Weekend Wrap-Up
Green Lantern tries to light up the weekend
By John Hamann
June 19, 2011
Fourth spot this weekend is X-Men: First Class, and the 20th Century Fox production is in freefall. After opening to a decent but unexciting $55 million, First Class fell to $24 million last weekend, dropping 56%. I was expecting some levelling off this weekend, but Green Lantern has crunched the X-Men. This weekend, X-Men: First Class earned $11.5 million, and dropped 52%. The result for the 87% fresh film leaves me wondering about scheduling. Would X-Men: First Class have worked better had it been released over the first weekend in August against Rise of the Planet Apes (which looks insane)? Given what had gone on before First Class (X-Men: Last Stand and Wolverine) the studio needed this one to have some open space to work in for a proper reboot, and not go up against Green Lantern in weekend three. X-Men: First Class did cross the $100 million mark this week, and brought its domestic total up to $119.9 million, but with a $160 million budget it needed to do better. Once again, the theme of the summer is thank goodness for overseas revenue, as First Class has at least picked up $135 million from those markets.
The Hangover Part II is fifth, and has a weekend much like its last. The comedy sequel took in $9.6 million and dropped 45% - not bad for weekend four of a film that opened to $86 million. The $80 million film has now earned $232.7 million stateside, and another $220 million overseas. How's that for profit?
Kung Fu Panda 2 drops to sixth this weekend. The Jack Black voiced sequel earned $8.7 million in its fourth weekend and dropped 47%. After a frame last weekend where things were looking slightly up with a 30% dip, Panda got Poppered this weekend and plunged (I had to). Panda 2 has now taken in $143.3 million stateside and $225 million overseas, against a Panda-sized budget of $150 million.
Bridesmaids continues to show its box office legs as it falls from $10 million last weekend to $7.5 million this weekend. That gives the leggy comedy a 26% drop in its sixth weekend, and has seen drops of 20%, 21%, 27%, 16%, and now 26%. The female Hangover is having a truly remarkable run, as its domestic gross now sits at $136.8 million. It's going to top out with about $160 million against a $32 million budget and earn more than six times its opening weekend.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides finishes eighth this weekend, as it is almost done. On Stranger Tides earned $6.2 million and dropped 43%. Its domestic gross – currently at $220.3 million - is not going to reach than of its production budget ($250 million), but that's not where the story is. On Stranger Tides has earned north of $700 million overseas, and is approaching the $1 billion mark worldwide.
Midnight in Paris finishes ninth, as Woody Allen's latest is becoming the most successful of his career. Midnight in Paris expanded to 1,038 venues this weekend (up from 944 last weekend) and sees the first drop of its platform five weekend run. Paris earned $5.2 million and dropped a small 10% compared to last weekend. It is now Woody's third biggest film in the last 10 years, and is already only a few million behind films like Match Point ($23.2 million domestic) and Vicky Christina Barcelona ($23.2 million domestic). Midnight in Paris has earned $21.8 million domestically, and another $18 million overseas.
Judy Moody and the Not So Bummer Summer is tenth this weekend. It earned $2.2 million and dropped 63%. The $20 million film has earned $11.2 million.
Overall this weekend, unless Green Lantern had opened to $100 million, the box office never had a chance versus last year. A year ago, we got to enjoy Toy Story 3 as it debuted on top with over $100 million, which led the top 12 to a powerful $191.5 million. This year, the top 12 produced $145.4 million worth of business, on par with the year before last. Next weekend bring Cars 2, a Pixar product I care little about, and Bad Teacher with Cameron Diaz.
| 1 |
Green Lantern |
Warner Bros. Pictures |
$52,685,000 |
New |
$52,685,000 |
| 2 |
Super 8 |
Paramount |
$21,250,000 |
- 40.1% |
$72,781,000 |
| 3 |
Mr. Popper's Penguins |
Twentieth Century Fox |
$18,200,000 |
New |
$18,200,000 |
| 4 |
X-Men: First Class |
Twentieth Century Fox |
$11,500,000 |
- 52.3% |
$119,924,562 |
| 5 |
The Hangover: Part II |
Warner Bros. |
$9,635,000 |
- 45.5% |
$232,674,000 |
| 6 |
Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom |
DreamWorks |
$8,700,000 |
- 47.4% |
$143,343,000 |
| 7 |
Bridesmaids |
Universal |
$7,487,430 |
- 25.6% |
$136,840,420 |
| 8 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides |
WALT DISNEY |
$6,236,000 |
New |
$220,337,000 |
| 9 |
Midnight in Paris |
Sony Pictures Classics |
$5,237,400 |
- 10.2% |
$21,799,214 |
| 10 |
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer |
Relativity Media |
$2,241,000 |
- 63.1% |
$11,166,842 |
| 11 |
Thor |
Marvel Studios |
$1,145,000 |
- 53.0% |
$176,111,000 |
| 12 |
The Tree of Life |
FOX SEARCHLIGHT |
$1,115,000 |
New |
$3,851,432 |
| |
Also Opening/Notables |
| |
The Art of Getting By |
Fox Searchlight |
$700,000 |
New |
$700,000 |
| |
Buck |
IFC Films |
$65,000 |
New |
$65,000 |
| |
Jig |
Screen Media |
$65,000 |
New |
$65,000 |
| |
Page One |
Magnolia |
$30,000 |
New |
$30,000 |
| |
The Trip |
IFC Films |
$175,000 |
+124.6% |
$290,000 |
| |
Beginners |
Focus Features |
$354,698 |
+ 45.9% |
$908,874 |
| |
Fast Five |
|
$856,275 |
- 50.4% |
$206,800,995 |
|
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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