Weekend Box Office: Thor: The Dark World lights up the box office
As predicted, Thor: The Dark World completely dominated this past weekend's box office with more than $38m in ticket sales, bringing its cumulative domestic revenue to $147m. However, thanks to a very strong international release, the film has grossed close to $480m worldwide, already eclipsing the original Thor's $449m. However, Thor: The Dark World will face its first actual competition at the theaters with Ender's Game: Catching Fire opening this weekend. The Best Man Holiday, one of this weekend's new openings, came in at second place with $30.5m; however, this weekend's other new film, Nebraska, didn't crack the top 12. The geriatric Last Vegas rounds out the Top 3 with a solid $8.8m showing, bring its total to near $47m.
You can read the rest of this weekend's box office numbers below.
1. Thor: The Dark World - $38,454,000
2. The Best Man Holiday - $30,592,760
3. Last Vegas - $8,865,000
4. Free Birds - $8,300,000
5. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa - $7,670,000
6. Gravity - $6,280,000
7. Ender's Game - $6,200,000
8. 12 Years A Slave - $4,700,000
9. Captain Phillips - $4,500,000
10. About Time - $3,462,400
[via Rentrak]
Weekend Box Office: Ender's Game ends Bad Grandpa's reign
And just like that, a new film has reached the top. The film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game made $28m in its debut weekend to trump last weekend's top box office film, Bad Grandpa. The sci-fi/action film starring Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield faced some controversy over the novel's author's political opinions, but that didn't stop it from making a good return in its first weekend at theaters. With Thor: The Dark World opening this Friday, however, I predict Ender's Game at the top to be short-lived. This weekend's two other new releases, Last Vegas and Free Birds, opened at 3rd and 4th, respectively. Keep your eyes on 12 Years a Slave as it spreads wider into more theaters over the next few weeks. Like I've said in the past, I predict it'll get a slow hype build the way The Butler did earlier this year.
You can read the rest of this weekend's box office numbers below.
1. Ender's Game - $28,000,000
2. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa - $20,500,000
3. Last Vegas - $16,520,000
4. Free Birds - $16,200,000
5. Gravity - $13,130,000
6. Captain Phillips - $8,500,000
7. 12 Years a Slave - $4,600,000
8. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $4,200,000
9. Carrie - $3,400,000
10. The Counselor - $3,250,000
[via Rentrak]
Weekend Box Office: Bad Grandpa defies Gravity
It took all month, but Gravity's reign at the top box office spot has come to an end thanks to an old friend. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa opened to a resounding $32m this weekend, beating Gravity's $20.3m by a large margin. Who would have known that a hidden camera film about Johnny Knoxville in old man prosthetics would open at number 1? Stranger things have happened.
The Counselor severely underperformed with a paltry $8m in its first weekend. I was kind of worried this would happen. However, it's still unfortunate, given that the Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, and Penelope Cruz-starring film is author Cormac McCarthy's script debut (following film adaptations of his novels Child of God, All the Pretty Horses, The Road, and No Country for Old Men).
Film festival favorite 12 Years a Slave made $2.15m this weekend in only 123 theaters, averaging roughly $17,479 per location. With a wider release scheduled for this Friday, expect the numbers (and rave reviews) to increase drastically. There's a good chance that, much like The Butler, word of mouth will help drive 12 Years a Slave's revenue. With early festival acclaim and a potentially high box office intake, 12 Years a Slave has a good chance of being nominated for Best Picture at next year's Oscars.
The rest of the weekend box office numbers are below.
1. Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa - $32,000,000
2. Gravity - $20,300,000
3. Captain Phillips - $11,800,000
4. The Counselor - $8,000,000
5. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $6,100,000
6. Carrie - $5,900,000
7. Escape Plan - $4,340,000
8. 12 Years a Slave - $2,150,000
9. Enough Said - $1,555,000
10. Prisoners - $1,063,000
Weekend Box Office: 10/18 - 10/20
Gravity topped the box office again with $31m over the weekend, making a cumulative $170m since its release. In second is the Tom Hanks-led Captain Phillips with $17.3m, and the Chloe Grace Moretz-led Carrie remake rounding out the Top 3 with an even $17m. The weekend's other new releases, Escape Plan and The Fifth Estate, made $9.8m and $1.7m, respectively.
The independent Enough Said got a surprising boost at the box office, netting $1.8m and the 7th spot in the process. While it's only being played in 757 theaters, it's made $10.8m, averaging out to about $2,300 per theater. Machete Kills dropped out of the Top 12 in only its second weekend in theaters, which doesn't bode very well for the grindhouse film. It wasn't going to be a major money maker, but the fact that it hasn't caught on for many audiences is shocking, to say the least.
The rest of the weekend's box office numbers are below.
