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You're both probably not that far off.
In all seriousness, there has been a push (most notably by Steven Spielberg) during the last eight years or so for studios to measure box office success by the number of theater admissions sold. For obvious reasons the studios are very much against doing that.
And Terry, my comment was not aimed at you in any way. Just want to make sure you knew that. Just how fast these numbers arrive. But I'm assuming, like you do, that they are pretty accurate. It's really kind of amazing and not that surprising if theaters are linked and when you buy a ticket it registers. 
I've always been interested in box office numbers....often interesting to see how a certain film either finds an audience or not & how it's marketed and when it's released etc...all play HUGE roles. Knight & Day anyone? And we can name a zillion others like it.
Fun stuff but nervous times if you're a studio. Some films are going to make it regardless but you never really know.
It's all good Tim.
I've been a box office geek since the early '80s and I can't believe how huge opening weekends have become in terms of public opinion on any respective movie. A bad opening didn't always equate to a flop back in the day, but now your movie is essentially dead in the court of public opinion if it has a disappointing opening. Even if said film legs out a decent gross, it will always be perceived as a flop. Before the mid-90s, movies really had a chance to grow over weeks of release.
Anyone else find it funny that Eric Roberts finally starred in a movie that beat his sister Julia's movie at the box office opening week?
So true Terry. If it's reported that said film didn't meet "someone's" expectations, then all of sudden it's done. Then becomes an internet fact that it's done. :-)
It's all good Tim.
I've been a box office geek since the early '80s and I can't believe how huge opening weekends have become in terms of public opinion on any respective movie. A bad opening didn't always equate to a flop back in the day, but now your movie is essentially dead in the court of public opinion if it has a disappointing opening. Even if said film legs out a decent gross, it will always be perceived as a flop. Before the mid-90s, movies really had a chance to grow over weeks of release.
Quote:
So true Terry. If it's reported that said film didn't meet "someone's" expectations, then all of sudden it's done. Then becomes an internet fact that it's done. :-)
I don't think this is really the case, in most of these instances you'll find the common denominator of a film that received poor critical reception.
Quality of a film still trumps profits, despite what the studio executives believe. If a well loved flick squeaks out nice profits over time, it's the little engine that could. If it's a messy turd like Iron Man 2, no one gives a crap (ha) if it makes 300mil.
Incidentally, Scott Pilgrim's limited opening weekend might be a godsend at cementing its cred as a cult favorite. I adored the film, but you definitely have to be saturated in the pop culture references to fully appreciate it. Kirk Honeycutt's tough review in the Hollywood Reporter, especially his scathing note that "...this is all so juvenile. Nothing makes any real sense. The 'duels' change their rules on a whim, and no one takes the games very seriously, including the exes, who, when defeated, explode into coins the winner may collect." That he misses the central metaphor of the movie, that any new relationship involves confronting one another's baggage, is a failing of his review. That none of it makes any real sense to him is a result of him not fitting the target age group and, more importantly, not fitting the right cultural profile. If you're older than Generation X, you're probably going to share Honeycutt's poor opinion of the film. If you didn't spend at least some of the last couple decades playing video games and navigating an underbaked local music scene, you're much more likely to share Honeycutt's poor opinion of the film. I spent most of high school and college with these sorts of freaks, hipsters and geeks so the movie zeroed in on me like a laser beam. There's still a market for narrowly focused filmmaking on the relative cheap. If Universal ends up regretting anything, it's that they budgeted as much as $90 million for a film that's never going to have mass appeal. But I think it'll do alright in theaters and then have a long and profitable life on home video.
I suppose ageism may play a part in Scott Pilgrim's reception but as someone in their 50s I loved the film. The pace and quick scene jumps did not bother me in the least. Once the movie established its rhythm for me they became something to look forward and fun. The movie is full of pop culture references which I feel some of the YOUNGER ie Forbidden Planet - movie goers will miss. So there ya go.
