Weekend Wrap-Up
Memorial Day Weekend Disappoints at Box Office
By John Hamann
May 24, 2009
Angels & Demons expectedly takes it on the chin, as the Tom Hanks thriller gets washed out by openers and competing holdovers this weekend. Angels earned $21.4 million this weekend after debuting in the last frame to $46.2 million. It drops 54%, which we could say is actually better than expected. There is more good news for Sony, Columbia and Hanks, as A&D has already surpassed $100 million in overseas grosses, so the $150 million spent on this one may not be such a bad investment (it's this year's Troy). On the domestic front, A&D has earned $81,5 million, and we will get a better understanding of where it's going to finish next weekend.
If any film in the top ten beat expectations, it's Dance Flick, the latest super-stupid parody film from the Wayans boys. Dance Flick earned $11.1 million over its opening frame from 2,450 venues. While not the big grosses seen in the Scary Movie franchise, or even the medium grosses from Wayans flicks like Little Man or White Chicks, it does improve on films like Superhero Movie ($9.5 million opening) and Disaster Movie ($5.8 million opening). The budget for this one came in at a modest $25 million, so this is a good start.
Sixth goes to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as Hugh Jackman and company get pushed to the back of the pack. Wolverine earned $7.8 million in its fourth frame, and has another large drop compared to last weekend at 47%. The good news for Fox is that Wolverine has finally outgrossed its production budget ($150 million) domestically, as it has earned $163.1 million. The even better news is that it has earned a similar amount overseas.
Seventh goes to Ghost of Girlfriends Past, the rom-com that has held on longer than it has any right to. The Matthew McConaughey starrer earned $3.7 million in its fourth weekend, and now has a running total of $45.9 million. Just keep thinking, in a few more weekends, it will be gone.
The lower rungs are filled with non-factors. Eighth is Obsessed, and despite losing 1,031 venues this weekend, the Beyonce thriller still earned $2 million. It was off 56% and now has a running total of $65.9 million against a budget of only $20 million. Ninth is Monsters vs Aliens, which continues to claw its way towards $200 million. MvA earned $1.3 million, was off 58% and has a total so far of $193 million. Tenth is 17 Again with Zac Efron. The Warner Bros. flick grossed $1 million and was off 70%. It has a total of $60.3 million.
Overall, things are the opposite of where they should be. The top 12 took in a much lower than expected $168.3 million from Friday-to-Sunday, well off of the record of $199 million set in 2007, and just a touch higher (.48%) than the $167.5 million earned over the same weekend last year. At least next weekend looks 'Up", as Disney and Pixar open Up in 3,700+ cinemas. Add to that Sam Raimi's return to horror with Drag Me To Hell, a horror flick that actually looks scary.
| 1 |
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian |
20th Century Fox |
$53,500,000 |
New |
$53,500,000 |
| 2 |
Terminator Salvation |
Warner Bros. |
$43,010,000 |
New |
$56,382,000 |
| 3 |
Star Trek |
Paramount |
$21,951,000 |
- 49.0% |
$183,585,000 |
| 4 |
Angels & Demons |
Sony/Columbia |
$21,090,000 |
- 54.4% |
$81,200,000 |
| 5 |
Dance Flick |
Paramount Pictures |
$11,113,000 |
-47% |
$11,113,000 |
| 6 |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine |
Fox |
$7,800,000 |
New |
$163,053,737 |
| 7 |
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past |
New Line Cinema |
$3,720,000 |
- 44.1% |
$45,858,000 |
| 8 |
Obsessed |
Screen Gems |
$2,000,000 |
- 56.4% |
$65,900,000 |
| 9 |
Monsters vs. Aliens |
DreamWorks |
$1,345,000 |
- 57.7% |
$192,991,000 |
| 10 |
17 Again |
New Line Cinema |
$1,005,000 |
- 70.2% |
$60,314,000 |
| 11 |
The Soloist |
DreamWorks Pictures |
$823,000 |
- 65.7% |
$29,219,000 |
| 12 |
Next Day Air |
Summit Entertainment |
$600,000 |
- 73.3% |
$8,912,102 |
| |
Also Opening/Notables |
| |
The Girlfriend Experience |
Magnolia Pictures |
$165,000 |
New |
$165,000 |
| |
Easy Virtue |
Sony Classics |
$115,989 |
New |
$115,989 |
| |
O'horten |
Sony Classics |
$25,908 |
New |
$25,908 |
| |
The Boys: the Sherman Brothers' Story |
WALT DISNEY |
$13,900 |
New |
$13,900 |
| |
The Brothers Bloom |
Summit Entertainment |
$363,000 |
+301.5% |
$486,388 |
| |
Earth |
Disneynature |
$470,000 |
New |
$30,416,000 |
| |
Fighting |
Rogue Pictures |
$132,825 |
- 88.1% |
$22,653,825 |
| |
Hannah Montana: The Movie |
Walt Disney Pictures |
$439,000 |
- 72.8% |
$76,826,000 |
|
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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