Friday Box Office

Friday Box Office – MEN IN BLACK 3 Unseats THE AVENGERS with $18 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 26th, 2012 at 8:52 am

Four weeks ago, the summer movie season started off with a super-powered bang in the form of Marvel’s The Avengers. Since then?  It’s been difficult to prove that any other film was in theatres. That changed on Friday when Sony’s Men in Black 3 became the first post-Avengers release to take first place. From its very wide release in 4,248 locations (including 3D & IMAX), MIB3 took in an estimated $18 million. Despite becoming the first new number one title in 21 days, however, MIB3 is not looking like an automatic blockbuster. After a less-than enthusiastic midnight debut, projections for the film went from $90 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame down to a more modest $74 million.  That’s about what the much-maligned Men in Black II made in its first four days (not adjusted for inflation) back in 2002. On a more positive note, Sony is expecting big numbers from MIB3’s international markets. As for The Avengers, Disney projects another $45 million for its superheroes through Memorial Day. Finally, Chernobyl Diaries – the latest from producer Oren Peli – earned an estimated $3.5 million on Friday from 2,433 locations towards what should be a $12 million four-day total. Ouch.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Men in Black 3	$18,000,000	$18
2	The Avengers	$9,700,000	$486.4
3	Chernobyl Diaries	$3,500,000	$3.5
4	Battleship	$3,000,000	$36.5
5	The Dictator	$2,600,000	$34.4

Friday Box Office – THE AVENGERS Continue to Soar as BATTLESHIP Founders

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 19th, 2012 at 9:10 am

For the first time this month audiences had more than one new release to tempt them into theatres. Trouble is, no one seemed particularly tempted by the three titles that lined up to take down The Avengers. With an estimated $15.3 million on Friday, the Marvel superheroes are now assured their third weekend title with a projected $55 million. That won’t be a record, but who cares? At $1.048 billion worldwide, the film is already Disney’s highest-grossing release of all time. In second place, Universal’s Battleship took in an estimated $9 million from its 3,690 locations for a projected $26 million first weekend. Not only is that well below expectations for the pricey live-action boardgame, it’s also less than John Carter earned for its debut back in March. Draw your own conclusions. After opening to $4.1 million on Wednesday, Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator took in an estimated $5.7 million on Friday towards what should be a $16 million first weekend. Finally, What to Expect When You’re Expecting saw an estimated $3.9 million from 3,021 locations on Friday. Not exactly what Lionsgate was, um, expecting from their ensemble comedy.  Full details tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Avengers	$15,300,000	$417.3
2	Battleship	$9,000,000	$9
3	The Dictator	$5,700,000	$12.7
4	What to Expect When You’re Expecting	$3,900,000	$3.9
5	Dark Shadows	$3,800,000	$41.9

Friday Box Office – No Light for DARK SHADOWS as THE AVENGERS Target Highest Second Weekend Record

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 12th, 2012 at 8:51 am

For the second week in a row, we have just one movie to talk about. Too bad for Warner Brothers’ that it isn’t Dark Shadows. The eighth collaboration of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton opened to an estimated $9.7 million on Friday at 3,755 locations. That suggests a three-day total of around $28 million – well below the $35 million projected and not even close to good enough while The Avengers are around. After shattering the domestic record with its $207.4 million debut last weekend, the Disney/Marvel super-movie saw its domestic estimate climb to nearly $300 million in an unprecedented eight days. The Avengers’ sophomore frame is now expected to hit $100 million, a number that would demolish the previous record of $75.6 million set by Avatar. Worldwide, The Avengers has already earned over $850 million and is currently on pace to hit One Billion by Sunday.  Full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Avengers	$29,120,000	$299.1
2	Dark Shadows	$9,700,000	$9.7
3	Think Like A Man	$1,575,000	$77.1
4	The Lucky One	$1,300,000	$50.9
5	The Hunger Games	$1,200,000	$383.7

Friday Box Office – THE AVENGERS Amass an Amazing $80.5 Million for the Second-Highest Debut of All-Time!

