Image Credit: Dale Robinette
It may have opened in second place, but for the past 21 days, The Help has been the number one film at the U.S. box office.
In that time, ten new releases have opened in theaters, and none of them, not even for one day, have been able to outgross the Kathryn Stockett adaptation. That is a testament not only to the strong word-of-mouth The Help has been enjoying (it received an “A+” CinemaScore grade), but also to audience’s general disinterest in the majority of August’s poorly-reviewed offerings.
Over the four-day Labor Day frame (for you people debating in the comments, four-day means Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday), The Help grossed an estimated $19 million, lifting its total to $123.6 million. The weekend victory makes The Help the first film since Inception to top the chart for three straight weekends, though, to be clear, The Help is earning nowhere near the numbers Inception did. Sure, a $123.4 million running total is strong, but Inception had earned more than that in nine days, and it finished with $292.6 million—basically, there have been much bigger numbers at the box office. What makes The Help‘s run so impressive is the fact that it opened with “just” $26 million. Most films only gross about three times their opening weekend during their entire theatrical run. For example, Thor opened with $65.7 million and it finished with a $181 million total. That’s a 2.75 multiplier (multiplier = total / opening). The Help looks like it will finish somewhere in the neighborhood of $160 million, which would give it an impressive 6+ multiplier.
In second place, Focus Features’ The Debt earned $12.2 million ($9.7 million over the three-day weekend), giving it a $14.1 million total since its Wednesday release. The spy thriller, which stars Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington, earned lower numbers than Shark Night 3D and Apollo 18 on Friday, but thanks to an older audience (95 percent were 25 or older, and 59 percent were at least 50) that didn’t feel the need to rush out to the theater on opening night, The Debt easily climbed past the other two new releases over the rest of the weekend. Audiences gave the well-reviewed film an alright “B” CinemaScore grade. Thanks to its low theater count of 1,826 locations, The Debt turned out a sturdy $6,671 per theater average, which is particularly impressive given the direct competition from The Help.
Apollo 18 may have blasted off all the way to the moon, but it could only rocket its way into third place this weekend. The “found footage” flick, made by Weinstein/Dimension for about $5 million, earned $10.7 million over the four-day weekend ($8.7 million over three days). With a wretched “D” CinemaScore grade from audiences and a weak $3,215 per theater average, Apollo 18 is not likely to stick around at the box office for long, but thanks to its low negative costs, it won’t create a financial crater for the studio.
Shark Night 3D swam into fourth place with $10.3 million ($8.4 million over three days). The picture was produced for about $25 million by Incentive Filmed Entertainment and Sierra / Affinity, but it is being distributed domestically by Relativity Media. Last year, the similarly themed Piranha 3D chomped up $10.1 million over three days, and that earned just $25 million overall. Shark Night could barely beat that debut with an extra weekend day, and it will likely finish with about $20 million. Audiences gave the film a weak “C” CinemaScore grade, as many viewers were frustrated that Shark Night 3D was made to look like an over-the-top B-movie, yet it carried a gore-less PG-13 rating. According to the distributor, 57 percent of the audience was under the age of 25, while a huge 56 percent of the audience was Hispanic.
Notably, 86 percent of Shark Night‘s opening weekend gross came from 3D screens (approximately 2500 out of its 2,806 theaters showed the film in 3D), marking another mixed result for the format. On the one hand, an 86 percent 3D ratio is strong, and when coupled with Final Destination 5, which earned 76 percent of its opening weekend gross from 3D, these performances prove that there is still an appetite for the illusion in the horror genre. Still, we must consider two things. First off, Shark Night did not perform especially well this weekend, and Final Destination 5 opened with $18 million, a figure way below 2009′s The Final Destination, which started with $27.4 million—these are far from major victories for 3D. Second, how much of Shark Night‘s 86 percent ratio had to do with actual audience appetite for 3D versus simple availability issues? After all, 89 percent of Shark Night‘s theaters were showing the film in 3D, yet the film couldn’t achieve that ratio in its earnings.
