100 million mark on Thursday and is projected to take in another $35 million by the end of the four-day weekend.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows also hit $100 million (on Wednesday). Although the WB sequel was pushed into third by Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked on Wednesday and Thursday, Sherlock 2 should finish the holiday frame back in second place with $30 million to Alvin 3’s $25. As expected, each of the top five films saw a significant spike in earnings over last Friday; with the most impressive gain made by Fox’s We Bought a Zoo which rose 40% above its December 23^rd debut.  Just missing the top five, War Horse lost some momentum after its strong showing on Christmas Day.  The Disney/Dreamworks pic is projected to post $18 million through Monday – just ahead of director Steven Spielberg’s second holiday release: The Adventures of Tintin.  Check back for details and analysis.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Mission: Impossible 4	$10,700,000	$113.5
2	Sherlock Holmes 2	$7,650,000	$117.6
3	Alvin and the Chipmunks 3	$7,125,000	$83.4
4	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	$5,350,000	$46.1
5	We Bought a Zoo	$4,900,000	$33.3

 

Friday Box Office – MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL Continues To Haunt Top Spot; WE BOUGHT A ZOO Sees Modest Start

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: December 24th, 2011 at 9:52 am

Welcome to one of the most crowded (and confusing) holiday box office races you are likely to encounter.  Along with last weekend’s big name holdovers, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, six films will have opened wide or expanded within a five day span… or six days if you count films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which opened in some locations on Tuesday night.  Adding to the box office clusterf&c%, only one of the six titles opened on Friday while two will open on Sunday: throwing off the whole ‘three-day weekend’ model that keeps people like me employed.  Fox’s We Bought a Zoo was Friday’s lone new release, opening to an estimated $3 million from 3,117 locations – not quite enough to push it into the daily top five.  At number one since Wednesday, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is on track to win the weekend with around $35 million – higher than was originally expected.  We’ll try to make sense of all of the Christmas-chaos after the dust settles but, until then, why not take in a movie?  I don’t think the excuse “there’s nothing to see” is going to hold up this year.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	M:I – Ghost Protocol	$9,700,000	$42.2
2	Sherlock Holmes 2	$6,400,000	$65.5
3	Alvin and the Chipmunks 3	$5,400,000	$42.3
4	Girl with the Dragon Tattoo	$4,600,000	$12.9
5	The Adventures of Tintin	$3,500,000	$11.5

Friday Box Office – SHERLOCK 2 On Top; ALVIN 3 Struggles and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL Shines

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: December 17th, 2011 at 11:06 am

After estimates became hard digits on Monday, last weekend’s domestic box office wound up with the lowest overall total of 2011… and 2010 and 2009, too.  That doesn’t bode well entering this sequel-stuffed Christmas season.  As expected, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows took first place on Friday with an estimated $14.7 million from 3,703 locations.  But with a midnight debut of just $1.25 million, Warner Brothers has had to modify expectations for their sequel.  Instead of coming in just under the original’s $62.3 million, Sherlock 2 may have to settle for a first weekend in the mid-$40’s.  In second place, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is also proving to be somewhat less impressive than its forebears with $6.8 million from 3,723 venues.  Part three of the ridiculously-successful CGI series is expected to bring in $25 million by Sunday. The bright spot in Friday’s constellation of sequels belongs to Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. MI:3 proved to be something of a disappointment, inspiring Paramount to give the latest installment a platformed release beginning Friday.  From 425 locations, Ghost Protocol estimated $4.1 million for Friday’s best per-screen average, by far.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Sherlock Holmes 2	$14,700,000	$14.7
2	Alvin $ the Chipmunks 3	$6,800,000	$6.8
3	Mission Impossible 4	$4,110,000	$4.1
4	New Year’s Eve	$2,530,000	$19.9
5	The Sitter	$1,435,000	$14.7

 

Friday Box Office – NEW YEAR’S EVE Number One with a Disappointing $5.1 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: December 10th, 2011 at 8:53 am

It’s no surprise that New Year’s Eve was the number one movie in America on Friday: after all, the holiday-themed anthology pic was the rightful heir-apparent after The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn’s impressive three week reign at the top.  What is surprising is how dismal the estimates for the new romantic ensemble are looking.  Far from the robust start that Valentine’s Day saw last February, New Year’s Eve posted just $5.1 million from 3,505 locations.  That means that the star-stuffed confection can now expect a three-day total of $14.5 million – equivalent to Valentine’s Day first Friday and only half of what the studio was hoping for.  Expectations for the weekend’s other new release, The Sitter, were more modest, but even those are proving hard to meet.  The R-rated comedy made an estimated $3.7 million on Friday from 2,750 locations for what should be a weekend total of just over $10 million.  So it looks like last weekend’s record-setting low grosses have decided to stick around: Happy Holidays Hollywood!

