Saturday, 17 August 2013
Iron Man 3′s U.S. Box Office Haul Might Not Beat The Hunger Games
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
Sci
TOP 10 MOVIES AT THE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
Monday, 12 August 2013
Elysium on high at the US box office
'Elysium' Takes Top Spot At Box Office In Tame Weekend For Hollywood
Sci
Friday, 9 August 2013
Baltasar's 2 Guns Shoots to Top of US Box Office
The film, which features Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, has earned an estimated USD 27 million (ISK 3.2 billion, EUR 20.2 million) so far, making it the highest-earning film in the U.S. last week.
Baltasar is currently working on his next film, Everest. The director was recently in the Italian Dolomites scouting for shooting locations and will also travel to New Zealand and Nepal, reports.
According to earlier news, part of the film will be shot on Iceland's Vatnajökull glacier.
02.08.2013 | Baltasar Kormákur's 2 Guns Premiers in New York
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Hollywood's Summer Box Office Bombs Not Worrying Top Canadian Exhibitor
TORONTO -- Those U.S. box office bombs aren't worrying Ellis Jacob.
Canada's top exhibitor on Thursday posted record second quarter revenues of $301.6 million at Cineplex Entertainment, up 14.4 percent from the same period of 2012.
Earnings were up 30 percent to $28.5 million during the three months to June 30, as tentpoles like Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness and Man of Steel played well in Jacob's theaters countrywide.
STORY: Box Office Fear: Family Film Pileup, Fatigue May Extend to Spring
The Cineplex CEO insists Hollywood's domestic movie crisis has been blown out of proportion by the media, and the studio tentpole model hardly needs fixing.
"There's a heck of a lot of publicity around when movies like Lone Ranger, White House Down, and other summer movies like the Will Smith movie ( After Earth) are released," Jacob told The Hollywood Reporter. "But when there's great results, nobody talks a lot about them, and that's the difference from what I see this year in the second quarter when there's a lot more blockbusters."
During the second quarter, attendance at Cineplex multiplexes rose 8.6 per cent to 18.6 million, which also drove up concession sales and other ancillary business. Despite the box office bombs, Jacob said Cineplex had enough performers to satisfy consumer choice and drive his company to record results.
Also prominent in Cineplex theaters during the latest financial frame was Fast and Furious 6 and The Great Gatsby.
Last year's second quarter was dominated by Marvel's The Avengers. What's more, Smurfs 2, which underwhelmed in the U.S. market, did proportionally better in the Canadian market for Cineplex. That said, Jacob would like to see the studios unwind their crowded summer tentpole schedule to more of a year-round business.
"To me, the most important thing is making this business a 52-week business, keeping people engaged, and coming back to the theaters, because there is so much to offer that we didn't even have five years ago, like 3D and Imax," Jacob argued.
2 Guns Shoots To The Top Of The Box Office, Beating Family Favourite The ...
By Joanna Crawley On August 5, 2013
2 Guns managed to trounce the competition at the US box office over the weekend, leap frogging family friendly animation Smurfs 2 to finish in the top spot in it's opening weekend.
The thriller, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, managed to beat out the family titles despite it's R rating in the US and violent content, raking in an impressive $27.4 million.
"We're very happy to have the No. 1 opening in North America for the seventh time this year," Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think the chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg was a big draw. Adults really enjoyed the film."
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg team up in 2 Guns (WENN)The Smurfs sequel meanwhile could only manage a third place finish with $18.2 million for the weekend for a disappointing five-day debut of $27.3 million, that's compared to the $35.6 million opening of The Smurfs in July 2011.
The Wolverine managed to cling on in the top three, finishing just behind 2 Guns.
Overseas and Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim is still faring well, narrowly beating Smurfs 2 for the number one spot at the international box office, taking in $53 million from 58 markets, that includes a massive $45.2 million from its China debut.
Despite that impressive number it's still not clear if the big screen epic staring Idris Elba will break even on it's big budget.
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Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Top 10 movies at weekend box office
Monday, 5 August 2013
2 Guns Shoots To The Top Of The Box Office As Violent Thriller Beats Family ...
By Joanna Crawley On August 5, 2013
2 Guns managed to trounce the competition at the US box office over the weekend, leap frogging family friendly animation Smurfs 2 to finish in the top spot in it's opening weekend.