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: May 5th, 2012 at 8:51 am

It’s official. The Avengers is a monster. After earning a reported $18.7 million at midnight, Marvel’s long-awaited superhero mash-up posted an estimated $80.5 million on its opening day in 4,349 locations. That is second only to the $91 million of 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. In terms of its three-day prospects, The Avengers is set to challenge the aforementioned boy wizard for first place in the All-Time weekend race. The number to beat there is $169.1 million – completely do-able for these critically-lauded superheroes considering they have 77% of America’s screens all to themselves. Meanwhile, Tony Stark and company have already taken in an enormous $304 million since opening internationally last week.  That means that the Disney/Marvel release will likely pass $500 worldwide by the end of this weekend.  And they said Joss Whedon was worried!  Full details tomorrow…

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Avengers	$80,500,000	$80.5
2	Think Like A Man	$2,700,000	$57.7
3	The Lucky One	$2,000,000	$44.3
4	The Five-Year Engagement	$1,700,000	$15.8
5	The Hunger Games	$1,625,000	$376.6

Friday Box Office – THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT Can’t Beat Holdovers THINK LIKE A MAN and THE LUCKY ONE on Seriously Slow Friday

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 28th, 2012 at 9:13 am

What a difference 12 months makes. On this weekend in 2011, summer started early when the surprise blockbuster Fast Five sped past $86 million on its debut run. And this year? Out of four new wide releases on Friday, not one could challenge last weekend’s number one comedy Think Like A Man. Hell, none of them could beat last weekend’s number two movie The Lucky One, for that matter. Best effort came from the Judd Apatow-produced The Five-Year Engagement, which debuted with an estimated $3.5 million from 2,936 locations or about half of what was expected. Sony’s animated Pirates! Band of Misfits made it into the top five with $2.8 million (and could climb higher if family audiences turn out on Saturday); but both Lionsgate’s Safe and Relativity’s The Raven had to settle for ‘also-ran’ status with $2.6 and $2.5 million, respectively. Overall, it looks like a pretty lifeless weekend, which only means that we’ll have much more hyperbole to work with when The Avengers – which is already breaking records overseas – hits next Friday.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Think Like A Man	$5,500,000	$48.4
2	The Lucky One	$3,900,000	$40.1
3	The Five-Year Engagement	$3,500,000	$3.5
4	The Hunger Games	$3,000,000	$372.4
5	Pirates! Band of Misfits	$2,800,000	$2.8

Friday Box Office – THE HUNGER GAMES Finally Falls; THINK LIKE A MAN and THE LUCKY ONE Open Strong in First and Second

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: April 21st, 2012 at 9:04 am

After a remarkable four weekends at number one, the reign of The Hunger Games is over.  But you probably saw that coming.  What seems a bit more surprising is the film that is taking its place at the top: Think Like A Man. Until a few days ago, the Sony/Screen Gems comedy looked like it would see a three-day opening in the mid-teens but, on Friday, it drew an estimated $12.2 million from 2,015 locations.  That should translate into a weekend close to $30 million for the Steve Harvey vehicle.  At number two on Friday, The Lucky One is also pulling in bigger-than-expected numbers, though it probably won’t challenge for first place, as was originally expected. The seventh feature from novelist Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One earned an estimated $9.1 million from 3,155 locations for what should be $25 million by Sunday.  Finally, the latest doc from DisneyNature, Chimpanzee, opened in fourth on Friday with $3.5 million from 1,563 dates – a better start than either African Cats or Oceans… Full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Think Like A Man	$12,200,000	$12.2
2	The Lucky One	$9,100,000	$9.1
3	The Hunger Games	$4,000,000	$346.4
4	Chimpanzee	$3,500,000	$3.5
5	Cabin in the Woods	$2,500,000	$21.7

Friday Box Office – THE HUNGER GAMES Fights Off THE THREE STOOGES and THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 14th, 2012 at 10:03 am

Despite three new wide releases this weekend, The Hunger Games is back at the top of the box office for the fourth (and not necessarily final) Friday in a row, adding another $6.5 million to its terrific $322 million domestic total.  The Three Stooges came in second with a $5.6 million opening day, which may be just enough to relaunch the franchise if the movie has legs.  The Cabin in the Woods trailed in third, premiering to $5.5 million.  That’s not a great total for a movie we love so much, but it could be much worse.  Look no further than Lockout, which landed outside the top five to a paltry $2.2 million, beat by last week’s offerings American Reunion and Titanic 3D.  Look for details and analysis on the full weekend tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$6,450,000	$322.0
2	The Three Stooges	$5,625,000	$5.6
3	The Cabin in the Woods	$5,500,000	$5.5
4	American Reunion	$3,400,000	$32.6
5	Titanic 3D	$3,335,000	$36.1

Friday Box Office – THE HUNGER GAMES Passes $200 Million On Second Friday; WRATH OF THE TITANS Takes Second; MIRROR, MIRROR a Distant Third

