Harry Potter Lives at the Top of the 2011 Box Office

In a rather lackluster year that saw box office ticket sales way down, there were few super smashes. However, one boy wizard lived high and mighty at the top, Harry Potter. The final film in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 took in a series best $ 381 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide. Holy Harry! It beat the latest Transformers crapfest by nearly $30 million for the title…. Looking at the Top 20, it’s pretty clear that Hollywood has very few new ideas as only 4 titles were based on new concepts: Rio, Super 8 and the brilliant Bridesmaids and The Help. For more on all the numbers for every film in 2011, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the top films of the year below.

Top 20 Films at the Box Office in 2011:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 ($ 381 million)
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($ 352 million)
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 ($ 275 million)
4. The Hangover Part II ($ 254 million)
5 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($ 241 million)
6. Fast Five ($ 209 million)
7. Cars 2 ($ 191 million)
8. Thor ($ 181 million)
9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($ 176.7 million)
10. Captain America: The First Avenger ($ 176.6 million)
11. The Help ($ 169.4 million)
12. Bridesmaids ($ 169.1 million)
13. Kung Fu Panda 2 ($ 165 million)
14. X Men: First Class ($ 146 million)
15. Puss in Boots ($ 145 million)
16. Rio ($ 143 million)
17. The Smurfs ($ 142 million)
18. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocal ($ 134 million)
19. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows ($ 132 million)
20. Super 8 ($ 127 million)

Transformers destroy Tom & Julia and the Box Office

It was a good holiday for Paramount Pictures and their wacky alien robots as Transformers: Dark of the Moon (hi, worst title ever) took in a record Independance Day gross of $116 million over four days. The film, which is a big loud ridiculous mess (I gave it a D+ grade), has now taken in a massive $181 million since Wednesday (including Tues midnight showings) and is easily on its way to become 2011′s top grosser thus far. (I think Harry Potter may have something to say about that in a couple weeks though….). Transformers is clearly a smash, but it’s running a bit behind that last film’s grosses. Nonetheless, audiences apparently enjoy mind numbing crap over boring unfunny crap as the new Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts dramedy, Larry Crowne, (I gave it a C- grade) tanked debuting in 4th place with just $15.7 million over the long weekend. It’s a sad number for two of the biggest stars from the past few decades. Hopefully their next collaboration will be a better film! Also, getting bad news was Monte Carlo, the new comedy from Selena Gomez which netted a paltry $8.7 million for 6th place… As for the rest of the top ten, Super 8 and Bridesmaids held up very well while Cars 2 and Bad Teacher fell the expected amounts. Check out the complete top ten below and for more on all the movie money grosses, head to BoxOfficeMojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Transformers: Dark of the Moon P/DW $116,400,000 – 4,013 – $29,006 $181,125,000 $195 1
2 1 Cars 2 BV $32,072,000 -51.5% 4,115 – $7,794 $123,002,000 $200 2
3 2 Bad Teacher Sony $17,600,000 -44.3% 3,049 – $5,772 $63,045,000 $20 2
4 N Larry Crowne Uni. $15,742,000 – 2,973 – $5,295 $15,742,000 $30 1
5 4 Super 8 Par. $9,525,000 -20.8% 3,088 -336 $3,085 $110,061,000 $50 4
6 N Monte Carlo Fox $8,750,000 – 2,473 – $3,538 $8,750,000 $20 1
7 3 Green Lantern WB $7,985,000 -55.7% 3,280 -536 $2,434 $103,677,000 $200 3
8 5 Mr. Popper’s Penguins Fox $6,850,000 -32.5% 2,861 -481 $2,394 $51,875,000 $55 3
9 8 Bridesmaids Uni. $4,424,000 -15.9% 1,389 -642 $3,185 $153,798,000 $32.5 8
10 11 Midnight in Paris SPC $4,316,000 +3.5% 858 -93 $5,030 $34,516,000 $30 7