	Title	Friday	Total
1	New Year’s Eve	$5,080,000	$5.1
2	The Sitter	$3,725,000	$3.7
3	Breaking Dawn Part 1	$2,500,000	$254.1
4	The Muppets	$1,700,000	$60.4
5	Hugo	$1,600,000	$28.9

Friday Box Office – THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 Set for Third Straight Win

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: December 3rd, 2011 at 9:12 am

Still stuffed from all the movies Hollywood was offering over Thanksgiving?  Not to worry.  This weekend will give you a chance to digest some of those titles that got leftover from last weekend’s feast.  As usual, the Friday after the holiday saw no new wide releases; which means that (also as usual) this should prove to be one of the lowest grossing weekends of the year.  The good news for Twilight fans is that the lack of competition will allow Breaking Dawn Part 1 to claim a third weekend at number one: a feat that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 could not match one year ago.  The only notable news coming from the multiplex is the increased theatre counts for both Hugo and The Descendants.  We’ll have details (insignificant though they may be) tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Breaking Dawn Part 1	$5,500,000	$235.9
2	The Muppets	$2,700,000	$48
3	Hugo	$2,000,000	$19.5
4	Arthur Christmas	$1,700,000	$19.6
5	Jack & Jill	$1,600,000	$60.4

Friday Box Office – BREAKING DAWN PART 1 Still On Top; THE MUPPETS in Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 26th, 2011 at 9:34 am

If Black Friday’s estimates are any gauge, this year’s Thanksgiving weekend is going to be a bit of a downer.  Traditionally one of the biggest movie days of the year, 2011’s post-holiday Friday saw drops in both gross and attendance over a year ago.  To give you one example, this year’s 3D-animated Arthur Christmas performed about as well on its first Friday as last year’s 2D musical Burlesque. Up at the top, Breaking Dawn Part 1 continued to shine with an estimated $16.9 million.  That’s a decline of 75% from the film’s opening day, though the drop was expected given the front-heavy nature of The Twilight Saga series.  Last year’s big ‘Part 1’, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, managed to make about 20% more on its second Friday, putting 2011 at a bit of a disadvantage.  At number two with an estimated $12.2 million, The Muppets came in almost 35% behind 2010’s Tangled, though the latter did have 3D-pricing on its side.  The only film to buck the downward trend was Hugo.  Martin Scorsese’s 3D family-film earned $4.5 million on Friday – more than what it was projected to make just a few days ago.  More analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Breaking Dawn Part 1	$16,900,000
2	The Muppets	$12,275,000
3	Happy Feet Two	$5,130,000
4	Arthur Christmas	$4,550,000
5	Hugo	$4,530,000

Friday Box Office – THE TWILIHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 Grabs $72 Million on Opening Day

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 19th, 2011 at 9:03 am

Ah, Twilight Saga. How I’ve missed you. It’s been seventeen months since Eclipse, the last entry in the record-breaking series, sent breathless crowds of Twi-hards into theatres. And given the disappointing year we’ve been having, I had to wonder whether Breaking Dawn Part 1 would inspire the same level of box office devotion that I remember. My answer appears to be a resounding ‘hell yes.’ The penultimate pic of The Twilight Saga captured a series-best $30.3 million from its midnight launch and a first day estimate of $72 million. That total falls between 2010’s Eclipse ($68.5) and 2009’s New Moon ($72.7) and, if accurate, would give Breaking Dawn Part 1 the third-highest opening day in box office history. It also puts the film on track for a weekend of $140 million, an achievement on par with New Moon’s $142.8 million series record. Strangely enough, another big sequel gambled on opening opposite Breaking Dawn Part 1. Happy Feet Two earned an opening day estimate of $5.9 million, putting the 3D family film on track for a $21 million weekend or roughly half of its predecessor’s 2006 debut. Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Breaking Dawn Part 1	$72,000,000	$72
2	Happy Feet Two	$5,900,000	$5.9
3	Immortals	$3,800,000	$44.5
4	Jack and Jill	$3,500,000	$32.5
5	Puss In Boots	$3,400,000	$115

