BOX OFFICE REPORT: Cloud Atlas Disappoints, Argo Weathers the Storm

Four new nationwide releases all underperformed this weekend, which allowed Argo to move up to first place in its third outing.

Box Office Report: Parnormal Activity 4 and Alex Cross Fail to Impress

Paranormal Activity 4 took first place at the box office this weekend, though its comparatively underwhelming gross suggests audiences are growing tired of the perennial horror franchise. Alex Cross also missed the mark, though overall box office was still up around 10 percent thanks to impressive holdover business from Argo and Hotel Transylvania.

BOX OFFICE PREVIEW: October 19-21, 2012

This weekend we have 2 new major releases.  First, the fourth installment of a popular horror franchise.  And second, a movie based on a popular series of mystery books written by James Patterson.  Paranormal Activity 4 and Alex Cross.
...AND WE'VE GOT ALL THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THIS WEEKEND.

Box Office Report: Taken 2 Holds Off Argo

Ben Affleck learned not to mess with Liam Neeson this past weekend as Taken 2 held onto the box office title for the second weekend in a row, keeping Argo and several other new releases at bay. The sequel dropped 55% to earn another $22 million, while Argo pulled in approximately $20 mil. Scott Derrickson’s Sinister also had a solid opening for a low budget horror flick with $18 million, although it may drop considerably next weekend going up against Paranormal Activity 4. Hotel Transylvania and Here Comes the Boom rounded out the top 5. Elsewhere, Seven Psychopaths opened in ninth place with a pretty lacklustre $4.2 million, while moviegoers shrugged over Atlas Shrugged: Part II, leaving it with just $1.7 million on over 1000 screens. I guess all the Ayn Rand supporters were too busy campaigning for Mitt Romney?

Updated Monday Numbers

1. Taken 2 — $21.9M
2. Argo — $19.5M
3. Sinister — $18M
4. Hotel Transylvania — $17.2M
5. Here Comes the Boom — $11.8M
6. Pitch Perfect — $9.27M
7. Frankenweenie — $7.05M
8. Looper — $6.2M
9. Seven Psychopaths — $4.17M
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower — $2.15M

 Source: Film Junk

BOX OFFICE PREVIEW: October 12-14, 2012

This weekend we have 4 new major releases; a thriller based on a true story that is directed and starring Ben Affleck, a comedy about a teacher literally fighting to raise money in order to save after school programs for the high school where he works, a crime comedy with an all-star cast, and a supernatural horror film.  Argo, Here Comes The Boom, Seven Psychopaths, and Sinister.
WE'VE GOT ALL THE INFO YOU NEED BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THIS WEEKEND.

BOX OFFICE REPORT: Taken 2 Tops, Frankenweenie Flops

It was a big weekend at the box office for Liam Neeson as Taken 2 had one of the strongest October openings ever. Bad reviews did not seem to have any effect on the sequel as it cruised to a spectacular $50 million debut — more than twice than what the original made in its first weekend. Hotel Transylvania also had a strong second weekend, adding another $27.1 million to its total, while Pitch Perfect jumped to #3 after a nationwide expansion and Rian Johnson’s Looper dropped to #4. Meanwhile, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie earned just $11.4 million, which is even less than ParaNorman made a couple of months ago. Not only does this continue the streak of disappointments for stop motion animated films but it’s also another tough break for Disney who have had a pretty rough year. Will Wreck-It Ralph be their only saving grace next month?


Updated Monday Numbers

1. Taken 2 — $49.5M
2. Hotel Transylvania — $27.1M
3. Pitch Perfect — $14.8M
4. Looper — $12.1M
5. Frankenweenie — $11.4M
6. End of Watch — $4M
7. Trouble with the Curve — $3.83M
8. House at the End of the Street — $3.76M
9. The Master — $1.86M
10. Finding Nemo — $1.62M

Source: Film Junk

BOX OFFICE REPORT: Hotel Transylvania Opens Big

It was a huge weekend for Sony as their animated film Hotel Transylvania had a record-breaking debut. The movie earned approximately $43 million, which makes it the biggest opening in September ever. It still wasn’t quite at the level of movies like Ice Age: Continental Drift, Madagascar 3 or The Lorax, but it was the best debut for a Sony Pictures Animation movie to date and further proof that these CG family films are always a force to be reckoned with. Elsewhere, Rian Johnson’s Looper was pretty solid in second place with $21 million, and although it did not exceed expectations, it is projected to make even more than that in China, believe it or not. Pitch Perfect also opened strong in select theatres and will build on that when it expands next week, but Won’t Back Down bombed big time ending up in 10th place. Not a big surprise considering I haven’t seen a single piece of marketing for this movie. Next weekend Taken 2 and Frankenweenie will make the competition even more fierce.


