Friday Box Office Analysis
By Tim Briody
December 10, 2011
New Year's Eve
Despite starring approximately 93 different actors, New Year's Eve earned only $5.1 million on Friday. This is pretty far off from the $14.5 million its spiritual predecessor Valentine's Day started with in February 2010, though that did have the advantage of opening over Valentine's Day weekend (it was Sunday that year, giving Valentine's Day a rather insane 3.86 multiplier) rather than three weeks away like New Year's is. It's not a complete flop, the Garry Marshall film is attempting to position itself as the date movie of the Christmas season, when box office is at its strongest. Still, you would have expected a stronger start. New Year's Eve should have a weekend of $14.8 million.
The Sitter
Jonah Hill's The Sitter opens with $3.7 million, ending the year of the R-rated comedy with a thud. This one was badly reviewed, didn't look interesting and marketed to the wrong audience. Unlike New Year's Eve, it's got no chance at being a factor once the end of the year box office money train arrives. It will come in with a weekend of about $10 million but disappear quickly from here.
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Projected Estimates for the Top Ten (Three-Day)
|
Projected
Rank |
Film |
Estimated Gross |
|
1
|
New Year's Eve
|
15.3
|
|
2
|
The Sitter
|
10.1
|
|
3
|
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1
|
7.2
|
|
4
|
The Muppets
|
6.9
|
|
5
|
Hugo
|
6.1
|
|
6
|
Arthur Christmas
|
6.1
|
|
7
|
The Descendants
|
4.3
|
|
8
|
Happy Feet Two
|
3.3
|
|
9
|
Jack and Jill
|
3.0
|
|
10
|
Immortals
|
2.2
|
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