The thriller, which stars Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington, managed to beat out the family titles despite it's R rating in the US and violent content, raking in an impressive $27.4 million.
"We're very happy to have the No. 1 opening in North America for the seventh time this year," Universal president of domestic distribution Nikki Rocco told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think the chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg was a big draw. Adults really enjoyed the film."
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg team up in 2 Guns (WENN)The Smurfs sequel meanwhile could only manage a third place finish with $18.2 million for the weekend for a disappointing five-day debut of $27.3 million, that's compared to the $35.6 million opening of The Smurfs in July 2011.
The Wolverine managed to cling on in the top three, finishing just behind 2 Guns.
Overseas and Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim is still faring well, narrowly beating Smurfs 2 for the number one spot at the international box office, taking in $53 million from 58 markets, that includes a massive $45.2 million from its China debut.
Despite that impressive number it's still not clear if the big screen epic staring Idris Elba will break even on it's big budget.
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Denzel shoots to top of box office
Denzel Washington's action-packed new movie 2 Guns is at number one at the US box office.
The Universal film, also starring Mark Wahlberg, pulled the trigger to capture the top spot by taking 27.4 million dollars in its first weekend of release, according to studio estimates.
The picture is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Denzel as a DEA agent and Mark as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA.
Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said 2 Guns opened at the studio's expectations and attributed the film's success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.
"It was super casting," she said. "There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film."
Fox's Japan-set superhero flick The Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the number two spot with 21.7 million dollars in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon's total domestic haul to 95 million. Wolverine earned another 38.5 million dollars in 67 international territories.
The Smurfs 2 launched in the number three position with 18.2 million dollars. While Sony's kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, Smurfs 2 earned a bright 52.5 million dollars in 43 international markets.
"It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones."
The Warner Bros haunted house tale The Conjuring crossed the 100 million dollar mark at number four in the US after exorcising 13.7 million in its third weekend.
Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival favourite The Spectacular Now, starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, earned 190,000 dollars in four cinemas in its debut weekend, while The Canyons made just 16,000 dollars at two cinemas, although distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-demand services.
Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the box office, including Sundance winner Fruitvale Station taking 2.7 million dollars in 1,086 cinemas and Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine with two million dollars in 50 venues.
"Summer is not just about blockbusters," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's also about Woody Allen. It's about specialised films that challenge the audience - or are just different from the traditional, cookie-cutter, summer-style movie."
2 Guns Beats The Smurfs 2 To The Top Of The US Box Office
The second weekend of The Wolverine took second spot with $21.7 million, which is a pretty steep drop of 60% from its first weekend, but it was still enough to beat Smurfs 2. The little blue men took $18.7 of the weekend and $27.7 million since if opened last Wednesday. That's behind the $35 million of the first film and the lowest start of any of this summer's family film. Even Turbo, which most considered a flop, started better.
It's now going to have to hope that like the first movie its gross will hold up over the coming weeks and turn it into a true hit (and also that it makes a lot of cash internationally).
Take a look below for the US box office top 10 for the weekend of August 2nd-4th.
Denzel shoots to top of box office
Denzel Washington's action-packed new movie 2 Guns is at number one at the US box office.
The Universal film, also starring Mark Wahlberg, pulled the trigger to capture the top spot by taking 27.4 million dollars in its first weekend of release, according to studio estimates.
The picture is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Denzel as a DEA agent and Mark as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA.
Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said 2 Guns opened at the studio's expectations and attributed the film's success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.
"It was super casting," she said. "There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film."
Fox's Japan-set superhero flick The Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the number two spot with 21.7 million dollars in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon's total domestic haul to 95 million. Wolverine earned another 38.5 million dollars in 67 international territories.
The Smurfs 2 launched in the number three position with 18.2 million dollars. While Sony's kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, Smurfs 2 earned a bright 52.5 million dollars in 43 international markets.
"It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones."
The Warner Bros haunted house tale The Conjuring crossed the 100 million dollar mark at number four in the US after exorcising 13.7 million in its third weekend.
Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival favourite The Spectacular Now, starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, earned 190,000 dollars in four cinemas in its debut weekend, while The Canyons made just 16,000 dollars at two cinemas, although distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-demand services.
Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the box office, including Sundance winner Fruitvale Station taking 2.7 million dollars in 1,086 cinemas and Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine with two million dollars in 50 venues.
"Summer is not just about blockbusters," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's also about Woody Allen. It's about specialised films that challenge the audience - or are just different from the traditional, cookie-cutter, summer-style movie."
Weekend Report: '2 Guns' Takes Top Spot, 'Smurfs' Struggles
by Ray Subers
2 Guns
August 4, 2013
The final month of Summer got off to a modest start this weekend. 2 Guns took first place but fell short of $30 million, while The Smurfs 2 opened way below its predecessor. The Top 12 earned an estimated $126.3 million, which is up 11 percent from last year but makes this the quietest weekend yet this Summer.Playing at 3,025 locations, 2 Guns opened to an estimated $27.4 million. That's a bit above Contraband ($24.3 million), which shares a director ( Baltasar Kormakur) and star ( Mark Wahlberg) with 2 Guns. Unfortunately, Contraband didn't have Denzel Washington, who is one of the most consistently bankable stars in the business. By adding him to the mix, it seemed like 2 Guns should have done a bit better.The movie's $27.4 million debut was significantly lower than Washington's Safe House ($40.2 million)—which also paired him with a younger star—and a bit lower than The Book of Eli ($32.8 million). Still, it ranks fifth all-time for Washington, and is a bit ahead of recent movies like Unstoppable ($22.7 million) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 ($23.4 million). It's likely that 2 Guns's biggest strength was also what held it back a bit. Washington and Wahlberg are both incredibly popular stars, and Universal's marketing put them front-and-center. As has been proven time-and-time again, though, star power alone can't drive strong business, and 2 Guns was noticeably lacking any kind of compelling story. The movie's audience skewed female (51 percent) and older (77 percent were 25 years of age and up). The crowd was 28 percent African-American and 14 percent Hispanic, which suggests that the movie had particularly strong appeal among minority audiences. 2 Guns received a "B+" CinemaScore, which isn't all that great. Combine that with middling reviews, and there is no chance this makes it to $100 million by the end of its run.After opening on top last weekend, The Wolverine took second place this weekend with an estimated $21.7 million. Its 59 percent drop was about in line with Captain America: The First Avenger—which opened at the same time in 2011—and was significantly better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine (69 percent decline). Through 10 days, The Wolverine has earned $95 million, and it remains on track for a final tally around $140 million.
Sunday, 4 August 2013
US Weekend Box Office: '2 Guns' Shoots Past 'The Smurfs 2' To No.1
2 Guns shoots to the top of the US Weekend Box Office grossing, on its opening weekend, over $27 million.
Denzel Washington at the premiere of 
2 Guns stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. The cast also includes Paula Patton, Bill Paxton, Fred Ward, James Marsden and Edward James Olmos. The film follows a DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer on the run after failing to infiltrate a drug cartel.
Despite early critical reviews which were less than favourable, the film has done extremely well on its opening weekend. 2 Guns has grossed over $27.3 million this weekend, following its release on 2nd August.
Nikki Rocco, the Universal president of domestic distribution, expressed her pleasure at having another Universal film at no.1 in the US Box Office. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Rocco said "we're very happy to have the No.1 opening in North American for the seventh time this year. I think the chemistry between Washington and Wahlberg was a big draw. Adults really enjoyed the film."
Watch the 2 Guns trailer:
The Wolverine remains in second place, knocked off the top spot it held last week by 2 Guns. The superhero movie, starring Hugh Jackman, has now grossed (owing to its release internationally) $255.2 millon.
The other new release in the box office was The Smurfs 2 which placed 3rd, gaining just over $18 million. The Hollywood Reporter puts the failure of The Smurfs 2 down to the vast number of films family have to choose from at the moment including Turbo and Despicable Me 2 (also placing in the top ten). Attempting to brazen through the poor performance of the Smurfs sequel, Sony president of worldwide distribution Rory Bruer said: "it's a bit of a bummer how it performed here [in the US], but it's set to do big business on the world stage. To be at $80 million-plus at this point with many major markets yet to go, including China, we are in a great position. It will be hugely successful for the studio."
