Top of US Box Office: May 2014

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

'Neighbors' Unseats Spidey to Top Box Office

ABC News'Neighbors' Unseats Spidey to Top Box OfficeABC News1 ranking is generally tougher in the summer than any other time of year," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "You don't ... "Heaven Is for Real" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" round out the top ...

Sunday, 11 May 2014

'Neighbors' unseats Spidey to top box office

SFGate'Neighbors' unseats Spidey to top box officeSFGate1 ranking is generally tougher in the summer than any other time of year," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. "You don't ... "Heaven Is for Real" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" round out the top ...

Tuesday, 6 May 2014

The Amazing Spider

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has opened at the top of the US box office with massive takings of $92m (£54.5m).

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone's exhausting promo trail for their sequel has paid off with the movie, directed by Marc Webb, enjoying the second best domestic debut of the year so far, just behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier which took $96m (£58m) in its first weekend in April.

Impressive numbers but will Spidey manage to break into the top ten grossing superhero movies of all time? Check out the huge totals these big screen comic book adaptations have raked in.

10. Man of Steel (2013)

Zack Snyder's popular reboot of the Superman film franchise was released last summer, earning $291 million in the US making it the highest-grossing Superman film ever released. The popularity has led to Snyder's sequel, a Batman Vs Superman team-up which sees Henry Cavill return to the role of Superman and Ben Affleck take on the Caped Crusader, with the team kicking off filming in Detroit this month.

9. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Jon Favreau's follow-up to 2008's Iron Man earned a total domestic lifetime gross of over $312 million, according to Box Office Mojo, cementing Robert Downey, Jr.'s reputation as one of the most bankable stars working today.

8. Iron Man (2008)

And this is where it all began, Rob won critical acclaim for his portrayal of the playboy superhero Tony Stark while the first outing totted up a US box office total of $318.4 million.

7. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Forget Andrew, Emma and Marc Webb. Long before the Amazing Spider-Man reboot Sam Raimi and Sony enlisted Tobey Maguire as the web-slinging hero alongside Kirsten Dunst as Gwen. The third movie in the series pulled in an impressive total domestic lifetime gross of $336.5 million but despite the success, plans for a fourth movie fell through. Step in Webb and co.

6. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

This successful follow-up to 2002's Spider-Man brought in a total domestic lifetime gross of approximately $373.6 million.

5. Spider-Man (2002)

Tobey Maguire's first outing as Spidey achieved a total domestic lifetime gross of nearly $404 million, including an opening weekend take of almost $115 million.

4. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Shane Black took over the director's chair from Jon Favreau for Iron Man 3 with last year's blockbuster raking in a huge $409 million in the US, including over $174 million during its opening weekend. And Downey will be back as Iron Man, with the actor currently shooting Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christopher Nolan's finally installment in his hugely popular Dark Knight series featured Christian Bale as Batman, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle, Michael Caine as Alfred, and Gary Oldman as James Gordon. The all-star cast and conclusion to the trilogy earnt a domestic lifetime gross of $448 million.

2. The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger's mesmerising performance as The Joker helped soar this movie to box office and Oscar success with the movie picking up two Academy Award wins for Best Supporting Actor and Best Achievement in Sound Editing. With almost $535 million in total domestic lifetime gross the movie's worldwide gross is also amazing with takings above $1 billion.

1. The Avengers (2012)

The ensemble superhero movie from two summers ago saw Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk. The combined box office successes and popularity of the individual Marvel characters unsurprisingly helped make The Avengers a massive blockbuster hit with a total domestic lifetime gross of over $623 million, including an opening weekend take of $207.4 million.

Monday, 5 May 2014

Spider

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - The Amazing Spider-Man 2 sprang to the top of the North American box office this weekend, its first in movie theaters, industry estimates showed on Sunday.

The sequel featuring Andrew Garfield in the title character's celebrated red and blue tights took in US$92 million (S$115.8 million) in 4,324 theatres, outperforming the original that went on to gross US$262 million.

Falling to number two, romantic comedy The Other Woman starring Cameron Diaz earned US$14.2 million its second week in theaters.

Heaven Is For Real, starring Greg Kinnear as the father of a four-year-old boy who wakes up from emergency surgery with a story about going to heaven and back, held on to third place with US$8.7 million in receipts.

'The Amazing Spider

Spider-Man can still sling it at the box office.

"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" debuted with $92 million at the box office over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. It was a solid opening for Sony's Columbia Pictures, which has released five movies about Marvel's web-slinging superhero in the last 14 years.

The rebooted franchise starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone isn't performing quite as strongly as Sam Raimi's trilogy with Tobey Maguire. Two of those films opened well above $100 million.

Last week's No. 1 film, the female revenge comedy "The Other Woman," slid to second with a distant $14 million.

The release of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" essentially kicks off Hollywood's summer season and its annual parade of sequels and spectacle.