Scott Pilgrims is a movie for all ages. It is a movie for the young at heart.
Yeah, I definitely didn't want to draw a strict age line for the movie. What I meant was that over a certain age, you're less likely to have been immersed in the pop culture that the film is constructed from. There are plenty of baby-boomers (and older) who will "get it". Likewise, there are plenty of younger people with other interests who won't "get it" because there's no nostalgia or familiarity for them.
If the trailer looked good to you, you'll probably enjoy the flick. If the trailer looked inexplicable, the movie's probably going to be inexplicable too.
Weekend Estimates
#1 "The Expendables" $35.0 million
#2 "Eat Pray Love" $23.7 million
#3 "The Other Guys" $18.0 million ($70.5 million) -49%
#4 "Inception" $11.4 million ($248.6 million) -39%
#5 "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" $10.5 million
#6 "Despicable Me" $6.8 million ($222.0 million) -27%
#7 "Step Up 3D" $6.6 million ($29.6 million) -58%
#8 "Salt" $6.4 million ($103.6 million) -42%
#9 "Dinner for Schmucks" $6.3 million ($58.8 million) -39%
#10 "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" $4.1 million ($35.1 million) -41%
#11 "Toy Story 3" $2.2 million ($400.8 million) -31%
#12 "Charlie St. Cloud" $2.1 million ($28.7 million) -56%
Moviegoers spent $133 million on the top 12 films at the box office this weekend, giving August its second best second-weekend haul (behind 2001's massive $148.5 million take), as well as the fifth best overall top 12 finish the month has ever enjoyed. Business was up 8% compared to year-ago levels, on top of being 21% stronger than this frame in '08. 2010's year-to-date haul now stands at a whopping $7.148 billion, remaining 4% stronger than last year ($6.868 billion), up 11% compared to both '08 ($6.439 billion) and '07 ($6.443 billion), and a 19% improvement over '06 ($6.027 billion). 2010 has now passed the $1 billion-to-$7 billion marks in record time for the year, this despite the fact that overall ticket sales (899.1 million vs. the 915.7 million '09 had sold to this point) remain down from last year.
LGF's "The Expendables" gave almost everyone involved (save for Jet Li, Eric Roberts, and Mickey Rourke) the biggest opening weekend haul of their respective careers. The movie earned an impressive per-theater average of $10,713 from its 3,270 locations. With a solid B+ grade from CinemaScore, the studio is already talking about doing a sequel to their $70 million action opus. Even if the movie has short legs here in the states, don't be too surprised if the movie does very well overseas.
Sony's "Eat Pray Love" also got off to a good start, giving star Julia Roberts the best opening she's had as the solo headlining attraction since her Oscar-winning turn in "Erin Brockovich" in 2000. For her career, Roberts has appeared in 11 films that have earned north of the $100 million plateau, which ranks as the most for a female headliner (one ahead of Cameron Diaz). The studio is hoping that despite the "just okay" B grade from CinemaScore that the movie will leg its way to giving Roberts her twelfth $100 million performer. Regardless of where the movie ends up, the studio should recoup their $60 million budget costs. The movie earned sturdy $7,690 average from its 3,082 locations.
Sony's "The Other Guys" was off by 49% and has so far tallied $70.5 million. The movie looks headed for a final haul north of the century mark, which would be the fifth such hit for both stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, as well as the third for director Adam McKay (all three for films he's teamed with Ferrell).
WB's "Inception" continues to roll as it was off by only 39% this weekend. The movie has so far earned nearly $249 million and will pass the quarter of a billion mark sometime during this week. Overseas, the movie passed the triple-century mark.
Universal's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" got a somewhat lukewarm reception from moviegoers this weekend as it was managed $10.5 million, earning a soft $3,735 average from its 2,818 theaters. While the exit polling yielded a very strong A- grade (the strongest of the new releases), add to that very solid reviews, the $60 million production looks headed for "cult hit" status.
