“Pain & Gain” Doesn’t Have Much Muscle But Still Tops the Box Office

The new action film about muscle-head criminals (and the true life scandal about their actions), Pain and Gain, topped the box office this weekend with $20 million. It was a lackluster opening considering the combined power of stars Mark Wahlberg and The Rock, and the poor audience reaction does not bode well for its future. But, it still won the weekend over Tom Cruise’s Oblivion which added another $17 million for a decent $64 million after two weeks. Both films should take huge hits next week when Iron Man 3 crashes the party… One other film opened this weekend and was DOA as the star-studded romantic comedy The Big Wedding with Robert DeNiro, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Diane Keaton and Topher Grace tanked with only $7.5 million. For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo and check out the new top ten below… The summer movie season can’t get here soon enough is all I’m saying!

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Pain and Gain Par. $20,000,000 – 3,277 – $6,103 $20,000,000 $26 1
2 1 Oblivion Uni. $17,443,000 -52.9% 3,792 +9 $4,600 $64,731,000 $120 2
3 2 42 WB $10,725,000 -39.5% 3,405 +155 $3,150 $69,079,000 $40 3
4 N The Big Wedding LGF $7,500,000 – 2,633 – $2,848 $7,500,000 $35 1
5 3 The Croods Fox $6,600,000 -28.5% 3,283 -152 $2,010 $163,025,000 $135 6
6 5 G.I. Joe: Retaliation Par. $3,620,000 -37.2% 2,707 -468 $1,337 $116,396,000 $130 5
7 4 Scary Movie 5 W/Dim. $3,457,000 -43.8% 2,733 -669 $1,265 $27,494,000 $20 3
8 7 Olympus Has Fallen FD $2,768,000 -38.2% 2,334 -304 $1,186 $93,076,000 $70 6
9 6 The Place Beyond the Pines Focus $2,699,000 -45.1% 1,584 +42 $1,704 $16,205,000 $15 5
10 9 Jurassic Park 3D Uni. $2,310,000 -43.0% 1,848 -482 $1,250 $42,000,000 $10 4

Jessica Chastain Rules the Box Office

Oscar nominee and recent Golden Globe winner Jessica Chastain is not only a very respected actress on the rise, but she’s also becoming a box office powerhouse. This weekend she starred in the top two films as her new horror film Mama debuted on top and her Oscar contender Zero Dark Thirty held up strong in second. Mama way over performed to the tune of $33 million for the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend while ZD30 took in another $17.7 million for a total of $ 57 million. Someone is securely on the A List now… Someone who fell off that list big time awhile back is Arnold Schwarzenegger and his new film, The Last Stand, won’t put him back there as it bombed with a miserable $ 7 million… Also debuting and tanking this weekend was the star-studded and poorly reviewed Broken City starring Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg which barely managed $9.5 million…. They were both upstaged by a number of films including the long-awaited nationwide release of Oscar contender Silver Linings Playbook (which I give a “B” grade to by the way) which hit the top five for the first time with $13 million… For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo 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 Mama Uni. $33,035,000 – 2,647 – $12,480 $33,035,000 $15 1
2 1 Zero Dark Thirty Sony $18,700,000 -23.5% 2,946 +9 $6,348 $57,045,000 $40 5
3 10 Silver Linings Playbook Wein. $13,019,000 +159.4% 2,523 +1,713 $5,160 $56,978,000 $21 10
4 3 Gangster Squad WB $10,305,000 -39.6% 3,103 – $3,321 $33,415,000 $60 2
5 2 A Haunted House ORF $9,700,000 -46.4% 2,160 – $4,491 $31,300,000 $2.5 2
6 N Broken City Fox $9,500,000 – 2,620 – $3,626 $9,500,000 $35 1
7 5 Les Miserables (2012) Uni. $9,246,000 -4.1% 2,579 -348 $3,585 $131,804,000 $61 4
8 4 Django Unchained Wein. $9,235,000 -16.4% 2,516 -496 $3,671 $139,354,000 $100 4
9 6 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey WB $7,715,000 -15.9% 2,323 -689 $3,321 $288,705,000 – 6
10 N The Last Stand LGF $7,190,000 – 2,913 – $2,468 $7,190,000 – 1