2011 Movie Grades… So far…

As any avid moviegoer might tell you, 2011 has not been the best year for movie fans. In fact, I found myself going to the theatre much less in the first half of this year than most years. However, the lackluster studio output does resemble the sad first half of 2010. Luckily, the second half of last year made up for it and I’m hoping that will be the case in the coming months. Perhaps the issue has been an emphasis on crappy 3D movies (which generally suck~ I’m sorry, the 3D craze is a giant waste of time in my opinion!) or just general studio moronitude. Yes, I just coined that word, hehe… Looking at the few bright spots, there were two fantastic indies that will hopefully be remembered at Oscar time, Jane Eyre and Beginners. The latter film, in fact, is my favorite of the year featuring wonderful performances from Ewan MacGregor and Christopher Plummer (who is assured an Oscar nom) as a son and father who navigate the last few years of the elder’s life as he comes out of the closet and deals with cancer. My favorite studio picture of the year thus far was J.J. Abrams triumphantly Spielberg-esque sci-fi action pic Super 8 which showed a summer movie can be smart, funny, scary and have heart. (Hey just like Spielberg’s 80′s summer movies, hmmmmm)…. One other fantastic film was the filmed adaptation of the live Broadway musical performance of Company starring a brilliant Neil Patrick Harris. It was the best experience I’ve had at the movies all year, and it wasn’t really a movie. So, that tells ya something… With that said, take a look at my grades for all the movies I’ve seen this year. Then, let me know your faves so far in 2011.

2011 Movie Grades So Far….

Beginners: A
Super 8: A
Jane Eyre: A-
Bridesmaids: A-
Thor: B+
The Conspirator: B
X Men~ First Class: B
Hanna: B
The Lincoln Lawyer: B
Water for Elephants: B
Scream 4: B-
The Hangover Part 2: B-
Bad Teacher: B-
The Adjustment Bureau: B-
Battle Los Angeles: C+
Fast Five: C
Pirates of the Caribbean~ On Stranger Tides: C
Larry Crowne: C-
Limitless: D+
Paul: F

And the special screenings~
Company: A+

Green Lantern flickers out at the Box Office

It’s a sad thing to say a film that opens to $52 million at the box office is a disappointment, but that’s the case this weekend for Green Lantern. The ultra expensive comic book movie tumbled under expectations by at least $10 to $15 million for a lower opening than Thor and X Men: First Class which both had little starpower compared to this well-known comic entity starring the red-hot (and deserving of a better movie) Ryan Reynolds. Now, the opening was far from a disaster but due to bad reviews and word of mouth, the film has an uphill battle towards profitability in the weeks ahead…. Another film that opened under expectations this weekend was Jim Carrey’s latest Mr. Popper’s Penguins which took in a decent but not great $18.2 million and landed in third behind Super 8 which held up quite well. At least Carrey’s film could have good legs as many family films do in the summer. However, it will have to fight off Cars 2 this coming weekend…. Other films holding up well include Bridesmaids, the sleeper hit of the year, and Woody Allen’s most  in successful movie in decades, Midnight in Paris. For more on these films and 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 Green Lantern WB $52,685,000 – 3,816 – $13,806 $52,685,000 $200 1
2 1 Super 8 Par. $21,250,000 -40.1% 3,408 +29 $6,235 $72,781,000 $50 2
3 N Mr. Popper’s Penguins Fox $18,200,000 – 3,339 – $5,451 $18,200,000 $55 1
4 2 X-Men: First Class Fox $11,500,000 -52.3% 3,375 -317 $3,407 $119,925,000 $160 3
5 3 The Hangover Part II WB $9,635,000 -45.5% 3,460 -215 $2,785 $232,674,000 $80 4
6 4 Kung Fu Panda 2 P/DW $8,700,000 -47.4% 3,469 -460 $2,508 $143,343,000 $150 4
7 6 Bridesmaids Uni. $7,487,000 -25.6% 2,573 -349 $2,910 $136,840,000 $32.5 6
8 5 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides BV $6,236,000 -43.0% 2,742 -691 $2,274 $220,337,000 $250 5
9 8 Midnight in Paris SPC $5,237,000 -10.2% 1,038 +94 $5,045 $21,799,000 $30 5
10 7 Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer Rela. $2,241,000 -63.1% 2,524 – $888 $11,167,000 $20 2

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

Super 8~ It’s like E.T. but with a Mean Alien?

Spring is almost upon us and that means the start of the summer movie season! Yes, that doesn’t make much sense, but “summer” more or less begins as early as April 29th in Hollywood. That’s when Universal releases what will likely be its first hit of the year with the stupid but entertaining Fast Five sequel. After that, there are tons of sequels (Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers), animated toons (Cars 2) and action packed comic book pics (Thor, The Green Lantern) headed your way. Of those, I’m most excited about the final Harry Potter film and the latest in the X- Men series, X -Men: First Class. Now, there is one new original sci-fi film that has peaked my interest as well, Super 8. It’s a mysterious movie produced by Steven Spielberg and written and directed by J.J. Abrams starring Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights). Not much is known about the film, but if you look at the trailer, it seems like it could be an E.T. update except with a mean angry alien. Regardless, it looks pretty awesome. For more on the film, head to the Super 8 website here and check out the movie in theatres on June 10th.

Super 8 trailer