Outside of the top five, the most significant occurrence was "Toy Story 3" becoming the most successful animated film in history. The movie has now earned a staggering $940.1 million worldwide, easily besting the $919.8 million haul of "Shrek 2". TS3's nearly $401 million domestic haul still ranks behind the $441.2 million tally of "Shrek 2", but overall proved to be the bigger hit globally. TS3 is now the eleventh film in history to pass the $400 million mark domestically at the box office.
Next weekend will see five new releases hit theaters. Fox's parody "Vampire's Suck" (opening on Wednesday), Universal's "Nanny McPhee Returns", Weinstein/Dimension's "Piranha 3D", WB's "Lottery Ticket", and Miramax's "The Switch" will all enter the marketplace. Who will top the charts? Your guess is as good as mine.
Overseas box office report...
Inception’s $35m haul meant it still had too much in the tank for the competition although Toy Story 3 continued to bring joy to Disney chiefs as it became the company’s biggest animation release overseas.
Christopher Nolan’s dark sci-fi tale Inception soared past $300m as it took a further $34.6m through Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) and nearly 4.3m admissions from 7,300 screens in 59 markets to boost the tally to $314m.
In its second weekend in Spain it held at number one after a 35% drop to $2.9m from 498 for $10.5m. There were several other notable number one holds coming from Germany in the third weekend on $3m for $22.5m, and Australia on $2.8m for $24.3m after four.
Despite a packed schedule of new releases in Brazil that saw debuts for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and The Expendables, Inception finished second on $1.5m from 290 for $4.4m after a 26% slide. It ranked fourth in the UK and added $1.7m in its fifth weekend for $44.7m, and ranked fourth on $2.4m in Japan for $30.8m after four.
In other fourth weekend holds, the film took $2.9m in South Korea for second place and has grossed $26.4m, while $3.3m in France was good enough for second place and raised the tally to $26.1m. Russia has generated $19.3m and Mexico $6.7m.
WBPI’s Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore earned a further $7.8m and 1.1m admissions from approximately 4,000 screens in 29 territories to reach $22.3m. The family film launched second in Mexico on $1.2m from 712 screens and opened in Germany on $1.1m from 241 including previews.
It also opened top in Colombia and Peru on $480,000 from 150 and $429,000 from 22, respectively. Cats And Dogs 2 added $801,000 from 493 in the UK its second weekend for $5.2m and $646,000 from 460 in its second weekend in France for $2.3m.
•The remarkable run by Toy Story 3 showed little signs of abating as the film added $22.7m from 7,773 theatres in 50 territories for the weekend for $539.3m. Studded into this result was the biggest animated debut in Thailand on $1.1m.
Toy Story 3 overtook Finding Nemo’s $528.2m mark and now ranks comfortably as the second biggest animated release in history behind Ice Age 3’s seemingly unassailable $688.7m through Fox International. Toy Story 3 is Disney’s number one animated release overseas and the company’s fourth biggest worldwide release. It is the biggest worldwide animated release in history and the ninth biggest global release in history.
It is now the twentieth biggest film released in the international marketplace and will overtake The Da Vinci Code on Monday [16] to rank nineteenth. The global tally stands at $940.1m including $400.8m in North America.
Toy Story 3 has been a juggernaut in its biggest market of Japan and edged closer to $100m at the weekend. It stayed top for the sixth consecutive weekend during the Obon holiday on $6.1m (¥522m) from 513 theatres for $95.8m (¥8.3bn). It ranks behind Monsters, Inc (¥9.4bn) and Finding Nemo (¥11bn) as the third biggest US animation in the territory.
The Disney/Pixar creation became the biggest animated release and the top release of a Disney biggest production in the UK as $5.1m from 675 in the fourth weekend boosted the running total to $91.5m. It currently ranks as the seventh biggest release ever in the UK.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice added $15m from 3,225 theatres in 41 territories for $72.5m and was buoyed by launches in the UK, Brazil, French-speaking Europe, Japan and Panama.