August’s biggest box office star, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, clung onto fifth place with $10.3 million ($7.8 million over three days), giving the film $162.5 total after five weekends. In sixth, Zoe Saldana feature Colombiana found $9.4 million over the Friday-to-Monday period, pushing the film a slightly better-than expected $24 million after ten days.
1. The Help – $19.0 mil ($123.4 mil total)
2. The Debt – $12.2 mil ($14.1 mil)
3. Apollo 18 – $10.7 mil ($10.7 mil)
4. Shark Night 3D – $10.3 mil ($10.3 mil)
5. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $10.3 mil ($162.5 mil)
6. Colombiana – $9.4 mil ($24.0 mil)
7. Our Idiot Brother – $7.0 mil ($17.3 mil)
8. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D – $6.6 mil ($31.0 mil)
9. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – $6.1 mil ($17.6 mil)
10. The Smurfs – $5.6 mil ($133.6 mil)
Follow Grady on Twitter: @BoxOfficeJunkie
The Help deserves 3 weeks in a row!
In today’s divided political climate I think that the one thing we can all agree on is that if Topher Grace had been in The Help it would not have earned even 1 dollar at the Box Office. He’s the absolute worst and should be executed.
versus what really happened at the box office.
If Topher had appeared in The Help in blackface, I think that might have brought people in to see it.
What does Eric Foreman have to do with “The Help”?
prbably one of Topher’s ex- boyfriends trying to stir up some trouble!
Kind of creepy how you bring up an actor who had nothing to do with THE HELP.
Someone needs to warn Mr. Grace about you. You probably need to be put on a police Watch List.
Red Foreman is not gonna be happy about this.
Oh, he’s not the black hole, my friend. That title goes to Ryan Reynolds. No one wants to see this guy in movies.
Talking about executing an actor is not funny, I am sure actress Rebecca Shafer’s family would not laugh, if you were going for humor you failed miserably, and if you are serious you need to be put away, EW needs to remove your comments right away!
America celebrates crap.
yes we do!…God Bless America and F U LOL u Commie pig!…go back to Cuba!
It just saddens me that my fellow Americans keep on rewarding mediocrity, or in the case of The Help, absolute garbage. I so want to praise my countrymen, but with the exception of Fast Five, they just haven’t earned it. People, you are better than this, you can do so much better, you proved it last May when you made the brilliant Fast Five number one. I’m pulling for you, I know it’s in you, just look within yourselves.
so let me get this straight a thought provoking adult themed film about race relations is crap to you, and a slick piece of Trash about driving fast is high art and brilliant,,,you just suumed up what is wrong with people that think like you, dangerous and a little racist!
“a thought provoking adult themed film”
See, that’s really describes Fast Five, yes, it has action, but it has so much more, it’s a work of art that can be appreciated on many levels. Unlike the drek that is The Help, tv movie level junk that masquerades as something more than it is, a sad and pathetic yarn that should be on Lifetime, and frankly, that’s even more than it deserves. Fast Five is a work of art, as a critic for EW said about it, a “pitch perfect” film.
ok other then driving fast and making money as a mindless sequel what thoughts do “Fast Five” provoke?, and your lying about EW’s review, they never called it “Pitch Perfect” they called it “Slick Trash”…show me where they called it “Pitch Perfect”?…come on give me one frikkin adult theme “Fast Five” has u Troll!
I was not referring to the original review, but a later article on the site. I refuse to spell anything out for you, you can’t see the adult themes and philosphical undertones that are readily apparent in even a cursory viewing of Fast Five, breaking it down into “see spot run” levels for you probably won’t help.
lol..I am sure you have brown eyes because you are so full of CRAP…there was no later article and there are no adult themes in that slick piece of trash!
I assure you there is a later article, it was about being underwhelmed by most of the summer blockbusters, except for Fast Five, which the critic praised as “pitch perfect.” I suggest you watch Fast Five again, perhaps your mind was preoccupied with something else the first time, but if you are of at least reasonable intelligence, the adult themes and deeper philosophy should be wash over you. If you get it, it will be a trascendent experience for you. If not, at least you will get to see the best film of this century again, always a treat.
LOL I know your comments are mean’t to be toungue in cheek and most people don’t get it, but why don’t you pick another bad movie to go on and on about, may I suggest “Shark Night 3d” the “Fast Five” thing is getting a bit old and not as funny
LMAO, LOL thinks his/her opinions actually matter!
Speaking truth doesn’t always make you popular.
hey LOL, I’ve been trying to figure something in my head, and maybe you can help me out, yeah? When a person is insane, as you clearly are, do you know that you’re insane? Maybe you’re just sitting around, reading “Guns and Ammo”, masturbating in your own feces, do you just stop and go, “Wow! It is amazing how f—ing crazy I really am!”? Yeah. Do you guys do that?
Yes, we realize that we are insane. No, we do not roll around in our own feces. Yes, some of us are insane trolls.
And finaly… Yes, I do realize that the 12 foot tall rabbit that tells me to hurt people is not real…. but… he’s just so darn cute I can’t bring myself to tell him no.
They truly do. The movie says less about race relations than the Flintstones. Bad all around and a guarantee that we’ll get more of the same. I blame Sandra Bullock, because of the dreck that was the Blindside.
wow these articles get a lot of the same trolls, there is the Topher Grace bashing troll, the “America Loves Crap” troll, and The “Warrior is going to win every Oscar” troll, don’t these people have lives?..well the “Warrior” troll is probably sponsered by Lionsgate..well in response “Contagin” will probably be #1 next weekend not in a million years will “Warrior” win a major academy award, America likes a mix of crap and noteworhy films, and Topher Grace is harmless if not just a little bland and is not worthy of so much hatred..lol
Next week…blah, blah, blah…Warrior…blah, blah, blah…will be #1….(insert Lions Gate sponsored fanboy hype here)…lots of Oscars…blah, blah, blah.
OK, There is the obligatory promotion hyperbole that hs been cluttering up these board. Time to move on.
I just got back from a sneak preview. It’s got Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Tom Hardy) nominations in the bag. I hope there’s room for Joel Edgerton and Gavin O’Connor as well. Best film I’ve seen all year.
Haven’t see very many movies this year, huh?
How in the world is Hardy supporting? The most likely Best Supporting Actor nomination from the film is Nick Nolte.
triguous loves crap.
Wow! Movies made for people other than 14 year old boys are #1 and #2 at the box office. Wonders never cease!
Hey! I would NEVER see “Shark Night 3-D” or “Apollo 18″. Those films look like crap. I’ll check out RotPotA in DVD only because of the strong reviews, along with the Help. The Debt is R-rated, so I won’t be seeing that. “Colombiana” aka “Zoë Saldana wants her own movie” looks awful, so I’ll skip that. I’m looking forward to “Moneyball” only because it’s written by “The Social Network” writer Aaron Sorkin. So please don’t categorize me with the idiots my age that like “Transformers”.
My penis just lies there, flaccid and unresponsive. Why must you mock me, my dear pocket pal? Wont you go genitalia into that good night? Might I beg pardon for a side of butter topping?
I’m glad to see Help and Debt come in first and second. Next week even though I’m more looking forward to Warrior i’m thinking Contagion will win the Box Office.
Emma Stone is so overexposed right now.
I don’t know. She looks fully covered up in the picture above.
I obviously meant she is all over the place…it is annoying. I liked her in Easy A but she acts the same way in every movie.
Amy, don’t be jealous.
Her character in Easy A is definitely very similar to that of the one in The Help. It’s crazy! -_-
She got panned for her acting in the Help. So clearly she is not very good. She should stick to doing romantic comedies like Easy A and Crazy Stupid Love…she can act the same way every time and people will love it.
You’re overexposed. I love Emma Stone. I want to marry her and make beautiful babies.
I never heard she got panned for her acting. Her character Skeeter, Bryce’s Hilly, Jessica ‘s Cilea and then Viloa Davis as Aiboleen and Octavia Spencer as Minnie were the highlights. OH and of course Sissy Spacek and Alison Janey and their hilarious one-liners.
Alyssa, you listed all the performances in the film and yet in a movie about ‘the help’ you listed the performances by ‘the help’ as an after thought. “and then Viloa Davis as Aiboleen and Octavia Spencer as Minnie” Kinda sad, imo.
Most actors are not acting. They are chosen because of their personality (with the exception of Tom Hanks). Look at Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Robert Downey Jr., …
@puzzlr-can you read properly??? I said ” Viloa Davis as Aiboleen and Octavia Spencer as Minnie were the highlights” . Highlights means they were the best part.
Stop making up stories that didn’t happen. Makes you look stupid. I didn’t diss anyone in my previous post, ya moron
And Jim Carrey didn’t help
Amy – don’t be a troll and stay in school.
Love,
Emma
first time i ever saw a movie with her
I agree. And she has no acting range at all. She’s barely a step up from Blake Lively.
Don’t be jealous Amy.
I think this summer has shown that perhaps 25+ year old women is a key demographic to box office success. The two most successful films of the year (in terms of box office stamina and beating expectations) were Bridesmaids and The Help. Both films greatly appealed to women (though not exclusively… men clearly enjoyed both movies on some level too.) Perhaps both flourished this summer because Hollywood is so androcentric and a film geared more towards women was a welcome change… I guess we just have to see what Hollywood does next.
I don’t want to be overly critical, but your comment show some ignorance.
First of all, don’t we go through this every year when a film aimed at women is successful? Didn’t Julie and Julia show that women were a box office draw? Didn’t the first Sex and the City show that they were a draw? There have been examples every year, so I don’t think this is any new revelation.
But more importantly, films are rarely successful by simply appealing to one key demographic. Films that are successful are the ones that transcend demographics and have mass appeal. The Help wasn’t successful because it catered to women and Inception wasn’t successfull because it catered to men, they were both succesful because they were able to draw in all demographics. Hopefully that’s the lesson Hollywood learns. Instead of rehashing ideas simply because a key demographic will blindly watch it, let’s make more films that can be appreciated by audiences from all walks of life.
Adam u make a lot of sense. Think u
The Help and Bridesmaids were definitely the surprise movies of the summer.
So right
So long summer movies,bring on all the crappy fall releases now.
I hope your not being serious!! Summer is crapfest sequels. And fall is oscar contenders!
I wouldn’t be be to sure ” Crapfest” has no time of the years. We had a good summer. I mean lets face it, if all the money made at movies went to the government, we would be riding high. – JUST AN EXPRESSION-DON’T GO BLABBING ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT NOW.
Harry Potter was critically and commercially successful
Cars 2 and Panda 2- both were good and drew in alot of money. On did well with critics the other not so much. But who cares.
The Help and Bridesmaids were surprise hits still going strong.
The Comic Books did awesome except Green Lantern. X-Men, Thor and Cpt. America all were commercial and critical successes.
I dont know…all I can think of right now. Im tired, Past midnight where I live. But I think the biggest crapfest ahead is ” Breaking Dawn” – Part.1 no less. I mean my friend who has read the book said she hated it, and has no desire to see two parts.
Thanks for comparing The Help and Inception. I was wondering how those stacked up against each other. There really was no point in going further than the 3 weekend comparison.
Tired of the weekly bashing by EW of 3D. Not sure why they have to make a negative out of most anything to do with 3D. Perhaps it’s the lousy movies that are coming out in 3D that are the issue and not the innovative 3D technology on offer in cinemas and at home.
3D it’s innovative like the green back. only, green back will be used for years to come, while in 2/3 years 3D will go back to the grave it deserve. 3D sucks money and nothing else.
America loves crap! If only FAST FIVE was re-released into theatres THEN and ONLY then would we have big numbers at the box office. For real…oh..and i like men.
F-k off and die, bot! The rest of us are sick of your s–t.
Lol
The Help is a movie that challenges me to think outside of my box and my feelings. This is not unlike the way that we treat others today. We allow Mexicans to live and work here and yet they are not allowed ciitzenship or a green card for a real job that has benefits and an opportunity to advance. This is still the land of opportunity. We must constantly challenge ourselves to be become better people.
They know the age and race of the people going to movies? Anyone else think we are being spied on?
America LOVES Carp!
Shut your f—ing face, trollbot!
No, I think tilapia is the ‘in’ seafood right now.