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 31st, 2012 at 9:09 am

After The Hunger Games surprised us all by claiming the third highest opening in box office history last weekend, there was little doubt that it would stay on top for a second frame. The runaway hit earned another $18.9 million on Friday, bringing its domestic total up to an amazing $208.8 million in eight days and promising a $250 million domestic gross by Sunday. The Hunger Games kept all of its 4,137 locations this weekend, but lost most of its IMAX screens to Wrath of the Titans. The sequel to 2010’s Clash of the Titans remake (you remember: “Release the Kraken!”) took in $12.4 million on Friday – less than half of the $26 million its predecessor earned on its first full day in theatres. Wrath should top $33 million by Sunday; not quite the $61.2 million of Clash but about what Warner Brothers was expecting. Finally, Mirror, Mirror opened in 3,603 locations to $5.9 million on Friday. The first of 2012’s ‘Snow White’ movies, the family-oriented film is expected to claim $20 million by the end of its debut weekend.   Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$18,900,000	$208.8
2	Wrath of the Titans	$12,400,000	$12.4
3	Mirror, Mirror	$5,900,000	$5.9
4	21 Jump Street	$4,700,000	$82.7
5	The Lorax	$2,000,000	$183.5

 

Friday Box Office – THE HUNGER GAMES Scores $68.2 Million Opening. Highest Ever For Non-Sequel

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 24th, 2012 at 9:39 am

If you follow the box office at all you probably knew that The Hunger Games was going to open huge.  Tickets for advance screenings sold out weeks ago (the film had the third-highest pre-sales record in history) and the film’s $19.7 million midnight haul was the highest ever for a non-sequel release.  About the only question left to answer for the adaptation of the Suzanne Collins best-seller, then, was how huge was huge going to get?  This morning, estimates give The Hunger Games $68.2 million for all of Friday so… pretty big.  That falls short of the opening-days of both The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Eclipse though it is another record for a first-time property.  At this point the film will definitely break the all-time March opening record of $116.1 million and could go as high as $138 over the weekend, which would put Hunger Games close to the top five highest-debut weekends in history.  Check back tomorrow for analysis and details.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Hunger Games	$68,250,000	$68.2
2	21 Jump Street	$6,250,000	$56
3	The Lorax	$3,200,000	$167.4
4	John Carter	$1,359,000	$58.6
5	Project X	$625,000	$50.4

Friday Box Office – 21 JUMP STREET Shoots to the Head of the Class

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 17th, 2012 at 9:32 am

21 Jump Street is off to a very promising start – commercially and critically. Earning an estimated $13.1 million on Friday from 3,121 locations, the big screen adaptation of the former Fox TV series has also put up one of the most impressive Rotten Tomatoes scores of 2012 at 87% fresh.  As the only wide release of the weekend, box office watchers were pretty sure that the R-rated comedy was headed for number one, especially considering it stars two of the most popular young actors of this moment – Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.  With John Carter continuing to disappoint (off 60% from its less-than-stellar debut last weekend), the only challenge for Jump Street was conquering family-friendly holdover The Lorax.  21 Jump Street is now projected to take in $35 million this weekend; little wonder that a sequel is already in the works.  We’ll have details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	21 Jump Street	$13,100,000	$13.1
2	The Lorax	$6,700,000	$160
3	John Carter	$4,000,000	$43.7
4	Project X	$1,500,000	$45.6
5	A Thousand Words	$1,100,000	$9.4

Friday Box Office – It’s Official. Disney Sees Disappointing $9.8 Million Debut for JOHN CARTER

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 10th, 2012 at 9:14 am

The wait is over. John Carter has arrived.  After years of speculation, we finally know how Disney’s BIG budget adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic is faring with audiences.  Long story short?  Not too well.  From 3,749 locations, John Carter earned an estimated $9.8 million on Friday – narrowly edging out The Lorax for first place. Trouble is, last weekend’s animated hit is expected to surge ahead on Saturday, all but guaranteeing John Carter an underwhelming second-place debut of around $28 million. That would be less than the $35.5 million of last year’s Battle: Los Angeles, a film that was considered a modest hit thanks to its $70 million price tag.  As you probably know, John Carter cost over three times that amount; which means it has a LONG way to go before it can escape the “flop” fate. Just in case anyone cares, two additional films saw releases this weekend, though only Open Road’s Silent House did well enough to make Friday’s top five.  In sixth place, Paramount’s A Thousand Words earned an estimated $1.9 million from 2,124 venues for what should be a weekend total in the $6 million range.  Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	John Carter	$9,818,000	$9.8
2	The Lorax	$9,600,000	$92.4
3	Project X	$3,985,000	$35.5
4	Silent House	$2,600,000	$2.6
5	Act of Valor	$2,000,000	$51.1

Friday Box Office – THE LORAX Sees Green with $17.4 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: March 3rd, 2012 at 8:52 am