The family adventure opened top in France on $4.7m from 435 and arrived in Japan on $3.4m from 354. The UK generated $2m from 475 while Brazil delivered $1.2m from 225. The film will open in Italy next weekend and has reached a global haul of $132m.
•Universal/Summit International’s Step Up 3D grossed $13.2m from 2,452 sites in 20 territories for $32m. Approximately $9.5m of this came from Summit International’s overseas partners. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse added $3.1m from 3,262 screens in 57 markets to stand at $380.6m.
•Paramount/PPI’s The Last Airbender grossed $9.2m from 3,338 venues in 32 territories for $69m. It opened in seven markets led by the UK on $2.6m from 761, and launched top in Argentina on $817,000 from 112 and top in Portugal on $486,000 from 59.
Shrek Forever After grossed $6m from 4,460 locations in 57 territories for $440.5m. How To Train Your Dragon held strongly in its second weekend in Japan as $1.3m from 296 venues raised the tally to $5.7m. The 3-D animation has amassed $270.5m internationally.
•Universal/UPI’s Despicable Me grossed $7.5m from 1,725 sites in 25 markets to stand at $56.2m. The film opened top in Venezuela on $550,000 from 65 in the second biggest Universal debut behind The Mummy 3.
It stayed top in Brazil on $2.8m from 360 for $7.1m after two weekends and is already the biggest Universal release of the year in that market. Despicable Me stayed top in Mexico for the third consecutive weekend on $2.2m from 490 for $14.4m. More than 30 territories are scheduled to open over the next few months.
Step Up 3-D grossed $3.7m from 833 sites in Universal’s three markets of the UK, Australia and New Zealand, raising the early running total to $13.7m. The film added $1.5m in the UK from 550 for $7.6m after two weekends and should overtake the $8.3m lifetime gross of the first Step Up film this week. It added $2m in Australia from 230 for $5.5m after two.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World debuted in two markets day-and-date with North America, grossing $1m from 217 sites. It opened in fourth place in Australia on $900,000 from 177 and took $130,000 from 40 in New Zealand for third place.
The Expendables opened in approximately 20 international territories through Nu Image’s international partners. Universal handled Spain as part of its distribution deal with Wide Pictures and reported a second place launch on $1.7m from 344.
Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang opened in South Korea on $660,000 from 163 and the international total stands at $62.6m. German family comedy Hanni Und Nanni, which Universal is distributing through an agreement with UFA, has grossed $5.6m, while Get Him To The Greek has amassed $22.5m.
•Fox International’s The A-Team launched in Germany on $3.2m and added $1.1m in the UK for $12.8m. The action film grossed $5.4m over the weekend for $82.9m.
Knight And Day added $6.2m for $139.3m overall and took $2.3m in the second weekend in the UK for $7.5m. In France a further $1.6m saw the tally climb to $10.5m.
Marmaduke opened top in Italy on $1.2m and grossed $2.1m over the weekend for $32m, while Predators added $1.4m for $61.7m.
Terry,
Knight & Day has done better abroad? I loved it. I really did. What's the take on why it didn't do better here?
Tom Cruise has always proven to be one of the most consistent box office draws overseas, but the bad press he's received here in the states over the last four years is said to be a contributing factor as to why his last couple of films didn't reach the $100 million domestic mark. Still, both "Valkyrie" ($83.1 million domestic/$200.3 million worldwide) and "Knight & Day" ($75.0 million/$214.3 million) were solid performers at the box office.
While Cruise has unfairly taken the lion's share of the heat over K&D under-performing, I think the blame can partly be put on a poor marketing campaign. Cruise being put into the category of box office "risk" helps the studios in that the star will have to lower his usual $20-$25 million asking price. If Cruise is to star in Paramount's "Mission: Impossible IV", he'll probably have to take a bit less than he's used to just to make the suits happy in terms of keeping the budget under control.
