Super 8 invades the Box Office

For the first time in ages, a non-sequel hit the top of the box office as J.J. Abrams sci-fi thriller Super 8 landed at # 1 with a good $37 million. While not a blockbuster number, the film remains a mystery as to how it will hold up in the weeks ahead. Audiences and critics liked it, but the upfront demand wasn’t too grand. It could prove to be a sleeper like Bridesmaids and have strong legs ahead. Stay tuned. At the other end of the spectrum was the new kiddie movie, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, which proved a big bummer to its studio, Relativity, by tanking in seventh place with only $6.2 million. Clearly families preferred a Panda and some Pirates as those sequels held up well (as did the aforementioned Bridesmaids and X Men: First Class which posted a decent second week hold). For all your box office numbers and needs, 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	Super 8	Par.	$37,000,000	-	3,379	-	$10,950	$38,000,000	$50	1
2	1	X-Men: First Class	Fox	$25,000,000	-54.6%	3,692	+51	$6,771	$98,894,000	$160	2
3	2	The Hangover Part II	WB	$18,500,000	-41.0%	3,675	+60	$5,034	$216,560,000	$80	3
4	3	Kung Fu Panda 2	P/DW	$16,635,000	-30.4%	3,929	-23	$4,234	$126,905,000	$150	3
5	4	Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	BV	$10,846,000	-39.6%	3,433	-533	$3,159	$208,774,000	$250	4
6	5	Bridesmaids	Uni.	$10,154,000	-15.7%	2,922	+3	$3,475	$123,904,000	$32.5	5
7	N	Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer	Rela.	$6,267,000	-	2,524	-	$2,483	$6,267,000	$20	1
8	8	Midnight in Paris	SPC	$6,146,000	+121.9%	944	+797	$6,511	$14,225,000	$30	4
9	6	Thor	Par.	$2,370,000	-44.2%	1,782	-998	$1,330	$173,600,000	$150	6
10	7	Fast Five	Uni.	$1,714,000	-45.9%	1,329	-908	$1,290	$205,081,000	$125	7

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 Pirates Pillage the Box Office

Johnny Depp swashbuckled all over the competition this weekend as the fourth film in his Pirates of the Caribbean series opened to a strong $90 million at the box office. Now, that’s a big number, but considering it was around $30 million less than the openings for the second and third films, it has to be seen as a small disappointment. And looking at reviews and audience reaction (I gave the film a “C” grade), the road ahead may not be too rosy. That said, it should still top $200 million when all is said and done and the international grosses are fantastic. We’ll see how it holds up next week when two more sequels enter the fray, The Hangover Part 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2…. The other big news over the weekend was the incredibly strong hold for the hilarious comedy Bridesmaids which dipped only 20% to $21 million for a two-week take of $59 million. That movie now seems a sure bet to top $100 million, something most pundits never thought possible. Congrats Kristen Wiig! …. For more on the box office, 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 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV $90,100,000 – 4,155 – $21,685 $90,100,000 $250 1
2 2 Bridesmaids Uni. $21,058,000 -19.8% 2,937 +19 $7,170 $59,518,000 $32.5 2
3 1 Thor Par. $15,500,000 -55.3% 3,924 -39 $3,950 $145,406,000 $150 3
4 3 Fast Five Uni. $10,631,000 -48.0% 3,622 -171 $2,935 $186,219,000 $125 4
5 5 Rio Fox $4,650,000 -43.8% 2,593 -336 $1,793 $131,647,000 $90 6
6 4 Priest SGem $4,600,000 -69.2% 2,864 – $1,606 $23,683,000 $60 2
7 6 Jumping the Broom TriS $3,700,000 -47.6% 1,472 -563 $2,514 $31,318,000 $6.6 3
8 7 Something Borrowed WB $3,425,000 -50.2% 2,606 -298 $1,314 $31,428,000 $35 3
9 8 Water for Elephants Fox $2,150,000 -48.8% 1,894 -531 $1,135 $52,428,000 $38 5
10 9 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family LGF $990,000 -55.3% 912 -537 $1,086 $51,757,000 – 5