During the month of December, the domestic box office as a whole made a decent $934 million, which was just enough to help 2012 claim the title for highest grossing year of all time. Compared to past Decembers, 2012 ranks fourth all time. It's way behind December 2009's record gross of $1.066 billion, but it's nicely ahead of both 2010 ($882 million), and 2011 ($877 million).
What worked:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Part one of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy easily scored the highest domestic gross of the month with $228 million. That is a respectable number by itself, but in day-to-day comparison it trails The Return of the King by $54 million and The Two Towers by $25 million. This proves that goodwill from The Lord of the Rings wasn't quite strong enough to overcome the 48fps and one-book-three-movies issues. But as I've said before, that's not going to be enough to stop the company of Thorin Oakenshield from reaching $1 billion worldwide.
Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino's follow up to 2009's Inglourious Basterds is supposedly darker, bloodier, and funnier than its predecessor, but it is definitely grossing more. Django has grossed $68 million in seven days, which is $15 million more than Basterds had at the same point. Django should easily pass $120 million to become Tarantino's highest grossing film, with a final gross between $150 and $175 million.
Les Miserables
Here's another directorial follow-up to a recent and very well liked film (not to mention Oscar winner) that is aiming to outgross its predecessor (and win more Oscars as well). Tom Hooper's The King's Speech earned $138 million back in 2010 and won the Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Original Screenplay. There's not much point in comparing the two films' day-to-day grosses since they were given different release patterns, but it did take Speech about two months to reach Les Mis's six-day gross of $66 million. I definitely think Les Mis should reach Speech's final gross and become the fourth highest grossing musical of all time (behind Grease, Chicago, and Momma Mia!), though if the Academy voters are kind it may gross even higher.
Holdovers
November holdovers Lincoln, Skyfall, Rise of the Guardians, Life of Pi, and Breaking Dawn, Part Two all grossed over $40 million during December. This is quite an accomplishment considering the overbooked nature of the holiday box office due to the plethora of new releases between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Limited Releases
In only five theaters, Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty has grossed $1.368 million in twelve days. That isn't the most impressive limited start of the year, but it should, along with the upcoming Oscar Nominations announcement, generate enough buzz to take first place for the weekend of its nationwide expansion. The Impossible also did some good business ahead of its nationwide expansion by making $529,000 through eleven days in only sixteen theaters. Its expansion won't be as impressive as Thirty's, but it should still fare well in the lean month of January.
What didn't work:
While everybody was out seeing the films mentioned above, almost nobody took the time to see the rest of December's new releases. Jack Reacher ($44 million), This is 40 ($36 million), Parental Guidance ($34 million), The Guilt Trip ($21 million), Monsters, Inc. 3D ($18 million), and Playing for Keeps ($12 million) were all lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Were they overlooked unfairly or did they deserve to be cast to the wayside? I don't know. I didn't see them.
Showing posts with label Box Office Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Box Office Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Box Office Review: September 2012
As expected, September was a very boring month (and not just for me personally...) Even though 2012 had the second highest grossing September of all time with a domestic total of $571 million, it still lagged behind July (2012's highest grossing month) by a staggering $745 million.
Ironically, in the final weekend of the month Hotel Transylvania set a new record for the highest grossing opening weekend in September, beating former champ Sweet Home Alabama by almost $7 million.
What worked:
Hotel Transylvania
Though only in theaters for the last three days of September, Adam Sandler's Dracula and his merry band of ghouls earned $42.5 million domestically. Not only did that break the record mentioned above, it also made Hotel the highest grossing film of the month. It's even currently tracking ahead of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs which earned a domestic gross of $125 million back in 2009, though I doubt Hotel will hold out that well. Look for this to finish up around $90 - $100 million domestically, which more than covers its $85 million production budget.
The Possession
Sam Raimi's most recent horror flick, though he only produced it, lurked into theaters on the last day of August and still managed to claim second place for September with $41 million domestically ($47.5 million including its opening day.) That isn't much compared to the perennial Paranormal Activity franchise, but it is still quite an accomplishment for a $14 million film.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The coming-of-age tale featuring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller opened in four theaters to an impressive per-theater average of $57,090 (fifth highest of the year.) In its second weekend, Wallflower expanded to 102 theaters and grossed just over $1 million. Considering its popular cast, universal appeal, and positive reception from critics and audiences, Wallflower should continue to expand in the coming weeks and could end up around $30 million domestically.