The Conjuring, which has surprised critics and Box Office speculators with its success, is in fourth place. Whilst Despicable Me 2, Grown Ups 2, Turbo and Red 2 obtained, respectively 5th-8th place. The Heat for the sixth week remains in the top 10, this weekend in 9th place. Rounding off the top ten is Pacific Rim.
2 Guns is in US cinemas now and is released in the UK on 16th August.
'2 Guns' leads US box office with $27m
Published Sunday, Aug 4 2013, 7:20pm EDT | By Zeba Blay |
Denzel Washington's 2 Guns has topped the US weekend box office chart.
Washington stars alongside Mark Wahlberg in the graphic novel adaptation about a DEA agent and a naval intelligence officer who go on the run after a failed undercover drug operation.
Debuting at number one, the film earned $27.3m, knocking last week's winner The Wolverine to second spot with $21.7m.
Animated sequel The Smurfs 2 underperformed in its debut week, coming in at third place with $18.2m.
Vera Farmiga's The Conjuring dropped two spots to number four with $13.6m, while Steve Carell's Despicable Me 2 came in at number five with $10.3m in ticket sales.
Ryan Reynolds's animated flop Turbo plummeted even further from number four to number seven, earning $6.4m.
Red 2, The Heat and Pacific Rim round out the top ten.
The US weekend box office top ten in full (studio estimates, all figures in US dollars):
Watch the trailer for 2 Guns below:
Action flick 2 Guns blazes US box office
The Universal action film pulled the trigger to capture the top spot with $US27.4 million ($30.8 million), according to studio estimates on Sunday.
2 Guns is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Washington as a DEA agent and Wahlberg as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA.
Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said 2 Guns opened at the studio's expectations and attributed the film's success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.
"It was super casting," she said. "There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film."
Fox's Japan-set superhero flick The Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the No. 2 spot with $US21.7 million in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon's total domestic haul to $US95 million.
The Smurfs 2 launched in the No. 3 position with $US18.2 million. While Sony's kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, Smurfs 2 earned $US52.5 million in 43 international markets.
"It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones."
The Warner Bros. haunted house tale The Conjuring crossed the $US100 million mark at No. 4 after exorcising $US13.7 million in its third weekend.
Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival favorite The Spectacular Now starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley earned $190,000 in four US theaters in its debut weekend, while The Canyons made just $16,000 at two theaters, though Canyons distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-demand services.
Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the US box office, including Sundance winner Fruitvale Station with $US2.7 million in 1,086 theaters and director Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine with $US2 million in 50 theaters.
"Summer is not just about blockbusters," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's also about Woody Allen. It's about specialized films that challenge the audience - or are just different from the traditional, cookie-cutter, summer-style movie."
Overall US ticket sales this weekend were up more than 15 per cent over the same weekend last summer, Dergarabedian said.
2 Guns blasts to top of North American box office
Published on Aug 05, 2013 6:03 AM
LOS ANGELES, California (AFP) - Action comedy 2 Guns blazed its way to the top of the North American box office this weekend as the Smurfs were left feeling blue, estimated figures showed on Sunday.
Based on a popular comic book series, 2 Guns stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as criminals turned undercover cops battling a drug lord.
Estimates from box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations showed the film earned US$27.4 million (S$34.8 million) on its weekend debut.
In second place was The Wolverine, which sees the return of Hugh Jackman's popular portrayal of the claw-knuckled X-men character. The film took US$21.7 million in its second weekend.
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'2 Guns' shoots up to the top of weekend box office
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Denzel Washington, left, and Mark Wahlberg in a scene from "2 Guns."AP/Universal Pictures
The action-packed "2 Guns" is No. 1 at the weekend box office.
The Universal film starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg pulled the trigger to capture the top spot with $27.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The picture is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Washington as a DEA agent and Wahlberg as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA.
Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said "2 Guns" opened at the studio's expectations and attributed the film's success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg.
"It was super casting," she said. "There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film."
Fox's Japan-set superhero flick "The Wolverine" starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the No. 2 spot with $21.7 million in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon's total domestic haul to $95 million. "Wolverine" earned another $38.5 million in 67 international territories.