Friday Box Office – IMMORTALS 3D Surprise Number One with $15 Million; JACK AND JILL in Second with $9.8 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 12th, 2011 at 8:56 am

Surprise! After two financially bruising weekends, things are looking up for the American box office. With estimates for Friday’s top five coming in higher than expected, it looks like this weekend should easily top 2010 levels. But that’s not the surprise. The surprise is which film is leading the charge. Relativity Media’s Immortals was Friday’s breakout hit – taking in an estimated $15 million from 3,438 locations. That puts the 3D action title on track to earn $35 million by Sunday, a figure that significantly beats the film’s most optimistic early projections. In fact, a few days ago the smart money was on a third place finish for Immortals behind Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill and two-time champ Puss in Boots. Instead, Jack and Jill is tracking well below Sandler’s recent comps, taking in $9.8 million on Friday for what should be a $24 million weekend. And, after its limited release on Wednesday, director Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar took in an estimated $4.2 million from its expanded run in 1,901 locations.  Details tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Immortals	$15,000,000	$15
2	Jack and Jill	$9,850,000	$9.8
3	Puss In Boots	$9,000,000	$92.3
4	Tower Heist	$4,900,000	$35.5
5	J. Edgar	$4,250,000	$4.3

Friday Box Office – TOWER HEIST Breaks In with $8.1 Million; HAROLD AND KUMAR 3D Looks Soft in Third

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: November 5th, 2011 at 8:50 am

Despite a couple of big weekends, overall box office was down by over 10% in October.  That means that November has to be a blockbuster for this year to have a chance of breaking even.  Too bad it’s not going to get a lot of support from its first batch of new releases.  Tower Heist debuted at number one with an estimated $8.1 million from 3,367 locations.  While not bad, it’s also not the overwhelming win that Universal was looking for from their all-star ensemble.  Even worse, the comedy has a good chance of losing its number one stats to Puss In Boots by Sunday.  Last weekend’s number one film may have been held back by that freak East Coast snow storm; meaning the family film could experience a better than expected hold and a second weekend leading the box office.  Finally, a 3D price premium did not do much for the latest Harold and Kumar comedy.  A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas took in an estimated $5.4 from its 2,875 locations and is expected to end the weekend with around $15 million: or roughly the equivalent of what Harold and Kumar 2 earned for its own two dimensional debut in 2008.  We’ll have details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Tower Heist	$8,100,000	$8.1
2	Puss In Boots	$7,800,000	$50.2
3	Harold and Kumar 3D	$5,400,000	$5.4
4	Paranormal Activity 3	$2,900,000	$89.6
5	In Time	$2,500,000	$19

Friday Box Office – PUSS IN BOOTS Dominates with $9.6 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: October 29th, 2011 at 9:10 am

No surprises here, Dreamworks Puss in Boots took the top spot at Friday’s box office with an estimated $9.6 million from 3,952 locations.  The spinoff to Shrek – the most profitable animated franchise of all time – is poised to take in $35 million by Sunday: enough to give the 3D title the new Halloween-weekend record.  That means that, after breaking its own records last weekend, the holiday’s only scary movie, Paranormal Activity 3, will fall to second place.  Sci-fi newcomer In Time took third on Friday with an estimated $4.3 million and is expected to top out in the low teens for the weekend.  Meanwhile, The Rum Diary debuted in what looks like fourth place with $1.8 million from 2,272 locations.  The film had to share that estimate with Footloose, but is expected to come in slightly higher by Sunday with a weekend total of $7 million.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Puss in Boots	$9,600,000	$9.6
2	Paranormal Activity 3	$6,500,000	$69.2
3	In Time	$4,300,000	$4.3
4	The Rum Diary	$1,800,000	$1.8
5	Footloose	$1,800,000	$34.8

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