Hollywood is very much a "what have you done for me lately" town and the fact that Cruise has headlined only two outright box office failures since 1992 ("Lions for Lambs" and "Magnolia") is of little consequence to most studio heads. What they care about is the fact that the last film he headlined to avoid the "box office disappointment" tag was 2005's "War of the Worlds" ($234.3 million domestically/$591.7 million worldwide), i.e. after his so called "meltdown".
As far as the studios are concerned, only five big screen performers are "worth" $20 million or more per movie. Those chosen five are Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, and Will Smith because of how they are all consistent here and abroad in terms of their box office muscle.
Thanks Terry. Kind of what I figured. I'm a tad biased on Tom Cruise. One of the few...very few actors (Denzel Washington being the other) that I seem to somehow identify with just about every role they play. No surprise they are my 2 favorite actors so I guess I tend to be more forgiving. But they just usually nail their parts and make it work. For me at least.
I enjoyed Knight & Day quite a bit, too. But what do I know, I still think Mel Gibson's pretty great in everything he shows up in on-screen.
Tim, I think Cruise is a vastly underrated actor and I've liked him in pretty much everything I've seen him in. In all honesty I could care less about the whole scientology thing. "Knight & Day" was a really fun movie and I'm glad its doing well overseas.
Adam, while I do think that Mr. Gibson could use some anger management classes, the guy never mails it in in terms of both his performances and his directing. While he got all of his accolades for "Braveheart", "Apocalypto" absolutely blew me away. Great movie.
Gibson being dumped by his agency was a serious blow, as was Leonardo DiCaprio opting not to star in the viking film that Gibson plans on directing also hurt. Of the two actors, I think Cruise will have an easier road back in the good graces of studio suits. Gibson has very much of an uphill climb in that regard.
I think The Switch has a good chance at success. While some critics slammed it for being too conventional of a romantic comedy, the audience I was in loved it and I did too. It's about the polar opposite of Aniston's The Break-Up, taking obviously imperfect people and showcasing them at their best. Jason Bateman is stellar in the movie, in a surprisingly complex role, and all the scenes with the young boy soften the edges of his character. This is the only recent romantic comedy I can think of off the top of my head told completely from the man's point of view. I could certainly relate to his character. But female audiences will love it, if they give it a chance. If it sinks in theaters, it'll do great on home video.
EDIT: I'm reading now that there is some resistance from the feminist community, equating the drunken sperm swap as somehow equivalent to rape. Those with strong feelings about reproductive rights may have a problem with the film's core concept. The scene where it occurs is played off as a joke, but the consequences of the swap are handled as seriously as the formula will allow for. If the politics are set aside, the movie works.
Doesn't look too good for The Switch.
From Boxoffice Guru:
Expendables $4.95M FRI/$16M wknd; EatPrayLove $3.7M/$12M; OtherGuys $3M/$10M; TheSwitch $2.7M/$7M.
Do actresses get paid based on how much tabloid junk they're involved in? It seems Aniston can't sell anything other than mags yet she continues to get a good paycheck. I know M&M was a hit but that's probably due to the dog and not really Aniston.
Perhaps people just decided to stay home this weekend. I went to see PIRANHA on Friday and only five people were there but the other movies were pretty much empty as well.
I saw The Expendables on Friday morning and I was the only person in the theater.
Friday estimates from Deadline.com. Looks like a pretty sad weekend at the box office for all concerned:
1. The Expendables(Lionsgate) Week 2 [3,270 Runs]
Friday $4.9M (-63%), Estimated Weekend $15M, Estimated Cume $63M
2. Vampires Suck (Fox) NEW [3,233 Runs]
Friday $4.4M, Estimated Weekend $12M, Estimated Cume $18.2M.