"The Smurfs 2" launched in the No. 3 position with $18.2 million. While Sony's kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, "Smurfs 2" earned a bright $52.5 million in 43 international markets.
"It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent," said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of worldwide distribution. "We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones."
The Warner Bros. haunted house tale "The Conjuring" crossed the $100 million mark at No. 4 domestically after exorcising $13.7 million in its third weekend.
Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival favorite "The Spectacular Now" starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley earned $190,000 in four theaters in its debut weekend, while "The Canyons" made just $16,000 at two theaters, though "Canyons" distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-demand services.
Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the box office, including Sundance winner "Fruitvale Station" with $2.7 million in 1,086 theaters and director Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" with $2 million in 50 theaters.
"Summer is not just about blockbusters," said Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "It's also about Woody Allen. It's about specialized films that challenge the audience - or are just different from the traditional, cookie-cutter, summer-style movie."
Overall ticket sales this weekend were up more than 15 percent over the same weekend last summer, Dergarabedian said.
___
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 on Monday.
1. "2 Guns,"$27.4 million.
2. "The Wolverine," $21.7 million ($38.5 million international).
3. "The Smurfs 2," $18.2 million ($52.5 million international).
4. "The Conjuring," $13.7 million ($11.6 million international).
5. "Despicable Me 2," $10.4 million ($13.8 million international).
6. "Grown Ups 2," $8.1 million ($2.8 million international).
7. "Turbo," $6.4 million ($6.9 million international).
8. "Red 2," $5.6 million ($9.3 million international).
9. "The Heat," $4.7 million ($6.9 million international).
10. "Pacific Rim," $4.6 million ($53 million international).
___
Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak:
1. "Pacific Rim," $53 million.
2. "The Smurfs 2," $52.5 million.
3. "The Wolverine," $38.5 million.
4. "Snowpiercer," $18 million.
5. "Despicable Me 2," $13.8 million.
6. "Now You See Me," $13.1 million.
7. "The Conjuring," $11.6 million.
8. "Monsters University," $11.4 million.
9. "The Terror Live," $9.5 million.
10. "Red 2," $9.3 million.
2 Guns Is Number One With A Bullet At US Box Office
Worldwide, the box office might have belonged to the small, blue types called Smurfs, but American audiences seemed more inclined to watch Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington shoot a lot. Action thriller 2 Guns took the top spot across the pond, earning $27.3 million. It displaced The Wolverine, which fell to second and made $21.7 million. The Smurfs sequel still had an impact in the states, though, taking in $18.2 million.
The Conjuring continued to do well, adding $13.6 million in fourth for a current US total of $108.5 million. Rounding out the top five was Despicable Me 2 with $10.3 million.
Grown Ups 2 fell one place to sixth, making $8.1 million, while snail 'toon Turbo dropped from fourth to seventh, taking in $6.4 million. Red 2 was eighth with $5.6 million, while The Heat was ninth with $4.7 million. Finally, Pacific Rim was 10th, earning $4.7 million, for a running total of $92.9 million in the States.
To see Mark Wahlberg shoot at Smurfs for fun in the full chart listings, head to Box Office Mojo.
'2 Guns' is No. 1 with a bullet at the box office
Denzel Washington, left, and Mark Wahlberg propelled '2 Guns' to No. 1 this weekend. (Photo: Universal Pictures)
Story Highlights Comedy with Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg meets expectations "Smurfs 2" underperforms "The Wolverine" drops to second place
2 Guns proved too much for Smurfs 2, but neither film showed overwhelming firepower at the box office this weekend.
Guns, a buddy-cop comedy starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, took the top spot at theaters with $27.4 million, according to studio estimates from Hollywood.com.
The debut met most analysts' expectations, which tend to be lower during August as kids prepare to return to school.
Guns divided critics, 58% of whom gave it a thumbs-up, according to rottentomatoes.com. Three-fourths of fans, however, liked the movie, the site says.
Tim Briody of boxofficeprophets.com says the debut "is fine for the two leads, both of whom have been reliable draws over the last 10 years."
He says the film benefited by being a "change of pace from the unending sequels and superheroes we've seen this summer."
The Wolverine, the sixth installment of the X-Men franchise, fell to second place with $21.7 million.
