Robots take out the Dancers at the Box Office

Remakes of 80′s movies sure aren’t doing the business that Hollywood hoped they would. After the dual bombs of remakes Fright Night and Conan the Barbarian, two more redos entered the fray this weekend with one, The Thing, tanking right away with just $8.7 million (and another dud for Universal) while the other did just ok. The latter was the remake of Footloose starring newcomer Kenny Wormald and Dancing with the Stars’ Julianne Hough which landed $16.1 million, a decent opening but not enough to hit the top. It was beaten by the robots of Real Steel which held at # 1 for a second week with $16.3 million. While the new version of Loose will make a profit due to its lower budget, it’s unlikely to become a smash like the Kevin Bacon starring original. So, why is Hollywood even bothering with these remakes? You got me? … Instead they should continue to make good films like the George Clooney drama The Ides of March, Brad Pitt’s Moneyball, and 50/50 which all dropped less than 30% at the box office. It’s great to see strong films continue to get sampling while the drivel falls by the wayside…. Oh, and one other movie opened to disastrous results, the bird watching comedy (um, who greenlit that?) The Big Year starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson which was DOA with just $3.3 million. For more on all these numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 1 Real Steel BV $16,304,000 -40.3% 3,440 – $4,740 $51,744,000 – 2
2 N Footloose (2011) Par. $16,100,000 – 3,549 – $4,536 $16,100,000 $24 1
3 N The Thing (2011) Uni. $8,700,000 – 2,996 – $2,904 $8,700,000 – 1
4 2 The Ides of March Sony $7,500,000 -28.4% 2,199 – $3,411 $22,154,000 – 2
5 3 Dolphin Tale WB $6,345,000 -30.5% 3,286 -192 $1,931 $58,672,000 $37 4
6 4 Moneyball Sony $5,500,000 -26.2% 2,840 -178 $1,937 $57,712,000 $50 4
7 5 50/50 Sum. $4,315,000 -23.7% 2,391 -88 $1,805 $24,334,000 $8 3
8 6 Courageous TriS $3,400,000 -30.2% 1,214 +53 $2,801 $21,378,000 $2 3
9 N The Big Year Fox $3,325,000 – 2,150 – $1,547 $3,325,000 – 1
10 7 The Lion King (in 3D) BV $2,708,000 -41.1% 1,970 -297 $1,375 $90,452,000 – 5

A Dolphin swims past the newbies at the Box Office

Last week, it was a lion on top and this week a dolphin swims past the competition as the animals continue to rule the box office. Rising to the top in its second week, the family film A Dolphin Tale took in $14.2 million edging out as similarly strong second week for Brad Pitt’s Moneyball which landed $12.5 million. Both films are headed for nice runs in the weeks ahead. The pushed the Lion King re-release into third with $11.1 million and a total of $79.7 million (and over $400 million including its original release in 1994)… All the good news for those holdovers meant the newbies struggled in their first frames. Faring best was the well reviewed cancer dramedy 50/50 with Joseph Gordon Levitt (who will merit strong awards consideration with this perf) and Seth Rogan which pulled in $8.9 million. Hopefully good reviews and audience reaction will benefit it’s run in theatres. Opening in fifth was a film I never saw one ad or commercial for, the faith-based drama Courageous which took in $8.8 million just ahead of the debuting bombs Dream House and What’s Your Number?  Take a look at all of the numbers below and for more info, head to Box Office Mojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 3 Dolphin Tale WB $14,245,000 -25.6% 3,515 +8 $4,053 $37,516,000 $37 2
2 2 Moneyball Sony $12,500,000 -35.9% 2,993 – $4,176 $38,469,000 $50 2
3 1 The Lion King (in 3D) BV $11,057,000 -49.6% 2,340 +10 $4,725 $79,652,000 – 3
4 N 50/50 Sum. $8,858,000 – 2,458 – $3,604 $8,858,000 $8 1
5 N Courageous TriS $8,800,000 – 1,161 – $7,580 $8,800,000 $2 1
6 N Dream House Uni. $8,209,000 – 2,661 – $3,085 $8,209,000 – 1
7 4 Abduction LGF $5,650,000 -48.3% 3,118 – $1,812 $19,139,000 $35 2
8 N What’s Your Number? Fox $5,600,000 – 3,002 – $1,865 $5,600,000 – 1
9 6 Contagion WB $5,040,000 -40.4% 2,744 -392 $1,837 $64,702,000 $60 4
10 5 Killer Elite ORF $4,855,000 -48.1% 2,986 – $1,626 $17,439,000 $70 2

The Box Office: Lions and Dolphins and Brad~ oh My!