What didn't:
Won't Back Down
Hotel Transylvania wasn't the only film to set an opening weekend record this month. With a domestic opening weekend gross of $2.6 million, Won't Back Down claimed the title of lowest grossing opening weekend of all time for a film released in more than 2500 theaters.
Dredd
Hollywood's second attempt to turn the popular British graphic novel into a successful franchise seems to have stalled on the first floor. With Karl Urban's masked superhero only confiscating $11 million domestically for the month, I don't expect it to reach its $50 million production budget or a final gross high enough for Lionsgate to greenlight a sequel.
Honorable Mentions:
Most of this month's releases were neither blockbusters nor flops. Finding Nemo 3D ended the month in fourth place with $36 million domestically, but is tracking behind the rest of this year's 3D re-releases. End of Watch, House at the End of the Street, and Looper all earned modest domestic grosses between $20 and $25 million. The Master opened to $736,311 in limited release to claim the highest per theater average of the year, but stalled in its nationwide release and ended the month just short of $10 million.
October is definitely going to fare better than September, with likely blockbusters Taken 2, Argo, and Paranormal Activity 4. What do you think will be the highest grossing film of the month?
Ironically, in the final weekend of the month Hotel Transylvania set a new record for the highest grossing opening weekend in September, beating former champ Sweet Home Alabama by almost $7 million.
What worked:
Hotel Transylvania
Though only in theaters for the last three days of September, Adam Sandler's Dracula and his merry band of ghouls earned $42.5 million domestically. Not only did that break the record mentioned above, it also made Hotel the highest grossing film of the month. It's even currently tracking ahead of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs which earned a domestic gross of $125 million back in 2009, though I doubt Hotel will hold out that well. Look for this to finish up around $90 - $100 million domestically, which more than covers its $85 million production budget.
The Possession
Sam Raimi's most recent horror flick, though he only produced it, lurked into theaters on the last day of August and still managed to claim second place for September with $41 million domestically ($47.5 million including its opening day.) That isn't much compared to the perennial Paranormal Activity franchise, but it is still quite an accomplishment for a $14 million film.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The coming-of-age tale featuring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller opened in four theaters to an impressive per-theater average of $57,090 (fifth highest of the year.) In its second weekend, Wallflower expanded to 102 theaters and grossed just over $1 million. Considering its popular cast, universal appeal, and positive reception from critics and audiences, Wallflower should continue to expand in the coming weeks and could end up around $30 million domestically.
What didn't:
Won't Back Down
Hotel Transylvania wasn't the only film to set an opening weekend record this month. With a domestic opening weekend gross of $2.6 million, Won't Back Down claimed the title of lowest grossing opening weekend of all time for a film released in more than 2500 theaters.
Dredd
Hollywood's second attempt to turn the popular British graphic novel into a successful franchise seems to have stalled on the first floor. With Karl Urban's masked superhero only confiscating $11 million domestically for the month, I don't expect it to reach its $50 million production budget or a final gross high enough for Lionsgate to greenlight a sequel.
Honorable Mentions:
Most of this month's releases were neither blockbusters nor flops. Finding Nemo 3D ended the month in fourth place with $36 million domestically, but is tracking behind the rest of this year's 3D re-releases. End of Watch, House at the End of the Street, and Looper all earned modest domestic grosses between $20 and $25 million. The Master opened to $736,311 in limited release to claim the highest per theater average of the year, but stalled in its nationwide release and ended the month just short of $10 million.
October is definitely going to fare better than September, with likely blockbusters Taken 2, Argo, and Paranormal Activity 4. What do you think will be the highest grossing film of the month?