The Amazing Spiderman 2 snares Captain America: The Winter Soldier at US ...

Box-office blockbuster: Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 . Photo: AP

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a sequel about the web-slinging superhero, snared $US92 million ($99.36m) in US and Canadian ticket sales over the weekend, taking the top spot on movie box office charts at the start of Hollywood's lucrative summer blockbuster season.

In Australia, the film took $1.35 million on the weekend for a total of $13.57 million to date in its first three weeks.

Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Photo: Supplied

The big-budget, effects-filled movie starring Andrew Garfield is expected to rank as one of the year's highest-grossing films. With international sales, it has rung up nearly $US370 million around the globe through Sunday, distributor Sony Corp said.

The Other Woman, a comedy about three women out for revenge on a cheating husband, finished a distant second on domestic charts with $US14.2 million, according to estimates from tracking firm Rentrak.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, another superhero sequel and previous box office champ, landed in the No. 4 slot with $US7.8 million from Friday through Sunday, behind Heaven Is for Real, a faith-based drama and Sony release which grabbed third place with $US8.7 million for a $US65 million box office total in just its third week of release.

The performance of Spider-Man 2 could not quite match the strong domestic opening for Captain America in April, when the Marvel Studios film took in $US95 million over its first three days. Ahead of the weekend, box office forecasters projected Spider-Man would collect $US85 million to $US95 million.

In the Spider-Man sequel, Garfield returns as the masked hero who swings through the streets and skyscrapers of New York, battling new villains including the formidable Electro played by Jamie Foxx. Garfield's real-life girlfriend, Emma Stone, portrays Gwen Stacy, the on-screen love interest of Spidey alter ego Peter Parker.

"This was a really fantastic result," said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment, adding that the opening bodes well for Sony "not only meeting our goals, but exceeding them."

The film is Sony's biggest bet this year, with a production cost of roughly $US200 million, according to movie website IMDB. Last summer, the studio suffered from two major bombs, thrillers After Earth and White House Down.

Spider-Man leads a parade of action-packed superhero and monster movies that will reach theaters by August. They include Godzilla on May 16, X-Men: Days of Future Past on May 23, and Transformers: Age of Extinction on June 27. Hollywood earns about 40 per cent of ticket sales from the first weekend in May through Labor Day in September.

Bruer said Sony was well-positioned, saying: "It's nice to be going into next weekend with no outrageous competition. That will give us a chance to build."

The Amazing Spider-Man, which Sony released in 2012, took in more than $US750 million worldwide according to the website boxofficemojo, and Bruer said the studio hoped to equal or exceed that total.

Captain America, starring Chris Evans as the patriotic superhero, got a head start on the summer releases and generated blockbuster sales. Through Sunday, the film had earned $680 million globally, distributor Walt Disney said. In five weeks on release in Australia, it has taken a total of $19.16 million.

The Other Woman, in its second week of release, brought its domestic total to $US47 million. The movie stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton as women who are dating the same married man. Leslie Mann plays his wife.

Rounding out the top five, animated sequel Rio 2, about a family of rare Brazilian birds, collected $US7.6 million to bring its box office total to $US106 million.

The Other Woman and Rio 2 were released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox

Estimated Fri-Sun ticket sales, US and Canadian theatres:

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, $US92 million ($US116 million international)

2. The Other Woman, $US14 million ($US19.5 million international)

3. Heaven Is for Real, $US8.7 million

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, $US7.8 million ($US10 million international)

5. Rio 2, $US7.6 million ($US24.5 million international)

6. Brick Mansions, $US3.5 million ($US3 million international)

7. Divergent, $US2.2 million ($US9.8 million international)

8. The Quiet Ones, $US2 million

9. God's Not Dead, $US1.8 million

10. The Grand Budapest Hotel, $US1.7 million ($US8.6 million international).

Reuters, with AP

The Amazing Spider

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has opened at the top of the US box office with massive takings of $92m (£54.5m).

Impressive numbers but will Spidey manage to break into the top ten grossing superhero movies of all time? Check out the huge totals these big screen comic book adaptations have raked in.

10. Man of Steel (2013)

9. Iron Man 2 (2010)

8. Iron Man (2008)

And this is where it all began, Rob won critical acclaim for his portrayal of the playboy superhero Tony Stark while the first outing totted up a US box office total of $318.4 million.

7. Spider-Man 3 (2007)

6. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

This successful follow-up to 2002's Spider-Man brought in a total domestic lifetime gross of approximately $373.6 million.

5. Spider-Man (2002)

Tobey Maguire's first outing as Spidey achieved a total domestic lifetime gross of nearly $404 million, including an opening weekend take of almost $115 million.

4. Iron Man 3 (2013)

3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

2. The Dark Knight (2008)

1. The Avengers (2012)

Sunday, 4 May 2014

Box Office: 'Amazing Spider

Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 kicked off the summer box office in style, earning $92 million in its debut.