There was a big battle at the box office this weekend between two animals and one of the hottest humans in Hollywood as The Lion King 3D narrowly beat Brad Pitt’s Moneyball and the family film, A Dolphin Tale. King took in a hefty $22 million for a two-week re-release total of $61 million and surprised many insiders by making it a second week in a row. Disney’s beloved toon held off Pitt’s latest which opened to $20.6 million making it the best opening for a baseball film in history. Strong reviews and awards prospects should keep the film in contention in the weeks ahead. Another film that should have long legs at the turnstiles, or should I say tails, is the true life story, A Dolphin Tale which grabbed a strong $20.2 million…. The other two action films opening had less stellar results with the Taylor Lautner starrer, Abduction grabbing an ok $11.2 million and the Jason Statham/Clive Owen/Robert Deniro film, Killer Elite, landing just $ 9.5 million. Both pictures also had terrible reviews and could face a dire road ahead. Take a look at the full chart below and head to Box Office Mojo for more.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 1 The Lion King (in 3D) BV $22,130,000 -26.6% 2,330 – $9,498 $61,676,000 – 2
2 N Moneyball Sony $20,600,000 – 2,993 – $6,883 $20,600,000 $50 1
3 N Dolphin Tale WB $20,260,000 – 3,507 – $5,777 $20,260,000 $37 1
4 N Abduction LGF $11,200,000 – 3,118 – $3,592 $11,200,000 $35 1
5 N Killer Elite ORF $9,500,000 – 2,986 – $3,182 $9,500,000 $70 1
6 2 Contagion WB $8,565,000 -41.1% 3,136 -86 $2,731 $57,122,000 $60 3
7 3 Drive (2011) FD $5,771,000 -49.1% 2,904 +18 $1,987 $21,425,000 $15 2
8 4 The Help BV $4,400,000 -32.4% 2,695 -319 $1,633 $154,444,000 $25 7
9 5 Straw Dogs (2011) SGem $2,100,000 -59.0% 2,408 – $872 $8,884,000 $25 2
10 6 I Don’t Know How She Does It Wein. $2,053,000 -53.4% 2,490 +14 $824 $8,019,000 $24 2

The Holiday Box Office: America loves a good “Hangover”

Hollywood finally had some good news as the box office slump officially ended over the long holiday weekend with huge grosses for three big sequels. Leading the way was The Hangover Part 2 which opened to $105 million over the four-day holiday and $137 million since Thursday. It also grabbed the record for the biggest comedy film opening to date. The film should hold up pretty well in the weeks ahead as its core audience is clearly enjoying the film despite poor reviews. (Personally I give the film a “B” grade. It’s pretty much a carbon copy of the original but it’s still pretty damn funny)…. Coming in second was Kung Fu Panda 2 with a good, not great, $62 million which was a tad below the opening for the original. However, it will likely have strong legs as most family films do in the summer. Also making news was Pirates of the Caribbean 4 which took in another $50 million for a two-week take of $163 million and only dropped 44%…. In limited release, Terrence Malick’s long-delayed drama The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn finally opened taking in a massive $489,000 in only 4 theatres. However, with mixed critical and audience reception, the road ahead could be shaky… One other big auteur got some good news at the turnstiles this weekend as well as Woody Allen’s latest comedy, Midnight in Paris, hit the top ten with $3.5 million on only 58 screens. This one is shaping up to be his biggest hit since 2008′s Vicky Christina Barcelona which also netted Penelope Cruz an Oscar….. For more on the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the new top ten below…

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Hangover Part II WB $105,765,000 – 3,615 – $29,257 $137,375,000 $80 1
2 N Kung Fu Panda 2 P/DW $62,200,000 – 3,925 – $15,847 $68,000,000 $150 1
3 1 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV $50,372,000 -44.1% 4,164 +9 $12,097 $163,967,000 $250 2
4 2 Bridesmaids Uni. $20,987,000 +0.5% 2,958 +21 $7,095 $89,594,000 $32.5 3
5 3 Thor Par. $12,030,000 -22.2% 3,296 -628 $3,650 $162,375,000 $150 4
6 4 Fast Five Uni. $8,166,000 -22.8% 2,982 -640 $2,738 $197,576,000 $125 5
7 13 Midnight in Paris SPC $3,520,000 +487.6% 58 +52 $60,690 $3,520,000 $30 2
8 6 Rio Fox $2,400,000 -48.8% 1,672 -921 $1,435 $135,441,000 $90 7
9 7 Jumping the Broom TriS $2,350,000 -36.5% 939 -533 $2,503 $34,631,000 $6.6 4
10 8 Something Borrowed WB $2,320,000 -34.0% 1,440 -1,166 $1,611 $35,234,000 $35 4

The Conspirator~ 2011′s first Oscar contender?

