Image Credit: Glen WilsonNot a raucous rock star, a talking dog, a mutant creation nor Ashton Kutcher could save the box office this weekend. For despite their valiant efforts, Get Him to the Greek, Killers, Marmaduke and Splice had nothing on a green ogre this soft weekend at the movies. Greek got the closest to knocking Shrek off the perch he has held now for three weekends but even the Russell Brand, Jonah Hill-starring comedy came in some $8 million beneath Dreamworks Animation’s final installment of the high-grossing animated franchise. As for holdovers Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia, both films fell north of 50 percent from their opening weekend, with SATC 2 dropping off close to 60 percent for the frame. Here’s hoping that next weekend’s 80s reboot of The Karate Kid and The A-Team can do something to improve this dismal summer season.
Shrek Forever After grossed $25.3 million this frame, down 42 percent since Memorial Day weekend. The film has now earned $183 million but that pales in comparison to its past two predecessors. If the film can’t cross the original Shrek’s $267 million, it will end up being the lowest-grossing movie of the series. Get Him to the Greek earned an estimated $17.4 million in its opening weekend in theaters. From writer/director Nicholas Stoller, the R-rated comedy from Universal Pictures generated a per-theater average of $6,460 and a B from exit pollster Cinemascore. The film, budgeted at $40 million, is on track with its predecessor Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which opened to $17.7 million back in April 2008 and should hold up well for a few weeks until the Adam Sandler, Kevin James-starring comedy Grown Ups hits theaters on June 25.
Killers, featuring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher as a married couple, opened to a modest $16.1 million despite dismal reviews. Also receiving a B from Cinemascore, the PG-13 rated comedy from Lionsgate generated a per-theater average of $5,632 for a third place finish at the box office. Persia landed in the fourth spot for the weekend, earning another $13.8 million for a total cume of $59.4 million. Disney’s Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer dropped 54 percent for the frame, not a terrible fall-off considering its Sunday was elevated last weekend due to the Memorial Day holiday. Sex and the City 2 fell 59 percent for the weekend, earning $12.6 million for a total gross of $73.4 million. It’s unlikely the film, which held the fifth spot this weekend, will be able to surpass the original, which grossed $152.6 million two summers ago.
Marmaduke, highlighted by the voice cast of Owen Wilson and George Lopez, earned only $11.3 million for the weekend for a sixth place finish. The film, while ridiculed by critics, scored a decent B+ from Cinemascore, indicating that family audiences enjoyed the film based on the long-running cartoon strip. I’m still perplexed as to why the studio, Twentieth Century Fox, didn’t sell the picture harder. After all, these are the people who turned Alvin and the Chipmunks and Garfield into big successes.
Iron Man 2 earned another $7.8 million its fifth weekend in theaters. Down 53 percent for the frame, the PG-13 rated film starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, is closing in on $300 million with $291 million currently in its coffers. The R-rated Splice headlined by indie darling Sarah Polley and Academy Award-winning Adrian Brody was the lowest performing of the new releases. Earning only $7.4 million for the frame, the film — in spot eight for the weekend — generated a surprisingly poor D grade from Cinemascore. Audiences really didn’t like this film despite critical raves for what was one of Sundance’s hottest movies this past year.
Robin Hood and Letters to Juliet rounded out the top ten this weekend. The Russell Crowe/Ridley Scott re-teaming effort earned another $5.1 million putting its domestic cume at $94.3 million. For such an expensive film, barely grossing $100 million by its fourth weekend in release has got to be a disappointment for its studio. Juliet, starring Amanda Seyfried, lost another 49% of its value. From studio Summit Entertainment, the film has now grossed $43.3 million and will likely wind up being a modest hit. As the whole, the weekend was down some 24 percent compared to last year at this time when The Hangover began its wild ride, opening at almost $45 million. Hopefully next weekend will turn around the box office’s summer blues. Stay tuned…
I’m surprised that Splice got such a terrible Cinemascore when Killers got a B! This just shows, most people prefer stupid movies to movies that make you think a little.
Don’t forget that Marmaduke got a B+
WHAT?! Goodness.
Go figure! Most folks nowadays have zero brain-processing power left – and prefer sh!tty movies over intelligent well-crafted movies. Go see SPLICE! It’s one of the best horror/thriller movies in recent years.
I think it’s the marketing. Splice has all these Big Ideas subtext, but it’s being sold on television trailers as a pretty cookie cutter horror movie. It’s a horror movie for the older set – market as such.
Most people are just stupid, period. 50% of the US reads at or below an 8th grade level. This reflects in everything, including their taste in cinema.
well said Dysthymia83.
a lot of americans are real stupid!
Sometimes calling the general public stupid is giving them far too much credit. Cinemascore proves this week after week.
Well, “smart” movies are unfunny and depressing.
Are you kidding me? Splice was hilarious! As far as “smart” films being unfunny and depressing, you’ve obviously never saw In The Loop, which was the funniest movie from last year.
I think Splice got a bad grade because the advertisements were selling a Species-like monster-on-the-loose type of film, when Splice is nothing like that. If it had been sold as more of a Frankenstein or The Fly type of film, it would’ve delivered on people’s expectations.
Gasp!!! Unfunny and depressing?!!? Oh No!! I’ll just stick to my Transformers DVDs and According to Jim remakes, I wouldnt want to see anything that might actually cause any neurons to fire. Idiocracy creeps a little bit closer every day……
Read The Comments on the Splice EW Review and you ll know why.
Go figure! Most folks nowadays have zero brain-processing power left – and prefer sh!tty movies over intelligent well-crafted movies.
Or they don’t prefer horror…
Splice was great fun! I’d see it again. Sad that others didn’t agree.
What is up with this summer though, seriously? It is certainly feeling like a “been there, done that” weekend, every weekend. And next weekend has not one, but two 80s remakes – I am a little excited for the A-Team, but what have the studios been thinking? Next year is stacked with tent pole films, yet this year could have been owned by any one of those if they had planned better.
This summer is a Sea of Crap.
I know right, the only movies I’m looking forward to are Inception, SALT, Toy Story 3, and The Last Airbender.
“The Last Airbender” looks awful.
I’ve never had so little anticipation for a summer movie season as this year. There’s really nothing to look forward to. That being said, saw and liked SPLICE but would recommend as a rental.
Why no mention of Raajneeti? or Agora?
because they only talk about the top 10 and those are limited releases most people haven’t heard about or had access to
not surprised becuase this years crop of summer movies do NOT excite me!! Toy Story 3 maybe, and splice shouldn’t have got a D cinemascore. Where oh where is the Entertainment?!?!?:(
Two 80s remakes opening next week? Who says Hollywood is running out of ideas?
Altogether now… thank God for Inception.
Seriously. It’s the only movie I’m looking forward to.
Likewise. I saw a poster for “Knight and Day” in the theaters and I was convinced it was the poster for Killers until I eventually figured out that Knight and Day and Killers were two different films. But you would never know it…because there is NO creativity in Hollywood anymore.
“Sex” is headed for Red Box kiosks within a month. JK, 59% drop shows that hopefully there is no #3 and they can retire the characters.
Also, Katherine Hiegels film career is looking downward. She will be back on TV in a cable series in a few years. And will back pedal, saying ‘Cable TV has better roles for women’.
Agree with you about Katherine Heigl. I can’t stand her anymore.
I’m so tired of her complaining how there are only dumb, girly and sexist roles for actresses, but then she goes ahead and does Killers and The Ugly Truth. Just close you mouth, Katherine.
Don’t forget the gem that was ’27 Dresses’.
Dreamworks can’t complain about Shrek’s overall total so far. It started of weak, but it has made up some ground after a weak opening. It’s starting to become like “How to Train Your Dragon.” Also, being #1 three weeks in a row is very good.
I would attribute Shrek being #1 3 weeks in a row to a lack of competition, not due to good word of mouth. There are no good movies out there.
How to Train your Dragon, however, was not as well known as the Shrek franchise and was able to hold up due to it actually being a good movie and strong word of mouth.
Erin’s right. It’s not that Shrek’s doing that well. It’s that there’s pretty much nothing else out worth seeing.
D for Splice??? Really?? I mean it didnt look like my cup of tea but to me people would love this movie!!! and the only movie I have watched with Katrherine Heigl was The Ugly Truth and that was pretty funny!!!
How did Marmaduke get a B+ and Splice get a D???
This America, man.
Splice was bad cuz of bad advertising. They made it look like another Horror movie when it really wasnt. I Didt like this movie either cuz of that.
As disappointing as this summer movie season has been so far, I don’t think Dreamworks will be mad at Shrek for having raked in $183 million. True, it will be the lowest grossing of the series, but it looks to be a top 5 summer hit. Only Toy Story 3, Eclipse, Inception and Iron Man 2 will make more. But if you want to talk disappointment just look at Prince of Persia..a $200 million dollar budget and it will be lucky to hit $100 million. Ouch!
While Persia may have dissapointed in the states, it has amassed 156 million overseas as of this weekend, bringing it’s worldwide total to 217 million, and will probably end up with 350 million, which is very solid.
Prince of Persia Staring a Whiteguy? = Fail! Nuff said
Unlikely that SATC 2 will surpass the original? It’s unlikely to cross $100 mil, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to match the original at this point.
It probably will. To me, it is following same trajectory as “Valentine’s Day”, which corssed $100 million ($110 mil. actually).
Here’s a math problem for Hollywood . . . Record high ticket prices + mediocre product + video rentals being cheaper than ever = bad box office returns.
Look at the bright side: Toy Story 3 and Inception will be out before long.
Those are the ONLY two movies this summer that I actually want to see. I am not even interested in netflixing the other films this summer.
you know, i wouldn’t mind seeing some of these films, but at nine dollars a pop, there is just no way. not when i can see it for a buck in 4 months. thats why the box office is so down.
Writer Nicole Sperling says she hopes next week’s crop of retreads can help jumpstart this dismal summer season. Don’t count on it. In a summer of retreads, why would two more retreads excite audiences any more than the crap Hollywood has fed us so far? This could very well be the first summer in my life that I don’t set foot in a movie theater. And I love movies!
No real reason to go. This might be The Most Boring Summer ever.
The most boring “Box Office” Summer that is. Theres still Clubbing and Beaches
It’s most disturbing that Splice got a “D” from audiences. I think they were expecting something else. I’m sure it will have a healthy life and get the respect it deserves when it comes out on video. It is by far the best film I’ve seen this year and reminds me of District 9.