The Smurfs 2, meanwhile, took third place with $18.2 million. Critics hammered the animated sequel: Just 12% recommended the movie. About 69% of moviegoers liked it, rottentomatoes.com says.
While the opening fell short of forecasts, Briody says that the adaptation of the television series has become an international powerhouse.
"The worldwide grosses will likely guarantee the existence of a Smurfs 3," he says.
The first film did $563 million worldwide in 2011, and distributor Sony will announce Tuesday a "mini-movie," The Legend of Smurfy Hollow, to be released on DVD Sept. 10. The movie, an animated take on the Washington Irving short story, will feature Alan Cumming, Fred Armisen and Hank Azaria.
The haunted house tale The Conjuring did $13.7 million, bringing its total to $108.6 million and making it just the 16th horror film to cross the $100 million mark, according to hollywood.com.
The animated comedy Despicable Me 2 rounded out the top five with $10.4 million.
Final figures are due Monday.
Saturday, 3 August 2013
Comic Book Movies 2 Guns and The Wolverine To Take the Top Spots at the ...
Rather, the top two films will both be comic book adaptations: BOOM! Studios' 2 Guns, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg at #1, followed by 20th Century Fox's Marvel adaptation The Wolverine, which opened last week at more than $50 million.
2 Guns, which was expected to make between $20 million and $25 million, now appears on pace to make $32 million-that's $10 million more than The Wolverine, which looks to bring in about $21 million. Behind that, The Smurfs 2 is doing huge international business (it will probably be the #1 movie in the world) but in the U.S. it will bring in around $16 million. For its first five days of release, The Smurfs 2 will generate around $26 million, which is $10 million less than Sony had projected, so it clearly wasn't only the Wednesday opening that hurt its prospects. Even with the depressed U.S. turnout, though, the studio is expecting a $100 million weekend for the film.
The Smurfs 2 has also made around $150 million from more than 100 promotional partners-including many of the same corporations who ponied up for Man of Steel 's pre-releases promotional blitz. Given that it only cost $105 million to make, that will be a tidy profit for Sony by the end of the weekend.
Hugh Jackman's 'The Wolverine' Wobbles in US but Rips Up Foreign Box Office
"The Wolverine" dominated the U.S. box office over the weekend, but the estimated $55 million haul for the Hugh Jackman superhero movie was less than distributor Fox had hoped for.
It didn't come close to matching the $85 million three-day debut 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," and could wind up being the lowest domestic opening in the six-film "X-Men" franchise. "X-Men: First Class" debuted to $55.1 million in 2011 and the original "X-Men" opened to $54.4 million back in 2000.
But the Marvel comics-inspired "Wolverine" was a force overseas this weekend. It opened in 126 countries - every major market except Japan and China -- and brought in $86 million, the best foreign opening for an X-Men movie ever. And Its $141 million in first-weekend global grosses surpasses its $115 million production budget.
The significance of the international number in today's market can't be underestimated; Hollywood's biggest films typically take in roughly 70 percent of their grosses from overseas these days. "The Wolverine" finds Jackman's mutant loner in Japan where he takes on the Yakuza and grapples with the loss of his healing powers.
With its Tokyo setting and cast that includes Japanese stars Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima and Hiroyuki Sanada, "The Wolverine" should have strong appeal throughout Asia. It doesn't yet have a date in China, but will debut on Sept. 13 in Japan, where much of it was filmed. Production was delayed by 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami off the coast.
Also read: Bombs! Flops! Duds! How the Summer Box Office Could Still Be Biggest Ever
Since it was the only wide opener in the U.S. and in a market-high 3,924 theaters, 3,063 of which offered 3D, Fox had hoped for a three-day total in the $65 million range.
"The Wolverine" hit its demographic targets, with an audience that was 58 percent male and 42 percent under 25. The "A-" CinemaScore from first-night audiences and the foreign numbers took away any sting from the soft domestic figure for Fox's president of distribution Chris Aronson.
"Hugh (Jackman) and (director) James Mangold delivered a terrific movie and the way it was received globally was really spectacular. We're looking forward to the next couple of weeks because we know it's going to play well," he said.