3. Lottery Ticket (Warner Bros) NEW [1,973 Runs]
Friday $3.8M, Estimated Weekend $11M
4. Eat Pray Love (Sony) Week 2 [3,082 Runs]
Friday $3.7M (-56%), Estimated Weekend $11.5M, Estimated Cume $43.5M
5. Piranha 3D (Dimension/Weinstein Co) NEW [2,470 Runs]
Friday $3.6M, Estimated Weekend $10M
6. The Other Guys (Sony) Week 3 [3,472 Runs]
Friday $3M (-46%), Estimated Weekend $9.6M, Estimated Cume $87.6M
7. The Switch (Miramax) NEW [2,012 Runs]
Friday $2.7M, Estimated Weekend $8M
8. Nanny McPhee Returns (Working Title/Universal) NEW [2,784 Runs]
Friday $2.6M, Estimated Weekend $8.5M
9. Inception (Warner Bros) Week 6 [2,401 Runs]
Friday $2.1M (-36%), Estimated Weekend $7M, Estimated Cume $261.2M
10. Scott Pilgrim vs The World (Universal) Week 2 [2,820 Runs]
Friday $1.6M (-64%), Estimated Weekend $4.6M, Estimated Cume $20.3M
Weekend Estimates
#1 "The Expendables" $16.5 million ($64.9 million) -53%
#2 "Vampires Suck" $12.2 million ($18.6 million)
#3 "Eat Pray Love" $12.0 million ($47.1 million) -48%
#4 "Lottery Ticket" $11.1 million
#5 "The Other Guys" $10.1 million ($88.2 million) -42%
#6 "Piranha 3D" $10.0 million
#7 "Nanny McPhee Returns" $8.3 million
#8 "The Switch" $8.1 million
#9 "Inception" $7.7 million ($261.8 million) -32%
#10 "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" $5.0 million ($20.7 million) -53%
#11 "Despicable Me" $4.3 million ($230.7 million) -38%
#12 "Dinner for Schmucks" $3.5 million ($65.8 million) -44%
It was a pretty ho-hum weekend as the top 12 films earned close to $109 million. The only new release that really made a dent with moviegoers was "Lottery Ticket", which had the best per-theater average of the top 12 ($5,639 from a modest 1,973 locations). "Vampires Suck" got off to an okay start as it has tallied more than $18 million since its Wednesday release, but only had a paltry $3,774 average from its 3,233 theaters. "Piranha 3D", "Nanny McPhee Returns", and "The Switch" all drew lukewarm receptions from moviegoers.
"The Expendables" repeated as the nation's top grossing flick as it was off by 53%. With just under $65 million in the bank thus far, a final tally in the neighborhood of $90-$100 million is now expected. A sequel is pretty much a lock now. "Eat Pray Love" lost 48% of its audience from last week and looks headed for a final tally in the area of $65-$75 million. "The Other Guys" has now pulled in $88 million so far, assuring a final haul north of the century mark. "Inception" continues to show very strong legs as it had the best hold of the top 12. WB execs are now expecting a final domestic mark of between $290-$300 million.
Great reviews and solid word of mouth couldn't stop 'Scott Pilgrim' from suffering a steep 53% hit, while a pair of films featuring Steve Carrell round out the top 12. Both "Despicable Me" and "Dinner for Schmucks" will add two more hits to Carrell's growing resume.
Next weekend will see the releases of LGF's "The Last Exorcism", Sony's "Takers", and Fox's special edition release of "Avatar".
Overseas box office report...
Inception did it again, holding on to the overseas crown as an estimated $21.5m from 6,550 screens in 59 markets propelled the international running total to $357.7m.
Warner Bros Pictures International’s sci-fi thriller held off strong challenges from Paramount/PPI’s The Last Airbender and Sony’s Salt. In its fifth weekend it added $2.5m in France for third place and a $31.6m running total, $1.7m in Japan for sixth on $35.3m, and $1.7m in South Korea for third on $29.1m.
