Archive for the 'box office' Category

Will Smith is seen here, signing autographs for fans, which he should be doing since they have rocketed his film "I Am Legend" into having the best December opening of all time. Big Willy stars in the flick, which has him left as the last man on Earth trying to survive a plague that took out the rest of his fellow humans. His friend, Tom Cruise, hasn't been as lucky lately, with his feature-length drama, "Lions for Lambs," doing little at the box office. Additionally, Smith's movie was opening up against "Alvin and the Chipmunks," which took in $45 million over the weekend, further reinforcing my belief that I have no idea what the American public wants. The only thing I know for sure is that people love fat suits. Especially if someone's dancing in them.

Photos: Bauer-Griffin Online

Filed under: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Box Office, Fandom, Family Films, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

Although it’s on course to finish with the highest four-day Memorial Day weekend debut ever, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End took in only $112.5 million from Friday to Sunday — and that was in a record-squashing 4,362 theaters; 110 more theaters than Spider-Man 3. If you tack on the $14 million it took in during those Thursday night screenings, you’re looking at $126 million; a number that’s certainly respectable, even though it comes nowhere near the three-day opening for Dead Man’s Chest ($135.6 million) last year. So what happened? How did both Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million) and Shrek the Third ($121.6 million) top Pirates in the three-day totals when it clearly beat those other two in terms of entertaining its fanbase?

The only major reason I could come up with was good weather. Seriously. This weekend produced sunny skies for the majority of the country; here on the east coast, it was near 90 degrees for all three days — the perfect beach weather, and definitely the best Memorial Day weekend in the past few years. Could it be that people were too busy firing up the barbecues and breaking out the sun screen to shell out 10 bucks to go see a movie? I know I was. Granted, Pirates did have heftier competition; keep in mind Shrek the Third still took in $51 million while Spider-Man 3 managed $13 million. If Shrek wasn’t in the picture, there’s a pretty good chance Pirates would have soared past Spidey. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. When it was all said and done, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End had the fifth-biggest opening ever, but is that enough for Disney to continue the franchise? And now that its biggest threat is out the way, are there any other films coming down the pipeline that are strong enough to top Spidey’s massive $151 million opening?

So, I ask you: In your opinion, how come Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End finished behind both Spidey and Shrek in its opening weekend?

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: New Releases, Box Office, Box Office Predictions, Summer Movies

Last week was pretty easy to call; anyone who didn’t think Shrek the Third would reign triumphant must have something against ogres of color. Our winners, each with perfect predictions, were bubba8193 (again!) and Mario. Congrats, guys. Your auras of superiority are in the mail.

1. Shrek the Third - $122 million
2. Spider-Man 3 - $28.5 million
3. 28 Weeks Later - $5.1 million
4. Disturbia - $3.6 million
5. Georgia Rule - $3.4 million

This week? Hmm, tough call. Will Lindsay Lohan’s fans mobilize and launch Georgia Rule to the top of the charts?

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
What It’s About: Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is trapped in Davy Jones’ locker at the World’s End, dead (or “dead”) and insane; Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), feeling guilty for abandoning him, leads the rescue brigade; Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) wants to free his father from his debt to Davy Jones; and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) (who was dead, but is feeling much better) is antsy about the East India Company, which — using Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) as its pawn — is threatening to end the pirates’ way of life forever. The motley crew heads to Singapore, where Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) possesses not just the maps to the World’s End but also the power to convene the Brethren Court of Pirate Lords.
Why It Might Break the Record: Last summer’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest set a box office record with an opening take of $135 million; this summer the title shifted to Spider-Man 3 ($151 million). Seeing as how the blockbusters seem to be setting new records practically every week, why shouldn’t At World’s End be any different? On top of that, this installment, which has all the members of the franchise returning, is something of a finale to the series … even if it isn’t (based on Depp’s recent comments) actually the end.
Why It Might Not Break the Record: At 168 minutes, and with so many plotlines (some would say too many), it’s not for the casual viewer. The length also limits the number of times per day that a theater can show the film; Spider-Man 3, if you’re keeping score, was 139 minutes long. (Cranky old lady rant: Whatever happened to the days when two hours was considered long? Anyone? Anyone?)
Prediction: $168 million

Continue reading Box Office Prediction: Beginning of the ‘End’

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Comedy, New Releases, Box Office, Hold the ‘Fone, Box Office Predictions

Lesson for the day: Never listen to my friend Kevin. Last week, he insisted to me that Delta Farce had no shot of making the top five, and that The Ex, for all its flaws, was a shoo-in for the fifth spot. “But, Larry the Cable Guy!” I said. “He’s got … fans! Or something.” Nah, he said, go with The Ex. So I did, and as it turned out, I was wrong. Wrong, the opposite of right. (If you got that movie quote, you’re my new best friend.) Here’s how it shook out:

1. Spider-Man 3 - $60 million
2. 28 Weeks Later - $10 million
3. Georgia Rule - $5.9 million
4. Disturbia - $4.8 million
5. Delta Farce - $3.5 million