The multiplexes were busy - up by more than 25 percent over the same weekend last year - but many moviegoers did some catching up on films already in release, and five holdover films dropped off less than 50 percent.
Last week's No. 1 movie "The Conjuring" was second with $22 million, followed by family films "Despicable Me 2" at $16 million and "Turbo" with $13.5 million, "Grown Ups 2" at $11.5 million and "Red 2" with $9.4 million.
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The 47 percent second-week fall-off for "The Conjuring" is exceptional for a horror film; they typically take a tumble once genre fans have seen them.
But Summit's scream-fest, produced for roughly $20 million, has been very well-reviewed and word-of-mouth is strong, and it is now up to $84 million domestically after two weeks.
"Despicable Me 2" keeps rolling up the box office dough. The animated kids film crossed the $300 million mark domestically in its fourth week and is now the second-highest grossing movie of the year, behind only "Iron Man 3." And it has brought in more than $660 million worldwide for Universal and Illumination Entertainment.
DreamWorks Animation's family film "Turbo" couldn't catch the minions despite dropping just 36 percent from its first week, and the snail tale has now taken in $56 million in two weeks of domestic release for distributor Fox.
Sony's Adam Sandler comedy "Grown Ups 2" crossed the $100 million mark in its third week, and beat out Lionsgate's action comedy "Red 2' for fourth.
Wolverine claws its way to top of US box office
The Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman as Marvel Comics' sharp-clawed superhero, slashed its way to $55 million in US and Canadian ticket sales to claim the box-office crown in a summer that has not been kind to some other big-budget action films.
The Conjuring, the low-budget horror film that led last weekend's box office, slipped to second place with $22.1 million in domestic sales from Friday to Sunday, according to studio estimates. The film has generated nearly $84 million in overall ticket sales, a surprisingly strong showing for a film that cost just under $20 million to make.
The animated film Despicable Me 2, featuring the voice of comic actor Steve Carell, finished third with $16 million in ticket sales in its fourth week in movie theatres. The film was made by Universal Pictures and has collected more than $660 million in ticket sales around the world.
Animated film Turbo, about a super-speedy snail with dreams of racing in the Indy 500, took the number four slot with sales of $13.3 million. Ryan Reynolds provides the voice for the title character in the film produced by Shrek creator DreamWorks Animation.
The Wolverine fell short of Hollywood insiders' $72 million weekend estimates, the latest in a string of big-budget action films that failed to meet expectations, although it performed strongly overseas. In recent weeks, R.I.P.D., Pacific Rim, The Lone Ranger and White House Down all fizzled at the box office.
"We're incredibly happy with this result," said Chris Aronson, presid-ent of domestic distribution for 20th Century Fox, which distributed The Wolverine.
The film took in more than $86 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $141 million.
The Wolverine, which cost an estimated $120 million to make, stars Jackman in his sixth film as the ageless mutant, which is also featured in the X-Men movies.
Reviews were mixed to solid on Wolverine, with a 68 per cent positive rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, and the film received an A-minus Cinema-Score rating based on moviegoers' input.
Ticket site Fandango said the film grabbed 51 per cent of advance sales, with 73 per cent saying they would not want to see the film without Jackman in the lead role.
Aronson also pointed to the importance of the star as a huge draw at the worldwide box office. "We're going to be phenomenally successful at the end of the day," he said.
Friday, 2 August 2013
'The Wolverine' leads US box office
Published Sunday, Jul 28 2013, 8:10pm EDT |
The Wolverine has debuted at the top of the US box office.
The Hugh Jackman-starring X-Men spinoff earned $55 million in its first weekend on release. It was outgrossed by 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which took $85 million on release in 2009, but emerged level with X-Men: First Class's debut domestic weekend.
Supernatural horror The Conjuring dropped to second place, followed by animated sequel Despicable Me 2.
Turbo and Grown Ups 2 also shifted down a spot to numbers four and five respectively, as did Red 2 and Guillermo del Toro sci-fi Pacific Rim.
Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy's The Heat holds firm in eighth place, while R.I.P.D falls two places to nine.
Sundance hit Fruitvale Station, meanwhile, jumps seven places to ten after going on wider release.
The top ten in full (studio estimates, all figures in US dollars):
Watch a clip from The Wolverine below:
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