Internationally, where the superhero sequel began opening two weeks ago, the movie took in an estimated $116 million for a foreign total of $277 million and global haul of $369 million (it is pacing ahead of the first Amazing Spider-Man in many markets). Amazing Spider-Man 2 debuted in China on Sunday, taking in a stellar $10.4 million, the top gross ever for a designated workday.

In the U.S., the $200 million-plus tentpole was fueled by families (33 percent) and younger moviegoers, with 51 percent of ticket buyers under the age of 25, a strong showing. They liked the movie best, giving it an A- CinemaScore. Overall, the movie earned a B+.

Males made up 61 percent of the audience, evidenced by the fact that Imax and large-format screens -- the favored venue of fanboys -- generated strong numbers. Amazing Spider-Man 2 generated $9.3 million in ticket sales from 353 Imax theaters, and $7.3 million from large-format screens, led by Cinemark. All of the film's top five locations were Imax theaters. Overseas, Imax theaters have racked up nearly $16 million in sales.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 had hoped to best the recent $95 million opening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier to become the year's top opener to date in North America. In terms of May openings, Amazing Spider-Man 2 ranks No. 7.

PHOTOS: 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' NY Premiere

Director Marc Webb with stars Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone to make the sequel, which features an array of new castmembers , including Jamie Foxx as the villain Electro and as Harry Osborn, Spider-Man's friend turned nemesis. plays Rhino, a third bad guy.

Comparisons to The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) are complicated since that film opened Tuesday of Fourth of July week, taking in $137 million in its first six days, including $62 million for the weekend. Amazing Spider-Man topped out at $752.2 million globally, successfully the marquee franchise post .

Summer almost always begins with a Marvel Comics superhero . In 2012, Marvel and Disney's The Avengers netted an astounding $207.4 million on its first weekend in May, the highest opening of all time for any time of the year. Last year, Iron Man 3 took in $174.1 million; Thor grossed $65.7 million in 2011; and X-Men Origins: Wolverine made $85.1 million in 2009.

Spider-Man 3, debuting to $151.1 million in 2007, is the No. 3 May opener of all time after Avengers and Iron Man 3.

"What made this weekend so unique and special was that we had a terrific opening in the U.S., but the picture has now opened worldwide, and on every continent, we enjoyed stunning results," Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer said.

The sequel did especially strong business in India, where it took in $6.5 million, the biggest opening weekend of all time for a Hollywood title, and across Asia, including the Philippines ($5.6 million), Indonesia ($5.2 million), Malaysia ($4.6 million) and Hong Kong ($3.6 million).

France came in 32 percent ahead of the first Amazing Spider-Man with $10.6 million. In Latin America, Brazil launched with $10.5 million, beating the opening of the first Amazing Spider-Man by 76 percent.STORY: How 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' VFX Team Brought Electro to Life Back in North America, Fox's femme-fueled comedy The Other Woman held well in its second weekend, placing No. 2 with $14.2 million for a domestic total of $47.3 million. Overseas, the Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann comedy took in another $19.5 million from 49 markets for an international total of $45.8 million.

Sony's Christian film Heaven Is for Real, coming in No. 3 domestically, grossed $8.7 million in its third outing for a total $65.6 million.

Winter Soldier hit nearly $680 million in global ticket sales, grossing $7.8 million in North America for a fourth-place finish. The Disney and Marvel tentpole has earned $237.1 million domestically and $442.7 million internationally for a total $679.8 million -- 83 percent ahead of the first Captain America.

Fox's Rio 2 crossed the $100 million mark in its fourth weekend, grossing $7.6 million for a domestic total of $106.5 million and coming in No. 5. Overseas, the animated film delivered $24.5 million from 58 markets for a foreign total of $289.1 million.

Fox Searchlight's period drama Belle nabbed the top location average of the weekend domestically as it debuted in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, grossing $104,493 for an OK average of $26,123.

Polish drama and festival favorite Ida opened nicely, grossing $50,000 from three theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a location average of $16,667.

Focus World debuted Elizabeth Banks and James Marsden comedy Walk of Shame simultaneously in theaters and on VOD. Theatrically, the movie grossed $38,000 from 51 locations for a decidedly location average of $745; however, Focus reports that Walk of Shame was the No. 1 title on iTunes at one point over the weekend.

Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel continued to shine for Searchlight as it crossed the $50 million mark in North America, grossing $1.7 million from 884 locations in its ninth weekend for a domestic total of $51.5 million. The movie, making a reappearance on the top 10 chart, came in No. 10. Internationally, Grand Budapest has earned $89 million to date.

Here are the top 10 estimates for the weekend of May 2-May 4 at the domestic box office:

1. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 1/4,324, Sony, $92 million.

