After all the anticipation and hubbub, the weekend is coming to an end and the box office results are here: Watchmen (No. 1) grossed $55.7 million during its first frame, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers.
That’s a solid sum, to be sure, although it’s certainly on the low end of most projections. Watchmen premiered in more theaters (3,611) than any other R-rated movie in history, and it averaged an impressive $15,413 per venue, despite a potentially problematic long running time. It also scored the biggest debut of 2009 so far. Nonetheless, the movie’s $55.7 mil take (including $5.5 mil from 124 IMAX screens) is substantially smaller than the $70.9 mil that 300, the last R-rated graphic-novel movie from director Zack Snyder, earned on its opening weekend two years ago. And aside from that theater-count statistic (which almost any film could break at any time, really), there will be no major records to report on this weekend (for example, Watchmen‘s debut was just the fifth-best opening ever for an R-rated movie).
I’d argue, in fact, that this opening is a bit soft, considering the great expectations that came with Snyder’s adaptation of Alan Moore’s landmark comic book — not to mention Watchmen‘s hefty grosses from screenings at midnight on Friday and throughout its first day. After attracting some major initial interest, banking $25.1 mil on Friday, the film’s audience dropped off dramatically during the weekend: It grossed $19 mil on Saturday and is expected to bring in just $11.5 mil on Sunday. These are all big numbers, don’t get me wrong, but, when combined with the fact that the film got a lukewarm CinemaScore grade of B from an audience that was largely comprised of older men, it all points to a rapid downward trend that may be difficult to reverse in the weeks to come.
Elsewhere — yes, there were other movies playing at the multiplex this weekend! — a number of films continued to do what Watchmen must now aspire to, perhaps in vain: They stayed strong deep into their long runs. Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (No. 2) grossed $8.8 mil on its third weekend; the film, Perry’s biggest yet at the box office, has banked $76.5 mil to date. Taken (No. 3) also moved along like the unstoppable force it has been for more than a month now, earning $7.5 mil and bringing its six-week sum to $118 mil. Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire (No. 4) was next with $6.9 mil, which boosted its domestic haul to $125.4 mil. And Paul Blart: Mall Cop (No. 5) took its eight-week total to $133.6 mil thanks to another $4.2 mil gross.
Meanwhile, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (No. 9) completely fell off the map, dropping a staggering 78 percent to gross just $2.8 mil. According to Box Office Mojo, that’s the 15th biggest second-weekend decline of all time.
Overall, the cumulative box office was up nearly 8 percent over the same frame a year ago, when 10,000 B.C. opened big, making this the fifth consecutive "up" weekend at the multiplex. So, all in all, I’d say today’s was a good report, indeed.
More Box Office News:
‘Watchmen’ earns $25.1 mil at the box office on Friday
‘Watchmen’ grosses $4.6 mil at midnight shows
Box Office Preview: ‘Watchmen’ will be No. 1, but how much will it make?
‘Madea’ tops ‘Jonas Brothers’ for a second box office win
‘Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail’ wins big at the box office
‘Friday the 13th’ slashes records
EW.com’s Box Office Chart
addCredit(“Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics”)
Geez, I know it was a little below expectations, but this article makes it seem like it was an absolute failure with nothing good worth noting. I haven’t seen it yet. I’ll be going next weekend. Not everyone who wants to see it has gone!
Yeah, it sounds like EW is spinning it a bit negative. You have a three-hour, R-rated movie that asks difficult questions and asks audiences to think (something American Audiences don’t always like) and has characters that are deeply flawed. I’m surprised to see this movie open at all, let alone garner more than $15 million on an opening weekend. There will be a big drop–this movie is going to be divisive–but I think the movie will ultimately be regarded as a classic by many, especially once Snyder’s director’s cut is released on DVD.
The majority of the time this website remarks how “disappointing” a film debuted. Cheer up Debbie Downer.
And Taken was underestimated again. I’m surprised at how it has been so solid after all these weeks. Very impressive.
Well the problem is if it significantly drops its second week, along with its below expectations first weekend, it will have real problems recouping its 150 million dollar budget.
Watchmen’s disappointing gross proves the idiocy of the American public. You have to be of a certain intelligence to get it, and too many people in America just aren’t up to that level.
Didn’t you know? According to EW, Watchmen was supposed to make 100 million in it’s opening weekend or it’s a catastrophic failure, even though it’s not a summer release and never mind that it’s rated R so the kiddies can’t flock to it. That and the fact that the economy is in the toilet and millions of people are unemployed. Entertainment Weekly thinks people need to spend 10 bucks a person on a movie ticket (never mind the cost of popcorn and soft drinks) instead of putting food on the table.
Don’t try to sound too high and mighty there “Dwight.” The movie just wasn’t that great. The story telling was flawed and didn’t provide for the audience to become emotionally invested in it or the characters. After hour two, I was just praying for it to end already.
Can’t we all just be happy about the Jonas Brothers movie bombing?
Way too much for hype for a movie that blows its load in the opening credits. That old Nixon makeup was so bad you just have to laugh.
And didn’t they hear the only complaints about the Dark Knight which was the terribly forced Bale-Bat-Voice?
And they still use the EXACT same voice for narrator Rorshach? Weak
As far as Superhero flicks go, I’d put Watchmen on par with the Hulk movies. Trust me, skip it and watch Dark Knight or Iron Man again.
Great novel. Horrible movie.
I agree with the person who said the best part of the movie was the opening credits…Liked the graphic novel but the movie was too long, the story telling was fractured and the ending was so horrible, and it kinda just made you wonder why you spent the last 3 hours of your life watching the movie…
Well– not the $75m as predicted on these pages earlier. I think a PG-13 rating would have drawn the larger crowds.
It can’t touch TDK!
Um, I don’t know why they don’t take into account that right now with the economy expendable cash is on the lowside, so even kid movies-which can cost a family of four about a $50 night out-are unattainable and NOT in the budget for some. Others are now working two jobs, or the 9-5ers are having weekend, weeknight jobs. So what’s frustrating is that movie budgets go up, movie star salaries go up, prices are at $11 which is insane, and the only people left footing the bill is the public, for which this a luxury and maybe also oen where they have to decidee between groceries for a week or seeing Jonas Brothers.