Image Credit: Andrew Schwartz
Wait! Don’t pop the champagne just yet.
As has been the case over so many frames this fall, audiences largely ignored this weekend’s two new wide releases. New Year’s Eve and The Sitter both opened to ho-hum results. In fact, the Top 20 movies at the North American box office grossed just $73.2 million — the worst total of the entire year.
New Year’s Eve led the box office with $13.7 million in its first three days. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Andrew Schwartz
Could someone fix the box office, please?
For the umpteenth time this fall, new releases are turning in utterly uninspiring box office results, and this weekend’s Top 12 could finish just behind Labor Day weekend’s as the second-lowest-grossing group of 2011.
New Year’s Eve led the sorry crop with $5.1 million on Friday. Despite half of Hollywood starring in the film and an extra-wide 3,505-theater count, New Year’s Eve looks like it’s only headed to an opening weekend of about $14-15 million.
The Sitter, meanwhile, grossed $3.7 million on its first day, which should give the Jonah Hill comedy about $10 million for the weekend. Given low expectations and a $25 million budget, that almost seems like a major victory.
In third, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 grossed $2.5 million on its way to a likely $7.8 million weekend. The Muppets, in fourth, pulled in $1.7 million, but thanks to a family-fueled bump at weekend matinees, it may finish close behind Twilight with about $7 million. Hugo rounded out the Top 5 with $1.6 million. It may earn $6.5 million by Sunday.
In limited release, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is outperforming Young Adult. Though the Gary Oldman spy film is in just four theaters, it earned almost exactly what Charlize Theron’s dark comedy grossed in twice as many venues: $90,000. Both look to finish in the $250-300,000 range.
Check back tomorrow for the full box office report.
Image Credit: Andrew Schwartz
You may not have a sprig of mistletoe nailed above your door just yet, but New Year’s Eve is entering theaters this weekend in advance of the annual holiday, and it’s set to take over the box office as well. Jonah Hill’s latest comedy, The Sitter, is also getting a wide release, while buzzy Oscar hopefuls Young Adult and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are getting limited releases in 8 and 4 theaters, respectively. Here’s how I think the Top 5 movies will perform at the box office this weekend. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com
Oscar-winning actor William Hurt is in talks to join Andrew Niccol’s film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s sci-fi novel The Host, according to a source close to the production. Hurt would play the pivotal role of Jeb, eccentric uncle to Saoirse Ronan’s Melanie Stryder, whose brain is hijacked by the soul of an alien being known as Wanderer. Jeb is one of the grizzled leaders of the human survivalists fighting the alien invasion.
Max Irons will portray Jared Howe, and Jake Abel has been cast as Ian, the two men who help form a complicated Meyer-esque love triangle with Melanie.
Read more:
Max Irons to play Jared in ‘The Host’
Saoirse Ronan cast in film of Stephanie Meyer’s ‘The Host’
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper
For the first time, a Twilight movie has ruled the box office for three weeks in a row. During what was one of the slowest weekends of the year, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 held on to first, dropping 60 percent for $16.9 million, according to studio estimates.
That’s a smaller decline than what The Twilight Saga: New Moon experienced during the same weekend two years ago — it fell 64 percent. Nevertheless, Breaking Dawn — Part 1 is still trailing the past two Twilight movies. The fourth entry in the romantic supernatural series has so far grossed a stellar $247.3 million in 17 days. By comparison, New Moon had earned $255.4 million by this point, while The Twilight Saga: Eclipse had collected $255.8 million. This will ultimately be a moot point when Breaking Dawn — Part 2 comes out next November and likely destroys all of the franchise’s records. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper
There’s just no stopping those Twihards. What was supposed to be a close race between The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 and The Muppets instead looks to be a comfortable victory for the vampire-human love story.
According to early estimates, Breaking Dawn — Part 1 grossed $5.5 million on Friday — a drop of 67 percent from last Friday. That may sound like a steep decline, and it is, but keep in mind that the weekend following the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is typically one of the slowest box-office frames of the year. Also, Breaking Dawn held up slightly better than The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which plummeted 71 percent on the same Friday in 2009. (Both movies were released on the same November weekend, making them especially appropriate to compare.) Breaking Dawn should finish the weekend with about $16 million. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper
Better clear your plate for some leftovers. The weekend following Thanksgiving typically sees few, if any, new releases. There are two reasons for this. First, if a studio opened a film this weekend, it’d likely be kicked off screens by Christmas due to an avalanche of December releases. And, second, if a studio has a movie that’s strong enough to withstand the December competition, why not release it a week earlier and take advantage of the holiday weekend?
So here we are with no new wide releases opening. The biggest question will be whether The Muppets can knock Twilight: Breaking Dawn off its box-office mantle. Here’s how I think the top five will finish: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper
Summit Entertainment announced Tuesday that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 has so far grossed $508 million worldwide, reaching the $500 million milestone in a mere 12 days. (The record holder, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2, crossed $500 million in six days.)
While Summit wouldn’t reveal how many days it took New Moon and Eclipse to pass the same mark, we do know that all three movies hit $500 million sometime in between their second and third weekends. New Moon ultimately wound up with a worldwide tally of $709.8 million, while Eclipse finished its run with $698.5 million. (The original Twilight settled for “only” $392.6 million.) It appears likely that Breaking Dawn — Part 1 will also finish with a worldwide figure of around $700 million.
Domestically, however, Breaking Dawn — Part 1 is performing a tad below its two most recent predecessors. The fourth entry in the romantic supernatural series has so far drained $223.4 million domestically in 11 days. By comparison, New Moon had collected $233.3 million during the same span of time, while Eclipse had earned $227 million. But even if Breaking Dawn — Part 1 ultimately falls a bit short of New Moon and Eclipse domestically, the film’s beefy numbers overseas should make up the difference.
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper
As expected, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 led the box office once again over the extended Thanksgiving frame, but Disney’s The Muppets reboot more than held its own in second place. Meanwhile, newcomers Arthur Christmas and Hugo started modestly, and The Descendants, My Week with Marilyn, and The Artist all impressed in limited release. Here’s how the box office played out over the holiday weekend: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper
UPDATE: Box office report: ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn’ and ‘The Muppets’ lead Thanksgiving holiday weekend
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 topped the box office on Black Friday with a whopping $16.9 million, which puts the vampire romance on track for a $40 million three-day weekend, and a $65 million five-day frame.
After eight days, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 has grossed $196.2 million (it will pass $200 million tonight), and it’s holding a bit better in its second weekend than its predecessor, Eclipse, did in 2010. READ FULL STORY »