Updated Monday Numbers

1. Hotel Transylvania — $42.5M
2. Looper — $20.8M
3. End of Watch — $7.81M
4. Trouble with the Curve — $7.27M
5. House at the End of the Street — $7.12M
6. Pitch Perfect — $5.14M
7. Finding Nemo — $4.03M
8. Resident Evil: Retribution — $2.98M
9. The Master — $2.68M
10. Won’t Back Down — $2.6M

Source: Box Office Mojo

BOX OFFICE REPORT: "The Possession" Tops Worst Box Office in Over a Decade

"The Possession" occupied the top spot at a nearly comatose box office.

The fright flick with Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing the parents of a girl possessed by a demon earned $9.5 million in its second outing, the lowest grossing weekend for the box office this year and one of the worst weekends at the box office in a decade. It marked the first time since 2008 that no film managed to crack the $10 million mark.

The weekend after Labor Day is typically the slowest of the year, but this weekend's grosses were down 20 percent over last year when "Contagion" opened in first place with $22.4 million. Total box office revenues are estimated at $67 million, which would make this the worst weekend at the box office since the weekend after 9/11 when revenues were $59.7 million.

"There just wasn't a strong opener," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "We came off a summer that ended with a whimper. There wasn't any momentum. It just comes down to the movies and the marketplace. There's wasn't some extraneous force keeping people out of the theaters. This crop of movies just didn't have that solid draw."

The bootlegging tale "Lawless" starring Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain kept a lock on the No. 2 position in its second weekend with $6 million, bringing its total haul to $23.5 million, while "The Words" featuring Bradley Cooper as an aspiring writer and Zoe Saldana as his girlfriend debuted in third place with $5 million.

A pair of action sequels rounded out the top five films. The ensemble flick "The Expendables 2" earned $4.7 million in its fourth weekend, while "The Bourne Legacy" captured $4 million in its fifth outing at the box office. "Expendables 2" also won $14 million internationally in 23 territories, and "Bourne Legacy" nabbed $13 million in 49 territories.

"2016: Obama's America," a conservative film exploring the roots of President Barack Obama's political views, raised its total to $26 million in its ninth week of release, earning another $3.3 million this weekend. That now makes "2016" the second highest grossing political documentary of all time behind director Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," which holds the top spot with  $119.1 million.

"The Cold Light of Day," the weekend's only other new major release, wasn't able to see the light of the top 10. The drama starring Henry Cavill and Bruce Willis earned just $1.8 million in the No. 13 spot.

Below "The Cold Light of Day," an IMAX re-release of 1981's "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" collected $1.7 million in the No. 14 position. The film starring Harrison Ford as the iconic archaeologist is playing a limited engagement in 267 theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.


Updated Monday Numbers

1. The Possession — $9.32M
2. Lawless — $6.01M
3. The Expendables 2 — $4.95M
4. The Words — $4.75M
5. ParaNorman — $4.2M
6. The Bourne Legacy — $3.97M
7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green — $3.65M
8. The Campaign — $3.38M
9. 2016: Obama’s America — $3.28M
10. The Dark Knight Rises — $3.22M 

Source: TooFab

BOX OFFICE REPORT: 'The Possession' Takes Hold, 'Oogieloves' Bomb Big Time

The Labor Day weekend is not usually all that busy at multiplexes and this year it was no different. That being said, the Sam Raimi-produced horror flick The Possession still managed to drum up a decent debut all things considered, pulling in $17 million and proving that exorcism flicks still have significant appeal. John Hillcoat’s Lawless, however, was not quite as lucky, earning just $9 million ($11 million if you count Wednesday and Thursday) despite a solid cast. It was still enough to stay ahead of The Expendables 2, which fell to third, while The Bourne Legacy and ParaNorman rounded out the top 5. As for Oogieloves In The Big Balloon Adventure, it broke the record for worst opening ever for a movie in wide release (which was previously held by Delgo). Not a huge surprise considering that many of us hadn’t even heard of it prior to this weekend, but apparently their target audience didn’t know it existed either.

1. The Possession — $17.7M
2. Lawless — $9.67M
3. The Expendables 2 — $8.8M
4. The Bourne Legacy — $7.25M
5. ParaNorman — $6.55M
6. The Odd Life of Timothy Green — $6.1M
7. The Dark Knight Rises — $5.88M
8. The Campaign — $5.45M
9. 2016: Obama’s America — $5.1M
10. Hope Springs — $4.7M

Source: BoxOfficeMojo