In the sixth weekend Inception added $1.7m in the UK for fifth on $46.8m. Australia stands at $26.7m after five, Germany $26.5m after four, and Spain $14.4m after two.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore grossed $7.5m from more than 4,600 screens in 42 markets for $35m. It launched in Japan on $800,000 from 385 and in Spain on $763,000 from 341.
The Last Airbender produced the biggest weekend yet as $19.5m through Paramount/PPI from 4,261 sites in 43 territories boosted the M Night Shyamalan fantasy adventure to $94m.
The film opened in first place in South Korea on $6.3m from 415 and debuted top in Germany on $4.1m, Brazil on $2.7m and the Netherlands on $1m.
The Last Airbender grossed $900,000 in the UK in its second weekend to take the total to $5.2m and added $525,000 in France for $10.2m and $520,000 in Spain for $8.2m.
Shrek Forever After grossed $11m from 4,663 venues in 58 international markets to bring the running total to $455.5m. Most of the weekend’s business was projected to come from the opening in China, where initial estimates suggest it will gross $8.1m from 923 locations. Shrek Forever Afteropens this coming weekend in Greece and Italy.
In its third weekend in Japan, How To Train Your Dragon grossed $407,000 from 297 for $7.7m. The overseas total stands at $272.6m.
Sony Pictures Releasing International’s spy thriller Salt soared past $100m thanks to a $17.8m weekend haul on 4375 screens in 61 markets. The running total stands at $106.4m.
The distributor did not provide major territory updates. Salt opened top in five markets including New Zealand ($455,000 from 75), Portugal and Vietnam.
The Karate Kid added $10.7m from 33,030 in 39 for $124.7m. It opened in France on $3.8m from 530 and took $2.1m from 484 in its first weekend in Russia. Japan added $1.6m from the second weekend for $8.4m while the UK generated $600,000 for $17.6m after four weekends.
Grown Ups grossed $4.8m from 2,150 in 42 for $69.2m and added $1.7m in Germany for $13.8m after three.
Toy Story 3 is nearing the $600m mark another strong weekend brought in $12m through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (WDSMPI) from 6,925 screens in 49 territories for $580.6m.
Two amazing performances continued to deliver results. The animation grossed $3.1m in the UK from 680 for $99m, positioning it as the fifth biggest release in history after falling to number two for the first time in five weeks. Japan generated a further $2.6m from 586 for $106.6m (¥9.3bn) and Toy Story 3 ranks as the second biggest Western animation behind Monsters, Inc on ¥9.5bn.
The film is the 15th biggest international release of all time and the seventh globally on $984.3m.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice added $10.2m from 3,212 for $91.4m. The family adventure opened top in Italy on $3.4m.
Step Up 3-D added $11.1m from 2467 sites through Universal/UPI and Summit International over the weekend to boost the running total to $53.2m after three weekends. It grossed $5.1m from 1,000 sites in Universal’s five markets for a $21.9m UPI tally.
The dance film debuted in France in third place on $2.3m from 290 and added $800,000 in the UK from 399 for $10.5m. The Australian total has reached $7.5m. Including Summit International territories, Step Up 3-D grossed for the weekend.
Universal/UPI’s Despicable Meadded $5.3m from 1,735 sites in 25 territories for $65.2m. It was expected to open first in Poland on $350,000 from 99 despite very hot weather and held on to first place in Mexico for the fourth consecutive weekend on $1.6m from 482. A further $1.8m in Brazil from 280 raised the tally to $9.6m and Despicable Me is Universal’s highest grossing film of the year there so far.
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World stands at $2.5m from early days and opened in Russia on $450,000 from 302. UK and Iceland will be our next releases (Aug. 27).
In Spain, The Expendables added $700,000 from 341 in the second weekend for $3.7m. In South Korea, Nanny McPhee And The Big Bang stands at $1.1m while the international total is $62.9m. Get Him To The Greek has amassed $22.7m.
Fox International’s The A-Team opened second in Japan on $2.2m and added $5.5m overall for $90.8m. Knight And Day brought in $3.6m for $147.5m and has grossed 412.2m in the UK.