Two of our posters, being undistracted by The Kevin, achieved perfect scores last week: three-peater bubba8193 (ho-hum, dominance is just SO boring, isn’t it?) and chris (welcome to the top, dawg!). But enough about piddling $3 million movies. (The Ex, for the record, earned $1.4 million and didn’t even make the top ten.) Move over, Spidey, there’s a new green goblin — umm, ogre — in town …

Shrek the Third
What It’s About: The big green guy (Mike Myers) finds himself heir to the throne when his father-in-law, King Harold, kicks the bucket. Trouble is, Shrek wants no part of this king business, so he sets off to find Fiona’s cousin Artie (Justin Timberlake), who might be up for it instead — or he would, if he weren’t already reigning as King of the High School Losers (Never Made It With the Ladies). Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) mobilizes a team of villains so that he can take the throne for himself.
Why It Might Do Well: It’s the only blockbuster opening this weekend — in fact, the only movie opening wide, period — so that’s kind of a no-brainer. Plus, as the summer’s first true family film (it’s rated PG, whereas Spider-Man 3 is rated PG-13), it will certainly overtake Spidey for the No. 1 spot.
Why It Might Not Do Well: Shrek earned $42 million its opening weekend; Shrek 2 an astonishing $108 million, setting a record for biggest opening for an animated film. Will this third installment shatter its own record? It could … or it’s possible audiences might be suffering from a little bit of Shrek fatigue.
Prediction: $110 million

Continue reading Box Office Prediction: Flipping the ‘Third’

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: New Releases, Box Office, Hold the ‘Fone, Box Office Predictions, Summer Movies

Unless you’ve been cooped up David Blaine-like in a box somewhere, you know that last week Spider-Man 3 finished first, shattering the box-office record with a $151 million opening. Given the inevitability of No. 1, you’d think all our predictors would knock this one out of the park — but no one ended up with a perfect prediction. Here’s how the box office top five shook down:

1. Spider-Man 3 - $151 million
2. Disturbia - $5.7 million
3. Fracture - $3.4 million
4. The Invisible - $3.1 million
5. Next - $2.8 million

bubba8193 finished first — again! — with evilone1414 nipping at his heels. Aaaand I finished last … again. (Full list of results after the jump.) Of course, I threw the whole thing to make you guys look good; as a wise man once said, everything I do, I do it for you. But seriously, since there’s nothing I can say about Spidey that hasn’t already been said, I’ll put this out there instead: What … is the deal … with Disturbia? Have that many people never heard of Rear Window? Does Shia LaBeouf really have that many fans? Or is everything else out there just that unappealing? OK. Letting it go now. I promise.

28 Weeks Later
What It’s About: In this follow-up to Danny Boyle’s zombie thriller 28 Days Later, survivors return to London only to face the aftermath of the rage virus: paranoia, betrayal, cowardice, people eating each other. Good times.
Why It Might Do Well: 28 Days Later was a sleeper hit, earning $45 million domestically, and reviews for this one have generally been positive. C’mon, who doesn’t love zombies?
Why It Might Not Do Well: Most of its target audience will be seeing Spider-Man 3 this weekend, and this feels like the umpteenth horror movie to come out in 2007.
Prediction: $15 million

Continue reading Box Office Prediction: Zombies Come After Spidey

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sony, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now: The biggest opening of all time now belongs to Spider-Man 3, and by “opening” I also mean A) first day, B) first weekend, and C) a ton of international opening days / weekends. Oh, and D) number of North America theaters. The thing’s a mammoth smash, basically, and it was only released three freakin’ days ago! Here’s a breakdown of the stats, courtesy of the number-crunching geniuses over at BoxOfficeMojo.com:

Biggest opening Friday: $59.8 million from 4,252 theaters, which is also a record
Biggest Saturday: $51.3 million
Biggest Sunday: $39.9 million
Biggest IMAX weekend: $4.8 million from 84 theaters
Biggest total weekend: $151.1 million, which is about $10 million higher than the weekend estimates predicted!

The movie also broke a record for biggest gap between first and second place, a record I didn’t even know people kept track of. (This past weekend’s #2 movie was Disturbia, which pulled in about $5.9 million.) The previous record holder for biggest opening day ($55.1 million) and biggest opening weekend ($135 million) was last summer’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest — which means that Jack Sparrow will have a shot at reclaiming the prize in only a few weeks. The third chapter, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, opens on May 25.

And for some opening weekend comparisons: The original Spider-Man, which opened on May 3, 2002, snatched just over $114 million from 3,876 theaters in its opening weekend, whereas Spider-Man 2 (which opened on June 30, 2004) pulled in $88.1 million from 4,166 theaters. Final domestic tallies for those flicks were $403 million and $373 million, respectively. Worldwide? Spider-Man made about $821 million while the sequel did about $783 million. Looks like the best flick in the series was also the least profitable. Weird.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments