Image Credit: Jaimie TruebloodSony has football’s big game all figured out. For the eighth year since 2001, the studio topped Super Bowl weekend, this time with the PG-13 college thriller The Roommate, which debuted to $15.6 million, according to studio estimates. The Single White Female protégé, about a college freshman (Minka Kelly) and her mentally unstable dorm-mate (Leighton Meester), drew a young, female audience: 65 percent was female, and 61 percent was less than 21 years old. With a “B-” rating from CinemaScore moviegoers, though, The Roommate will likely follow in its genre’s footsteps and quickly tumble starting next weekend.
Sanctum, however, better not sink as fast, as the $30 million cave-diving thriller started its expedition with an underwhelming $9.2 million. That figure isn’t as disappointing when you take into account that Universal and Relativity Media paid only $12 million to acquire the film, but when the name James Cameron is linked to a project, one expects more intimidating box-office muscle. Cameron produced the R-rated film, which utilized the same 3-D technology the filmmaker had developed for Avatar. What was expected to be a movie that skewed heavily toward men actually attracted a crowd that was 53 percent female. The audience was on the older side, too, with 65 percent at least 30 years old. But CinemaScore moviegoers gave Sanctum an unpleasant “C+” grade.
In third was the Natalie Portman-Ashton Kutcher romantic comedy No Strings Attached, which fell a slim 37 percent for $8.4 million. The King’s Speech was right behind in fourth place, earning $8.3 million — a 25 percent decline — to bring its cumulative gross to $84.1 million. In fifth, The Green Hornet continued to hold up well for a superhero film, dropping 46 percent for $6.1 million. The Seth Rogen action comedy has so far tallied $87.2 million, and is on pace to become 2011′s first $100 million picture. Last week’s winner, The Rite, will be lucky to reach a third of that. The Anthony Hopkins horror film descended 62 percent this weekend for $5.6 million. Its two-week total stands at $23.7 million.
In limited release, Waiting for Forever may have to do just that to find its audience. The Rachel Bilson-Tom Sturridge romance opened to a paltry $10,200 from three theaters. Check back next week as four new movies — the Roman action film The Eagle, the animated Gnomeo and Juliet, the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy Just Go With It, and the Canadian spectacle Justin Bieber: Never Say Never — battle to the death for your attention.
1. The Roommate — $15.6 mil
2. Sanctum — $9.2 mil
3. No Strings Attached — $8.4 mil
4. The King’s Speech — $8.3 mil
5. The Green Hornet — $6.1 mil
6. The Rite — $5.6 mil
Look at me now, look at me now. I’m getting paper. $$$
Well those are depressing numbers, for the top two. Not bad for the holdovers though.
I’m not up on my French – is “protege” French for “complete theft of an entire storyline?”
It’s inspired by SWF and honestly (dont hate me) I thought it was better than SWF. Lets not forget though, SWF is a rip-off of Fatal Attraction which in itself is a rip-off of some Swedish movie. Its not exactly like SWF was a fountain of originality.
Darrin…story lines are copied all the time. Or do you just call out the movies you dont like?
LOL darrin..I thought the EXACT same thing when I first saw previews of Single Whit…oh I mean The Roommate. And Jeff, it’s one thing to have several different movies about similar things (ie medieval themed movies, or even movies that state they are re-makes) BUT when you have a sly rip off, it’s pretty crappy. That would be like a new movie coming out about “Two gnomes who find a bracelet of power, and they have to take it to the Burning Steppes and cast it into the Cauldron. They form the Brotherhood of the Bracelet. Along the way they’re trailed by a murloc named Gottom, who’s obsessed with the bracelet, and nine bracelet bogeymen. It could be a three-parter, called ‘Ruler of the Bracelet’. The first part would be called ‘The Brotherhood of the Bracelet’, followed by ‘A Couple of Towers’, with the climactic ending called ‘Hey, the King’s Back!” (quote from the Human mmale’s /silly command in World of Warcraft)
Awesome, just awesome. I laugh anytime I hear that when playing
I feel bad for those that will go see the Justine Bieber movie, Adam Sandler’s next lame attempt at comedy, and the sure-to-be atrocity that is Big Momma’s House 3. Seriously, is this the best Hollywood has to offer? Well, I guess those that, for whatever reason, like low-brow entertainment need something to see. I’m glad that I choose to see substantial films like True Grit, Black Swan, The King’s Speech, and The Fighter. Those four are films of genuine value. Hopefully, those that see terribly-written comedies will soon realize that.
I feel bad for those that will go see the Justine Bieber movie, Adam Sandler’s next lame attempt at comedy, and the sure-to-be atrocity that is Big Momma’s House 3. Seriously, is this the best Hollywood has to offer? Well, I guess those that, for whatever reason, like low-brow entertainment need something to see. I’m glad that I choose to see substantial films like True Grit, Black Swan, The King’s Speech, and The Fighter. Those four are films of genuine value.
Well goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood for you.
While all of the movies you trashed don’t look good, it’s straight up comical to read the comments on most of these articles because you’re basically guaranteed to see a ton of people like you name dropping the same movies while trying to pat your own back on your taste in movies, completely oblivious to demographics and/or the fact that people have different tastes then you. Sure, the movies you listed may be better than most of the movies you trashed…but take the Beiber film as an example. Who’s going to see it? Young girls who aren’t exactly lining up to see movies like True Grit.
You really just make yourself out like douche when you say ‘oh, I watch all these movies. There good. Everyone else sucks, every other movie sucks.’
I went to the movies yesterday, and it was packed with college and high school students. Most probably went to see The Roommate, but some actually saw The King’s Speech, like me. Fantastic film, by the way. The Academy might as well give the Oscar to Firth right now.
I’ll wait til Sucker Punch next month nothing to see now.
Roomaate is nothing but a rip-off of Single White Female. The should have marketed this film as a remake!!!!
Thank you!
Get used to more and more garbage such as this. Hollywood thinks as long as they have 3-D, there is no longer any need for story. We will see bad remakes and 3-D garbage.
Sanctum is clearly the long sought after cure for insomnia and easily the worst movie of the past decade. What a debacle! Alert the Razzies folks – we have an early front runner for worst picture, worst screenplay, worst acting (choose single actors and/or the ensemble), worst direction, worst usage of 3D, worst camera work and well, simply worst of the worst.
its february… what do you all expect?
$HUT UP U PROBALY AINT GETTING $HIT
I don’t understand why this is doing so well (other than opening weekends are always inflated). This is just Single White Female again. Save yourself $20.00 and rent the original.
Teens were born after the old “SWF” came out, so what do you expect?
It’s interesting that while a lot of big budget films are underperforming, this has been quite a good season for the awards contenders. “True Grit” passed $150 million, an incredible number for a western and a Coen Bros. film; “Black Swan” and “The King’s Speech” should each pass $100 million soon; “The Fighter” should get to $90 million.
Must not be any good movies out. It made it on top by default.
$15 mil at the no.1 spot isn’t really much of an accomplishment, mostly exemplifies how few people are at the movies this time of year.
Agreed a failure based on the $25 million that most expect for an opening weekend but the film’s budget was only $16 million so making nearly 98% of that the first week out means there will be a sequel.