Dirty Teddy Bears and Strippers Rule the Box Office

Hollywood can finally breathe a little sight of relief as the summer box office got a much-needed jolt from some dirty strippers, a naughty teddy bear and a grumpy granny this weekend. Way over performing and landing a big $54 million opening was Universal’s raunchy Mark Wahlberg/Teddy bear comedy Ted. The movie held off the hottest cast  ever seen in film from a top spot debut as Magic Mike opened to a strong $39 million. That’s already a big profit for the $7 million picture starring It boy Channing Tatum and his hottie friends Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Alex Pettyfer, Adam Rodriguez and a delightfully devilish Matthew McConaughy. We’ll see how the latter film holds up in the weeks ahead as it was a very front-loaded box office weekend. (I, for one, was rather disappointed by the film which was like 4 different movies in one that never gelled. Mike wasn’t really funny or all that sexy and the dramatic indie feel to the second half of the movie didn’t work at all. Grade: C+) … But curiosity could keep it going strong thru the 5th of July holiday… Also opening well was Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection which took in his usual $26 million and Brave weathered the newcomers well with another $34 million… The big loser this weekend was the new Chris Pine/Elizabeth Banks dramedy  People Like Us (which I gave a “B” grade to) which tanked with only $4.3 million… For more on 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 N Ted Uni. $54,100,000 – 3,239 – $16,703 $54,100,000 $50 1
2 N Magic Mike WB $39,155,000 – 2,930 – $13,363 $39,155,000 $7 1
3 1 Brave BV $34,011,000 -48.7% 4,164 – $8,168 $131,685,000 $185 2
4 N Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection LGF $26,350,000 – 2,161 – $12,193 $26,350,000 $20 1
5 2 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted P/DW $11,815,000 -40.1% 3,715 -205 $3,180 $180,012,000 $145 4
6 3 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Fox $6,000,000 -63.2% 3,109 +1 $1,930 $29,034,000 $69 2
7 4 Prometheus Fox $4,925,000 -50.3% 1,951 -911 $2,524 $118,262,000 $130 4
8 11 Moonrise Kingdom Focus $4,873,000 +43.6% 854 +459 $5,706 $18,406,000 $16 6
9 5 Snow White and the Huntsman Uni. $4,405,000 -45.5% 2,337 -582 $1,885 $145,591,000 $170 5
10 N People Like Us BV $4,306,000 – 2,055 – $2,095 $4,306,000 $16 1

Mark Wahlberg beats down the Beast at the Box Office

Hollywood execs were breathing a sigh of relief as the box office was up again this weekend after months of disappointing grosses. Leading the way were three films that slightly over-performed on their expectations. In first place was the new Mark Wahlberg action pic Contraband which took in $28.8 million. That was enough to beat the 3D re-release of the Oscar winning classic Beauty and the Beast which took in $23.5 million, which is quite a feat since the film is 20 years old and has been available on dvd for years…. Opening in fourth was the Queen Latifah/Dolly Parton gospel choir movie Joyful Noise which landed $13.7 million. Fighting for the top ten were the expansion of The Iron Lady (which had a big per-theatre average on only 800 some screens) and We Bought a Zoo (on 2900 screens). When final tallies come in tomorrow, we may see the Lady take that actual top ten spot. For more on all these numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the top eleven below.
TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Contraband Uni. $28,800,000 – 2,863 – $10,059 $28,800,000 $25 1
2 N Beauty and the Beast (3D) BV $23,507,000 – 2,625 – $8,955 $23,507,000 – 1
3 2 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Par. $14,200,000 -28.5% 3,346 -209 $4,244 $189,447,000 $145 5
4 N Joyful Noise WB $13,785,000 – 2,735 – $5,040 $13,785,000 – 1
5 3 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows WB $10,505,000 -23.3% 3,155 -448 $3,330 $172,105,000 – 5
6 1 The Devil Inside Par. $9,175,000 -72.8% 2,551 +266 $3,597 $47,522,000 $1 2
7 4 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Sony $8,100,000 -28.7% 2,674 -276 $3,029 $89,281,000 $90 4
8 5 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Fox $7,825,000 -17.6% 2,849 -576 $2,747 $120,806,000 $75 5
9 6 War Horse BV $7,166,000 -17.4% 2,856 +73 $2,509 $67,338,000 $66 4
10 7 We Bought a Zoo Fox $6,800,000 -18.1% 2,909 -261 $2,338 $65,289,000 – 4
11 26 The Iron Lady Wein. $6,474,000 +3,570.6% 802 +797 $8,072 $7,062,000 – 3