Marmaduke took a further $3.8m for $36.7m and opened in four markets including the UK on $1.8m. Predators opened top in Mexico on $1m and added $1.9m overall for $64.5m, while Vampires Suck took $756,000 from a handful of markets day-and-date with North America.
---from Screen Daily
Hi Terry
What's the tracking and boxoffice expectations on the re-release of AVATAR?
I've yet to see any tracking data on the "Avatar" SE, but Fox is expecting to see very healthy returns considering that the movie was still doing very solid business in 3D theaters before losing the bulk of them to "Alice in Wonderland", "How to Train Your Dragon", and "Clash of the Titans". The studio's best case scenario is that this reissue pushes the film's global gross past the $3 billion mark, it has so far earned $2.740 billion worldwide.
As things stand with the film's (re)opening next weekend, predictions are all over the place, ranging in the $5 to $15 million range. Fox has yet to release any tracking data, which isn't that surprising. Regardless of what the movie ultimately brings in, it is already the biggest hit in history and this release will do little more than pad the already impressive stats.
Through all of this, Cameron is still working out a deal with the studio for the two sequels. Both sides hope to have a deal done by the end of the year.
"Avatar" is currently the 14th biggest ticket seller of all time, selling an estimated 95.9 million admissions, sandwiching Cameron's flick between "Ben-Hur" (98.0 million) and "Return of the Jedi" (94.1 million).
You know, if Avatar SE actually can bring in about $16 million-$18 million, it might actually open at number 1 for the weekend, as the only other movie with some emsemble male star power opening this weekend is "Takers". Not sure if "The Last Exorcism" will scare up a lot of box office business, but I could be wrong.
Not sure if "The Last Exorcism" will scare up a lot of box office business, but I could be wrong.
Exorcism films usually do pretty well. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" opened with $30 million in 2005.
BURBANK, Calif. – August 27, 2010 – Two weeks after becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time, Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3 will cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office today, joining Alice in Wonderland as the second $1 billion film this year from The Walt Disney Studios – the first studio in history to accomplish this feat. Disney first crossed the $1 billion threshold with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in 2006. Toy Story 3 becomes the only animated film to reach this milestone and the seventh title in industry history.
“It’s been an incredible year as we saw the Pixar team bring Buzz and Woody back to the big screen and watched Tim Burton’s vision for Alice in Wonderland take the world by storm,” said Rich Ross, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios. “These box office triumphs prove that creative storytelling brought to life by imaginative, inspired and talented professionals is something audiences respond to the world over.”
As of Thursday (8/26/10), Toy Story 3 tallied more than $592.9 million internationally, Disney’s largest international animated release. Latin American audiences have contributed $138 million making Toy Story 3 the highest grossing Disney film ever released in the region. Toy Story 3 is the most successful UK release in Disney history and currently stands as the fourth biggest title in territory history with $102.4 million in box office receipts so far. In Japan, the film has taken in $111.2 million and spent five consecutive weeks as the #1 movie. Toy Story 3 currently ranks as the #7 film in global box office history and domestically ranks #9 with $404.6 million in receipts to date.
Alice in Wonderland began setting records during its opening weekend (March 5-7), becoming the biggest March opening in industry history, the highest 3D opening ever and The Walt Disney Studios’ biggest opening for a non-sequel film. Internationally, the film went on to tally more than $690 million, becoming Disney’s biggest overseas release of all time and the fourth biggest title ever released overseas. Worldwide, the film took in $1.0243 billion, ranking it as the #5 film in global box office history.
Terry...is it pretty much assumed that the Expendables will cross the $100 million threshold? If so, what do you think this will do for Stallone's career?
I was extremely disappointed when I went to my usual movie theater to catch a first showing of Avatar SE when they canceled it as they did not receive the film in time. James Cameron will not be happy to hear about this. I am not happy!
