Weekend Wrap-Up
Audiences Flock to District 9
By David Mumpower and Kim Hollis
August 16, 2009
Finishing outside the top 12 is our final opener, Bandslam which featured High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens in one of the lead roles. Despite solid reviews, Bandslam earned only $2.2 million from its 2,121 screens, which gives it a venue average of only $1,061. You'd wonder if distributor Summit Entertainment might not have been expecting more, but it's not like they really gave it a lot of marketing support. So far, Zac Efron is definitely coming out on top in the battle of the High School Musical kids.
Combined box office for the top 12 this week is estimated at $125.4 million. This is up 12.3% from 2008's total of $111.7 million. The aforementioned Tropic Thunder was the anchor film with $25.8 million, so almost the entire difference between 2008 and 2009 is the $11.2 million difference between Tropic Thunder and District 9's opening weekends. Just as was the case this weekend, next weekend sees several new releases as well, three of which are somewhat connected. The biggest is of course Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino's buddy, Robert Rodriguez, also releases another kids' film, Shorts. BOP fave Alexis Bledel, who worked with Rodriguez on Sin City, stars in her second post-Gilmore Girls project, the aptly themed and titled Post Grad. And then there is X-Games 3-D: The Movie, which, to the best of my knowledge, has nothing to do with Bledel, Rodriguez or Tarantino, but you're welcome to Kevin Bacon it all you want to try to connect some dots there.
| 1 |
District 9 |
Screen Gems |
$37,000,000 |
$37,354,308 |
New |
$37,354,308 |
| 2 |
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra |
Paramount Pictures |
$22,500,000 |
$22,324,341 |
- 59.2% |
$98,577,529 |
| 3 |
The Time Traveler's Wife |
New Line Cinema |
$19,205,000 |
$18,623,171 |
New |
$18,623,171 |
| 4 |
Julie & Julia |
Sony/Columbia |
$12,400,000 |
$12,055,918 |
- 39.8% |
$43,340,386 |
| 5 |
G-Force |
Walt Disney Pictures |
$6,908,000 |
$6,915,642 |
- 29.9% |
$99,056,616 |
| 6 |
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
Paramount Vantage |
$5,350,000 |
$5,642,137 |
New |
$5,642,137 |
| 7 |
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
Warner Bros. |
$5,155,000 |
$5,141,072 |
- 42.4% |
$283,879,025 |
| 8 |
The Ugly Truth |
Columbia Pictures (Sony) |
$4,500,000 |
$4,448,232 |
- 34.1% |
$77,450,118 |
| 9 |
Ponyo |
Walt Disney Pictures |
$3,506,000 |
$3,585,852 |
New |
$3,585,852 |
| 10 |
Funny People |
Universal |
$3,023,280 |
$3,010,755 |
- 62.3% |
$47,910,620 |
| 11 |
(500) Days of Summer |
Fox Searchlight |
$3,025,000 |
$2,967,462 |
- 20.6% |
$17,897,509 |
| 12 |
A Perfect Getaway |
MGM |
$2,795,905 |
$2,860,100 |
- 51.9% |
$11,560,335 |
| |
Also Opening/Notables |
| |
Bandslam |
Summit Entertainment |
$2,250,000 |
$2,231,273 |
New |
$2,231,273 |
| |
Kaminey |
Utv |
N/A |
$726,834 |
New |
$726,834 |
| |
It Might Get Loud |
Sony Classics |
$101,078 |
$92,679 |
New |
$92,679 |
| |
Spread |
|
N/A |
$122,948 |
New |
$122,948 |
| |
Grace |
Twentieth Century Fox |
N/A |
$6,174 |
New |
$6,174 |
| |
Cold Souls |
Samuel Goldwyn Pictures |
$71,400 |
$70,626 |
+ 11.6% |
$167,173 |
| |
Adam |
Fox Searchlight |
$214,000 |
$202,172 |
+ 94.1% |
$513,453 |
|
Click here for all weekend data
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Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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