Sure, this week was all about the Oscar nominations for last year’s best in film. But after seeing the trailer for the new film The Conspirator, I’m already thinking about next year’s awards. Could this new historical drama directed by Academy Award winner Robert Redford and starring Golden Globe nominees Robin Wright (Forrest Gump) and James MacAvoy (Atonement) and Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom, Michael Clayton) be the first award worthy film of this year? It certainly seems so. The movie follows the assassination of President Lincoln and the trial of Mary Surraut, the civilian woman, who is accused in the conspiracy of his murder. It’s got history, prestige, costumes, drama and fantastic performances, so I sure hope it delivers. I also hope it finally gives the woefully underrated and brilliantly talented Wright her first Oscar nod. She was denied noms for her great work in Gump, She’s So Lovely, Nine Lives and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee to name a few and it’s about time she was recognized. Now, fear not, if the Academy doesn’t warm to this film, Wright has three more contenders that could put her in next year’s supporting race: the ensemble drama Rampart, the baseball story Moneyball with Brad Pitt and the big American adaptation of The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo directed by Oscar nominee David Fincher (The Social Network). So, hopefully 2011 is Wright’s year. Take a look at the trailer for The Conspirator below and watch the film in theatres this April.

The Conspirator

Megamind leads a Big Box Office Weekend

On the first big box office weekend of the fall, three new films all met expectations with good openings that could foreshadow a strong holiday season. Opening on top was the latest 3D cartoon from Paramount/Dreamworks, Megamind, which took in $ 47.6 million (on par with this spring’s brilliant P/DW toon How to Train Your Dragon). Boasting big star power with Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill, this one should be the big family choice for several weeks til Harry Potter comes to town. Opening in second was the new comedy from The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis which netted $33.5 million. While that’s a nice start, it will be interesting to see how it plays out in the coming weeks as word of mouth isn’t so good on this one. Tyler Perry’s latest, For Colored Girls, was next in line grabbing a standard $20 million opening. The film starring a bevy of talented African-American actresses including Oscar nominee Janet Jackson, Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose didn’t cross over to audience outside of Perry’s usual core group. However, the film is hoping to be an awards player (especially for its performances, most notably Kimberly Elise) which could help it reach a bigger audience in the future. Two other big awards contenders opened strongly in limited release as well. Fair Game with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn grabbed $700,000 in only 46 theatres while James Franco’s star turn in 127 Hours grabbed a huge $66,500 per screen average in just four theatres. (That was the second biggest per screen average for a limited release this year following Oscar bait The Kids are Alright). And still showing good legs were Red and Secretariat while last week’s chart topper Saw 3D plummeted the expected 64%. For all your box office needs, head to Box Office Mojo here. And check out the weekend top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Megamind P/DW $47,650,000 – 3,944 – $12,082 $47,650,000 $130 1
2 N Due Date WB $33,500,000 – 3,355 – $9,985 $33,500,000 $65 1
3 N For Colored Girls LGF $20,100,000 – 2,127 – $9,450 $20,100,000 $21 1
4 3 Red Sum. $8,858,000 -17.4% 3,229 -120 $2,743 $71,871,000 $58 4
5 1 Saw 3D LGF $8,200,000 -63.6% 2,808 – $2,920 $38,801,000 $20 2
6 2 Paranormal Activity 2 Par. $7,298,000 -55.8% 3,168 -71 $2,304 $77,224,000 $3 3
7 4 Jackass 3-D Par. $5,097,000 -40.1% 2,165 -974 $2,354 $110,814,000 $20 4
8 5 Hereafter WB $4,020,000 -37.4% 2,365 -59 $1,700 $28,730,000 $50 4
9 6 Secretariat BV $4,002,000 -20.1% 2,614 -494 $1,531 $50,965,000 $35 5
10 7 The Social Network Sony $3,600,000 -20.3% 1,860 -907 $1,935 $85,047,000 $50 6