Is “The Fighter” the new “Rocky”?

The movie Rocky was a surprise smash and Oscar winner back in 1977 picking up Best Picture and two other awards. Now, a new film in the spirit of Rocky is about to make a big awards run this season. The Fighter stars Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) as real life boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his unlikely rise to boxing stardom under the tutelage of his ne’er-do-well half-brother played by Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) who also suffered with a drug problem and spent time in prison. Co-starring in the movie are two other Oscar nominees Amy Adams (Junebug, Doubt) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and it’s directed by controversial auteur David O’Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees). Judging from the trailer it looks inspiring and entertaining and could put a boxing pic back in the race for the first time since Million Dollar Baby grabbed Best Pic, Director (Clint Eastwood), Actress (Hilary Swank) and Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman) in 2005. This time we could see Wahlberg in the lead race and Bale grab his first nom in the supporting race while both Adams and Leo could contend in supporting as well. We’ll see how its Oscar prospects turn out when the film is released on Dec. 10 but the buzz is good so far. Check out the trailer for The Fighter below.

The Fighter

Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg are the “Guys” at the top of the Box Office

Will Ferrell returned to his former box office glory this weekend with his new comedy co starring Mark Wahlberg, The Other Guys, taking in a hefty $35.6 million. That’s a nice rebound after last year’s disastrous Land of the Lost bomb. It also gives Wahlberg two hit comedies in a row following this spring’s Date Night. With the success of Sony’s latest comedy Guys, that meant a big audience drop for last week’s topper Dinner with Schmucks tumbled by 55% for $10.5 million as it landed in 5th place behind Inception, Salt and the debut of Step Up 3D which danced its way to 3rd pulling in $15.5 million. The top 10 also welcomed Oscar contender and indie darling The Kids are Alright for the first time in 10th place. For all your box office needs, head to BoxOfficeMojo here. And check out this weekend’s top 10 below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Other Guys Sony $35,600,000 – 3,651 – $9,751 $35,600,000 $100 1
2 1 Inception WB $18,600,000 -32.3% 3,418 -127 $5,442 $227,732,000 $160 4
3 N Step Up 3-D BV $15,500,000 – 2,435 – $6,366 $15,500,000 $30 1
4 3 Salt Sony $11,100,000 -43.0% 3,317 -295 $3,346 $91,980,000 $110 3
5 2 Dinner for Schmucks P/DW $10,500,000 -55.4% 3,004 +93 $3,495 $46,746,000 $69 2
6 4 Despicable Me Uni. $9,400,000 -39.4% 3,413 -189 $2,754 $209,400,000 $69 5
7 6 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore WB $6,910,000 -43.7% 3,705 – $1,865 $26,436,000 $85 2
8 5 Charlie St. Cloud Uni. $4,700,000 -62.0% 2,725 +7 $1,725 $23,500,000 $44 2
9 7 Toy Story 3 BV $3,048,000 -40.5% 1,714 -391 $1,778 $396,317,000 $200 8
10 12 The Kids Are All Right Focus $2,606,000 -26.1% 994 +147 $2,622 $14,011,000 $4 5