All Articles by Nicole Pedersen

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

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

Weekend Box Office – THE LORAX Continues to Soar; JOHN CARTER Falls to Earth

Posted: March 11th, 2012 at 9:56 am

After its enormous opening last weekend, The Lorax continued to impress – capturing its second number one title with an estimated $39.1 million, or a week-over-week decline of just 44%.  For once, however, people seem more interested in the film that didn’t make it to number one than with the film that did.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Lorax	$39,100,000	$121.9
2	John Carter	$30,600,000	$30.6
3	Project X	$11,550,000	$40.1
4	Silent House	$7,010,000	$7
5	Act of Valor	$7,000,000	$56.1
6	A Thousand Words	$6,350,000	$6.3
7	Safe House	$4,950,000	$115.7
8	The Vow	$4,000,000	$117.6
9	This Means War	$3,750,000	$46.8
19	Journey 2	$3,685,000	$90.7

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

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

Weekend Box Office – THE LORAX Claims Highest Debut of 2012 with $70.7 Million

Posted: March 4th, 2012 at 8:43 am

We all knew The Lorax was going to be number one, and a big number one at that.  But most box office watchers were expecting the animated film to land somewhere between $49 and $59 million on its first weekend – making it easily the biggest debut of 2012.  Instead, the adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic has earned an estimated $70.7 million from 3,927 locations.  Not only is that the third-highest March debut ever, it also stands as the biggest animated feature debut since Toy Story 3.  In other words, this is huge.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Lorax	$70,720,000	$70.7
2	Project X	$20,775,000	$20.7
3	Act of Valor	$13.700,000	$45.2
4	Safe House	$7,210,000	$108.1
5	Good Deeds	$7,000,000	$25.7
6	Journey 2	$6,925,000	$85.6
7	The Vow	$6,100,000	$111.7
8	This Means War	$5,625,000	$41.4
9	Ghost Rider 2	$4,700,000	$44.8
10	The Artist	$3,900,000	$37

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

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

Weekend Box Office – ACT OF VALOR Remains Victorious; WANDERLUST Falters

Posted: February 26th, 2012 at 9:00 am

After a strong debut on Friday, Act of Valor went on to win the weekend with an estimated $24.7 million from 3,039 locations.  Considering that this is an R-rated feature without any major stars, that’s a pretty remarkable start. Then again, with the fistfuls of cash Relativity devoted to marketing this Navy SEALs drama, anything less than first place would have felt un-American.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Act of Valor	$24,700,000	$24.7
2	Good Deeds	$16,000,000	$16
3	Journey 2	$13,475,000	$76.7
4	Safe House	$11,365,000	$98
5	The Vow	$10,000,000	$103
6	Ghost Rider 2	$8,800,000	$37.8
7	This Means War	$8,500,000	$33.5
8	Wanderlust	$6,625,000	$6.6
9	Gone	$5,000,000	$5
10	Secret World of Arrietty	$4,500,000	$14.6

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

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

 

Weekend Box Office – SAFE HOUSE Barely Tops THE VOW in Competitive President’s Day Race

Posted: February 19th, 2012 at 8:54 am

Those of you who like a side of certainty with your box office entrée may want to dine elsewhere this morning. That’s because we’re witnessing an extremely close race between Safe House and The Vow for number one. As estimates currently stand, Safe House seems to have the edge – $23.9 million to The Vow’s $23.6 million. But the real news is how none of the new President’s Day releases – including the 3D sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance – could threaten the holdovers in their fight for first.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Safe House	$23,900,000	$78.2
2	The Vow	$23,600,000	$85.5
3	Ghost Rider 2	$22,000,000	$22
4	Journey 2	$20,085,000	$53.2
5	This Means War	$17,550,000	$19.1
6	Phantom Menace	$7,865,000	$33.7
7	Chronicle	$7,500,000	$50.9
8	Woman in Black	$6,645,000	$45.2
9	Secret World Arrietty	$6,375,000	$6.3
10	The Grey	$3,000,000	$47.9

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

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

Weekend Box Office – Big Debuts for THE VOW and SAFE HOUSE Continue 2012′s Box Office Bonanza

Posted: February 12th, 2012 at 9:38 am

There was good news to go around this weekend as each of the four major studio releases opened to over $20 million.  That is an almost unheard of feat on any weekend, let alone a non-holiday-enhanced weekend in February. Overall, the box office looks to finish up 25% from last year’s post-Super Bowl frame to provide 2012 its sixth win in a row.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Vow	$41,700,000	$41.7
2	Safe House	$39,330,000	$39.3
3	Journey 2	$27,550,000	$27.5
4	Phantom Menace 3D	$23,000,000	$23
5	Chronicle	$12,300,000	$40.1
6	The Woman in Black	$10,300,000	$35.4
7	The Grey	$5,080,000	$42.8
8	Big Miracle	$3,860,000	$13.1
9	The Descendants	$3,500,000	$70.7
10	Underworld Awakening	$2,500,000	$58.9

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

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

Weekend Box Office – CHRONICLE and THE WOMAN IN BLACK Both Break $20 Million on Super Bowl Weekend

Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 9:31 am

It didn’t claim the record for highest debut or the greatest attendance, but this year’s Super Bowl weekend still caught most box office watchers by surprise with two bigger-than-expected openings. Fox’s Chronicle was first with $22 million from 2,907 locations, but CBS Films’ The Woman in Black was right on its heels with $21 million from 2,855. That’s the first time that two titles have opened to over $20 million on a Super Bowl frame since… ever.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Chronicle	$22,000,000	$22
2	The Woman in Black	$21,000,000	$21
3	The Grey	$9,500,000	$34.7
4	Big Miracle	$8,480,000	$8.5
5	Underworld Awakening	$5,600,000	$54.3
6	One For The Money	$5,250,000	$19.6
7	Red Tails	$5,000,000	$41.3
8	The Descendants	$4,600,000	$65.5
9	Man on a Ledge	$4,460,000	$14.7
10	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close	$3,925,000	$26.7

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

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

Weekend Box Office – THE GREY the Clear Winner with $20 Million; ONE FOR THE MONEY in Third

Posted: January 29th, 2012 at 9:14 am

Newbie distributor Open Road Films has claimed its first number one opening with the wolf vs. man thriller The Grey.  From 3,185 locations, The Grey took in an estimated $20 million, or well above the mid-teens that was projected.  Second place was claimed by Underworld Awakening, pushing the adaptation of Janet Evanovich’s bestselling novel, One For the Money, into third.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Grey	$20,000,000	$20
2	Underworld Awakening	$12,500,000	$45.1
3	One For the Money	$11,750,000	$11.7
4	Red Tails	$10,400,000	$33.7
5	Man on a Ledge	$8,250,000	$8.2
6	Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close	$7,145,000	$21.1
7	The Descendants	$6,550,000	$58.8
8	Contraband	$6,532,200	$56.4
9	Beauty & the Beast 3D	$5,345,000	$41.1
10	Haywire	$4,000,000	$15.2

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

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

 

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