He is the Lorax! He speaks for the trees… and for dozens of other corporate sponsors if the marketing for the new animated feature is to be believed.  All of that advertising helped the adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic The Lorax achieve the highest single-day debut of 2012 with an estimated $17.4 million from 3,729 locations.  That puts the family film on track for a weekend in the $60 million range.  Not only would that be significantly higher than initial tracking indicated, it would also help The Lorax beat the $56.4 million that Despicable Me, the first animated feature from Illumination Entertainment, earned for its own debut in July of 2010. Predictably, The Lorax sucked up most of the available resources at Friday’s box office, though there was enough green left over for Project X to claim a solid launch.  The R-rated Warner Brothers’ comedy earned an estimated $8.2 million on Friday, including $1.15 million from midnight screenings, and is projected to come close to $20 million through Sunday. We’ll have full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Lorax	$17,400,000	$17.4
2	Project X	$8,200,000	$8.2
3	Act of Valor	$3,800,000	$35.3
4	Safe House	$1,900,000	$102.8
5	Good Deeds	$1,900,000	$20.6

Friday Box Office – ACT OF VALOR Shoots Down Competition with $9 Million Debut

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 25th, 2012 at 8:53 am

Looks like that big Super Bowl buy paid off for Relativity, whose Act of Valor easily captured Friday’s top spot. From its launch in 3,039 locations, the R-rated Navy Seals’ drama earned an estimated $9 million – indicating a weekend in excess of $25 million. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds took second on Friday with $5.4 million from 2,132 venues.  At this point the romantic-drama is tracking under the $20 million that has become standard for the filmmaker. I was personally expecting more from Good Deeds (especially after Perry’s much-lauded eulogy for Whitney Houston last Saturday), but it looks like the film will end its first three days with around $18 million, or the low end of recent Perry projects. Speaking of lows, the comedy Wanderlust is poised to set the nadir for a Judd Apatow-produced feature. From its launch in 2,002 locations, the Universal comedy earned just $2.2 million on Friday in eighth place, and is expected to gross around $7.5 million by Sunday – less than Drillbit Taylor, in other words. Things look even bleaker for the Summit thriller Gone, however, which debuted in ninth place with $1.7 million for a projected weekend of $5.5 million.  Full details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Act of Valor	$9,000,000	$9
2	Good Deeds	$5,400,000	$5.4
3	The Vow	$3,300,000	$96.3
4	Journey 2	$3,200,000	$66.4
5	Safe House	$3,100,000	$89.7

 

Friday Box Office – THE VOW, SAFE HOUSE and GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE in Tight Race Entering President’s Day Weekend

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 18th, 2012 at 9:00 am

Another Friday, another surprisingly competitive box office race. According to estimates, three films were within one million dollars of claiming first place; though that is expected to change as the long holiday weekend progresses. In first place yesterday with $7.4 million was Sony/Screen Gems’ The Vow.  Even considering the film’s victory last weekend and its impressive seven day cume, analysts expected The Vow to fall to third in its sophomore frame.  Instead, the romantic-drama is making a play for another weekend on top, with a projected take of at least $25 million. On Friday, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance debuted with $7 million – just shy of The Vow’s first place finish. By Monday, however, the sequel should succumb to Nic Cage’s curse and drop to third behind holdover drama Safe House. The lingering success of The Vow proved a curse for the new romantic-comedy This Means War.  The would-be Valentine’s hit debuted in fourth place and is not expected to reach $20 million by Monday.  Finally, The Secret World of Arrietty may not have made the top five, but its projected four-day take of $7.5 million would double the highest debut of a Disney/Studio Ghibli animated film. Details and analysis tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Vow	$7,400,000	$69.3
2	Ghost Rider 2	$7,000,000	$7
3	Safe House	$6,500,000	$67.2
4	This Means War	$5,600,000	$5.6
5	Journey 2	$4,500,000	$37.6

Friday Box Office – THE VOW in First with $15.4 Million; SAFE HOUSE a Close Second; Overall Box Office on Track for Record-Breaking February Frame

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: February 11th, 2012 at 9:04 am

Far from ending 2012’s winning streak, this weekend is on track to become the biggest February frame of all time as each of Hollywood’s three new releases outstrip their financial forecasts by astonishing margins. Meanwhile, the 3D reissue of The Phantom Menace did not embarrass itself on Friday but it didn’t blow away early expectations either. Details after the jump.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	The Vow	$15,400,000	$15.4
2	Safe House	$13,800,000	$13.8
3	Phantom Menace 3D	$8,700,000	$8.7
4	Journey 2	$6,600,000	$6.6
5	Chronicle	$3,500,000	$31.3

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