1. Gravity - $31,030,000
2. Captain Phillips - $17,300,000
3. Carrie - $17,000,000
4. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $10,100,000
5. Escape Plan - $9,800,000
6. Prisoners - $2,065,000
7. Enough Said - $1,800,000
8. The Fifth Estate - $1,714,000
9. Runner Runner - $1,625,000
10. Insidious Chapter 2 - $1,533,000
[via Rentrak]
Weekend Box Office: 10/11 - 10/13
In no surprising news, Gravity topped the box office again with a massive $44.2m take in its second weekend at the box office, bringing its total revenue to $123m. In second comes the Tom Hanks-led Captain Phillips with a solid $26m opening weekend. The other new release, Machete Kills, underperformed with $3.8m for 4th place. Runner Runner continues its paltry box office intake with $3.7m, while the kid-friendly Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 rounded out the Top 5 with $14.2m, bringing its cumulative total to $78m.
It's surprising that Machete Kills was sub-$4m. Despite being a pulpy grindhouse film, the marketing campaigns were in full force the previous weeks, and with the allure of Sofia Vergara, Jessica Alba, Lady Gaga, and more, I figured it would have sold better. Nevertheless, the major news is that Gravity continues to perform well. However, with Oscars favorite 12 Years a Slave and the Carrie remake opening this week, Gravity will face its first real competition at the box office this weekend. I'm rooting for a surprise underdog performance by Kill Your Darlings. My prediction for this upcoming weekend's Top 3 are, in order: 12 Years a Slave, Carrie, and Gravity, with Kill Your Darlings within the 4th - 6th range.
You can check out the rest of this weekend's box office numbers below.
1. Gravity - $44,265,000
2. Captain Phillips - $26,000,000
3. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $14,200,000
4. Machete Kills - $3,797,000
5. Runner Runner - $3,725,000
6. Prisoners - $3,665,000
7. Insidious Chapter 2 - $2,650,000
8. Rush - $2,364,300
9. Don Jon - $2,340,000
10. Baggage Claim - $2,075,000
[via Rentrak]
Weekend Box Office: 10/4 - 10/6
In a surprise to no one, Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity took the top box office spot this weekend with a record-setting $55.5m opening. In a month mostly known for horror films and in a year where big-budgeted sci-fi films underperformed, Gravity's $50m+ intake was a pleasant surprise for Warner Bros. Then again, a huge fraction of that massive number is due to marketing and critics (myself included) expressing the importance of experiencing Sandra Bullock and George Clooney's space adventure in 3D/IMAX 3D. The weekend's other major release, Runner Runner, made a moderate $7.6m for the 3rd spot behind last week's box office king Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2's $21.5m. Prisoners' $5.7m and Rush's $4.4m rounded out the Top 5.
With Robert Rodriguez's Mexploitation film, Machete Kills, opening next week, will Gravity reign supreme, or will the prospect of seeing Michelle Rodriguez, Lady Gaga, Jessica Alba, Amber Heard, Alexa Vega, and Sofia Vergara engaged in a pillow fight be enough to take the top spot? We'll find out next Monday, but for now, this weekend's box office numbers are below.
1. Gravity - $55,550,000
2. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $21,500,000
3. Runner Runner - $7,600,000
4. Prisoners - $5,700,000
5. Rush - $4,408,280
6. Don Jon - $4,160,000
7. Baggage Claim - $4,125,000
8. Insidious Chapter 2 - $3,876,000
9. Pulling Strings - $2,500,000
10. Enough Said - $2,150,000
[via Rentrak]
Weekend Box Office: 9/27 - 9/29
The power of a family-friendly animated film was in full force this weekend as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 topped this weekend's box office by tripling the second place film's sales. The sequel to the surprisingly funny and witty Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs had a great first weekend return for Sony Pictures Animation, proving popular amongst families. Coming in second was last week's top film, Prisoners. Newcomers Rush, Baggage Claim, and Don Jon round out the Top 5.
What's interesting from this weekend's returns is the Mexican indie film, Instructions Not Included. Despite only playing on 948 screens, the Eugenio Derbez-written/directed/starring film made $3.3m this weekend, adding to its cumulative revenue of $38.5m and the prestigious title of Top Spanish Language Film of All-Time in the US. Who says independent foreign films don't have a place in theaters?
The rest of this weekend's box office sales are below.
1. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 - $35,000,000
2. Prisoners - $11,270,000
3. Rush - $10,313,530
4. Baggage Claim - $9,300,000
5. Don Jon - $9,000,000
6. Insidious Chapter 2 - $6,747,000
7. The Family - $3,674,000
8. Instructions Not Included - $3,380,000
9. We're the Millers - $2,865,000
10. The Butler - $2,417,000
[via Rentrak]