Six weeks ago, "The Avengers" entered theaters and blew everyone's
expectations out of the water with its record-breaking $207.4 million
debut.
In the weeks that
followed, though, the box office fell into a bit of a slump. Expensive
tentpoles like "Battleship" and "Dark Shadows" outright bombed, while
major studio fare like "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "The
Dictator" underperformed, and even "Men In Black 3's" number one opening
felt weak given its predecessors' strength.
Last weekend, "Snow White
and the Hunstman" exceeded industry expectations, giving Hollywood hope
that summer 2012 might live up to the hype that "The Avengers" had
suggested. This weekend, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" and and
"Prometheus" continued to ease any fears that the box office was in
trouble with robust debuts in first and second place, respectively.
These hefty starts helped the Top 10 films gross $169.6 million, up a
whopping 30 percent over the same weekend in 2011, when Super 8 topped
the chart.
Dreamworks $145 million 3-D sequel "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted,"
which features the voice work of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett
Smith, and David Schwimmer as lost Central Park Zoo animals, handily won
the weekend with $60.4 million, 45 percent of which came from 3-D
ticket sales. That's a touch behind 2008′s "Madagascar: Escape 2
Africa," which started with $63.1 million, despite the fact that
"Madagascar 3" earned more on its opening day than "Escape 2 Africa"
($20.5 million vs. $17.5 million). It looks like this threequel may
suffer from a slight case of sequelitis, when franchise films become
increasingly front-loaded at the box office as the franchise continues.
"Madagascar 3" earned a
terrific "A" CinemaScore grade from polled audiences, which were 56
percent female and 54 percent below the age of 25, and it will benefit
from strong word-of-mouth in the weeks to come. Still, "Madagascar 3"
will likely finish a bit behind the $180 million total that "Escape 2
Africa," which played during the holiday season, earned domestically.
International grosses are already proving to be more substantial,
though. "Madagascar 3" earned $75.5 million overseas this weekend,
giving it an early worldwide total of $135.9 million. The colorful
comedy will face direct competition when Pixar's "Brave" debuts in two
weeks, but its lighthearted tone and zippy pace may prove more
attractive for summer moviegoers. We'll have to wait and see!
Ridley Scott's return to sci-fi, "Prometheus,"
invaded theaters in second place with $50 million. The $130 million Fox
thriller, which stars Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, and current box
office (ice) queen Charlize Theron, conjured an impressive $14,723 per
theater average from 3,396 locations (ahead of "Madagascar's" $14,123
average from 4,258 venues).
"Prometheus" notched the
best debut for an R-rated picture since "Paranormal Activity 3's" $52.6
million bow in October, but where it goes from here is anyone's guess.
After topping the box office on Friday with $21.4 million, "Prometheus"
sank 22 percent on Saturday -- a sure sign of built-in excitement from
fanboys and fangirls who rushed to the theater to find out if the film
really was an "Alien" prequel. Discouragingly, "Prometheus" earned a
lukewarm "B" CinemaScore grade, yet it's sparking more post-release
conversation than any title in recent memory, and although much of the
chatter is negative (and filled with over-the-top vitriol for scribe
Damon Lindelof), all the buzz could work in the film's favor.
Word-of-mouth doesn't
suggest that "Prometheus" will become this year's "Inception," a thinky
thriller-turned-box-office-smash, but its successful debut and ample
international receipts (it's earned $91.5 million after two weekends)
should have the suits at Fox pretty happy.
Last weekend's fairest movie of them all, "Snow White and the Huntsman,"
bit into the poison apple of competition and dropped 59 percent to $23
million during its second frame. The $170 million fantasy has earned
$98.5 million total after ten days, and another $83.5 million overseas.
Universal is reportedly fast-tracking a sequel for the film, which
frankly seems like a rather irrational decision at this point. While a
$181.5 million worldwide total is nothing to shake a stick scepter at,
between the budget, marketing costs, and distribution fees, "Snow White"
has a long way to go before it's out of the red. Still, Universal must
see a path to profitability on the home market and ancillary markets. If
the studio does make a sequel, I have one request: Bring back Charlize Theron!
"Men In Black 3" held on
to fourth place, dropping 52 percent (after losing many 3-D screens to
"Prometheus" and "Madagascar") to $13.5 million. The $230 million sequel
has earned a lackluster $135.5 million after 17 days -- even without
accounting for inflation, both "Men In Black" and "Men In Black 2"
(neither of which had 3-D ticket prices working their favor) had earned
more money at the same point in their runs, with $158.9 million and
$148.0 million, respectively. The Sony production may finish with about
$165 million, domestically.
Fortunately,
international grosses have been powerful, and globally, "Men In Black 3"
has earned $487.6 million total. Whether the film will eventually earn
enough to counteract it's massive negative costs is unclear. (Speaking
of negative costs, are you aware that the combined budgets of the Top 5
movies right now total $895 million? Seriously.)
Rounding out the Top 5,
"The Avengers" flew to $10.8 million in its sixth frame -- a 47 percent
drop -- which pushed its total to a truly heroic $571.9 million.
Worldwide, "The Avengers" has grossed a jaw-dropping $1.396 billion.
This year's
second-biggest blockbuster, "The Hunger Games," reached a major
milestone over the weekend. On its 80th day of release, "Hunger Games"
passed the $400 million mark in the United States -- a remarkable feat
for a franchise launching pad. With a $248 million overseas total, the
dystopian thriller hasn't exhibited similar box office ubiquity
overseas, although this may very well change with future "Hunger Games"
installments. The film's worldwide total will climb substantially when
it opens in China later this month..
In limited release, Wes
Anderson's well-liked indie "Moonrise Kingdom" continues to impress. The
young love story picked up $1.6 million in 96 theaters, enough for a
tenth place finish. "Moonrise" once again boasted a dazzling per theater
average: it's $16,448 average was the best at the box office. After
three weekends, the film has earned $3.8 million.
Fellow indies were met
with mixed results. "Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding" found a weak
$102,000 out of 30 theaters, which was slightly ahead of Sundance fave
"Safety Not Guaranteed," which earned $100,000, but was notably playing
in just 9 theaters. "Lola Versus" earned $34,100 out of 4 theaters,
yielding an $8,525 average -- too low to merit major expansions.
What did you see this
weekend? Do you think "Prometheus" will crash and burn from here, or do
you think curiosity and buzz will attract more audiences? Sound off in
the comments, box office junkies!
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