2. The Other Woman, 2/3,238, Fox, $14.2 million, -43%, $47.3 million.

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 5/3,179, Disney/Marvel , $7.8 million, -52%, $237.1 million.

6. Brick Mansions , 2/2,647, Relativity/EuropaCorp, $3.5 million, -63%, $15.5 million.

8. The Quiet Ones , 2/2,027, Lionsgate/Exclusive, $2 million, -48%, $6.8 million.

10. The Grand Budapest Hotel, 9/884, Disney, $1.7 million, -29%, $51.5 million.

Spider

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has debuted at the top of the US box office this weekend with $92m.

The movie, which sees Andrew Garfield and Emma stone reprise their roles as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, features new villains such as Jamie Foxx as Electro and Dane DeHaan as the Green Goblin aka Harry Osborn.

Fellow comic book movie Captain America: The Winter Soldier drops two places to four with $7.7m, while The Other Woman takes second with $14.2m.

The female comedy ensemble debuted last weekend in the top spot, ending Captain America 2's three-week streak as the number one movie in America.

The Other Woman, starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton, has so far earned a total of $47.3m.

Elsewhere, Heaven is for Real remains third with $8.7m, while fellow religious movie God's Not Dead climbs two places to nine with $1.7m.

The Grand Budapest Hotel also cracked the top-ten, climbing three places to prop up the chart with $1.7m.

The US weekend box office top ten for May 4 (studio estimates, all figures in US dollars) is as follows:

1. (-) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - $92,000,000 2. (1) The Other Woman - $14,200,0003. (3) Heaven is for Real - $8,700,000 4. (2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier - $7,762,0005. (4) Rio 2 - $7,600,0006. (5) Brick Mansions - $3,545,000 7. (9) - $2,175,000 8. (7) The Quiet Ones - $2,000,000 9. (11) God's Not Dead Free - $1,769,00010. (13) The Grand Budapest Hotel - $1,735,000

Watch Jamie Foxx talked to Digital Spy about Spider-Man 2 below:

'Amazing Spider

"The Amazing Spider-Man 2," a sequel about the web-slinging superhero, snared $92 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales over the weekend, taking the top spot on movie box office charts at the start of Hollywood's lucrative summer blockbuster season.

The big-budget, effects-filled movie starring Andrew Garfield is expected to rank as one of the year's highest-grossing films. With international sales, it has rung up nearly $370 million around the globe through Sunday, distributor Sony Corp said.

"The Other Woman," a comedy about three women out for revenge on a cheating husband, finished a distant second on domestic charts with $14.2 million, according to estimates from tracking firm Rentrak.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier," another superhero sequel and previous box office champ, landed in the No. 4 slot with $7.8 million from Friday through Sunday, behind "Heaven Is for Real," a faith-based drama and Sony release which grabbed third place with $8.7 million for a $65 million box office total in just its third week of release.

Barry Wetcher/AP

The performance of "Spider-Man 2" could not quite match the strong domestic opening for "Captain America" in April, when the Marvel Studios film took in $95 million over its first three days. Ahead of the weekend, box office forecasters projected "Spider-Man" would collect $85 million to $95 million.

In the "Spider-Man" sequel, Garfield returns as the masked hero who swings through the streets and skyscrapers of New York, battling new villains including the formidable Electro played by Jamie Foxx. Garfield's real-life girlfriend, Emma Stone, portrays Gwen Stacy, the on-screen love interest of Spidey alter ego Peter Parker.

The film is Sony's biggest bet this year, with a production cost of roughly $200 million, according to movie website IMDB. Last summer, the studio suffered from two major bombs, thrillers "After Earth" and "White House Down."

"Spider-Man" leads a parade of action-packed superhero and monster movies that will reach theaters by August. They include "Godzilla" on May 16, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" on May 23, and "Transformers: Age of Extinction" on June 27. Hollywood earns about 40 percent of ticket sales from the first weekend in May through Labor Day in September.

Bruer said Sony was well-positioned going forward, saying "It's nice to be going into next weekend with no outrageous competition. That will give us a chance to build."

Blue Sky Studios/AP

"The Amazing Spider-Man," which Sony released in 2012, took in more than $750 million worldwide according to the website boxofficemojo, and Bruer said the studio hoped to equal or exceed that total.

"Captain America," starring Chris Evans as the patriotic superhero, got a head start on the summer releases and generated blockbuster sales. Through Sunday, the film had earned $680 million globally, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

"The Other Woman," in its second week of release, brought its domestic total to $47 million. The movie stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton as women who are dating the same married man. Leslie Mann plays his wife.

Rounding out the top five, animated sequel "Rio 2," about a family of rare Brazilian birds, collected $7.6 million to bring its box office total to $106 million.

"The Other Woman" and "Rio 2" were released by 20th Century Fox, a unit of Twenty-First Century Fox.