Box Office Review: May 2012

This summer's blockbuster season definitely started out with a series of hits and misses.  However, the total domestic box office gross for the month will end up just north of $1 billion, potentially passing May 2009 to become the second highest grossing May of all time.

What worked:

The Avengers.
With a domestic gross of $527 million and a worldwide total of $1.3 billion, this is easily the biggest success story of the month, and also the year so far. Avengers' gross has made 2012 the first year to possibly out-gross 2009, currently the highest grossing year of all time.  Also thrown in are a handful of all time records and the potential to dethrone Titanic as the second-highest domestic gross of all time.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
The perfect counterprogramming to Avengers.  This quirky geriatric British comedy dominated in limited release, making $10 million in three weeks.  Factor in the recent nationwide expansion, which has already brought the film to $20 million, and this could potentially reach $40 million or more before its run ends.

Moonrise Kingdom.
Wes Anderson's newest film broke the record for best limited indie opening by grossing over half a million dollars.  Will that be enough of a push to help this become Anderson's highest grossing film?  I think so, but we won't know for sure until its currently unscheduled nationwide release.

What didn't:

Battleship.
The second $200 million flop of the year.  It is somewhat redeemed by its foreign haul, but domestically it just couldn't compete with fellow alien action films Avengers and MIB3.

Dark Shadows.
Burton and Depp's most recent collaboration made nowhere near as much Alice in Wonderland's impressive domestic haul of $334 million and has only passed its $150 million budget thanks to a decent foreign gross.  However, it could have done much worse considering that it opened in the shadow of Avengers.

Honorable mentions:

Men in Black 3.
Although MIB3 had the highest opening weekend of its franchise, it should have made much more than $69 million due to the combination of being Will Smith's first film in four years, the third film of a successful franchise (the first two films grossed a total $440 million domestically), and the film with the widest release during the four day holiday weekend.  What's most impressive is the film's foreign opening weekend of $130 million.


Think Like A Man.
Think was released in April, but the $12 million dollar film grossed $27 million in May, outgrossing Wrath of the Titans while approaching a final gross of $90 million.