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Box Office Review: August 2012
August is a very transitional month. Summer changes into fall. Lazy days out in the sun turn into hours of torture (aka learning) at the hands of teachers. And the box office goes from its highest grossing month: July (record of $1.395 billion in 2011); to its lowest grossing month: September (record of $603 million in 2011). The beginning of August historically sees the studios' last attempts to make a buck with B action flicks, but by the end of the month it's clear that the box office frenzy of summer is over.
August 2012 is no different, with an unimpressive total gross of $803 million.
Here is a quick look at the movies that succeeded in spite of the end-of-summer doldrums, and those that didn't.
What worked:
The Dark Knight Rises
The year's number two grossing film is once again the highest grossing film of the month. TDKR grossed $122 million in August for a domestic total thus far of $431 million. It is now the ninth highest domestic grossing film of all time.
The Bourne Legacy
Though the sequel/reboot is the highest grossing film released in August, it is currently the lowest grossing film in its franchise. So far the introduction to Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross has grossed $90 million domestically, compared to $121 million, $176 million, and $227 million, the final grosses of Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum respectively. Fortunately this doesn't yet seem to be hurting the outlook for The Bourne (fill in the blank with a word more intense than Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum, and Legacy). I was a little disappointed with Legacy, but I'm very excited to see JRen and Matt Damon working together.
2016 Obama's America
Most political documentaries don't play very well at the box office, especially ones with a conservative viewpoint. 2016 is the film that has broken that mold. During the film's six weeks in limited release it grossed an impressive $2.8 million. It expanded nationwide to 1091 theaters in its seventh weekend and grossed $6.5 million, making it the seventh highest grossing film for the weekend, above all three new releases (Premium Rush, Hit and Run, and The Apparition).
What didn't:
Total Recall
The Colin Farrell reboot of the classic Schwarzenegger film from 1990 was supposed to easily fill the void of the late summer wilderness. Instead it turned out to be another case of reboot-itis, and will be lucky to gross half of its $125 million production budget.
Premium Rush
This one makes me a little sad. I very much enjoyed Premium Rush, so I'm going to blame the film's performance on its mediocre marketing job. After a week in theaters, the JGL bike chase/thriller has grossed a mere $9.3 million. Considering its production budget of $35 million, there's no way this can't be considered a flop.
The Apparition
Warner Brothers did a wonderful job of sabotaging this film's release. After a practically nonexistent marketing push, the horror flick opened in only 810 theaters to an opening weekend gross of $2.8 million. So far the film has grossed $3.8 million, and has no chance of getting anywhere close to its $17 million production budget.
How do you think the box office will fare in September? There's potential for some big releases, such as Finding Nemo 3D, Resident Evil: Retribution, The Master, Trouble with the Curve, and Looper. Will they be enough to overcome the black hole that is September? Share your thoughts below!
August 2012 is no different, with an unimpressive total gross of $803 million.
Here is a quick look at the movies that succeeded in spite of the end-of-summer doldrums, and those that didn't.
What worked:
The Dark Knight Rises
The year's number two grossing film is once again the highest grossing film of the month. TDKR grossed $122 million in August for a domestic total thus far of $431 million. It is now the ninth highest domestic grossing film of all time.
The Bourne Legacy
Though the sequel/reboot is the highest grossing film released in August, it is currently the lowest grossing film in its franchise. So far the introduction to Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross has grossed $90 million domestically, compared to $121 million, $176 million, and $227 million, the final grosses of Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum respectively. Fortunately this doesn't yet seem to be hurting the outlook for The Bourne (fill in the blank with a word more intense than Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum, and Legacy). I was a little disappointed with Legacy, but I'm very excited to see JRen and Matt Damon working together.
2016 Obama's America
Most political documentaries don't play very well at the box office, especially ones with a conservative viewpoint. 2016 is the film that has broken that mold. During the film's six weeks in limited release it grossed an impressive $2.8 million. It expanded nationwide to 1091 theaters in its seventh weekend and grossed $6.5 million, making it the seventh highest grossing film for the weekend, above all three new releases (Premium Rush, Hit and Run, and The Apparition).
What didn't:
Total Recall
The Colin Farrell reboot of the classic Schwarzenegger film from 1990 was supposed to easily fill the void of the late summer wilderness. Instead it turned out to be another case of reboot-itis, and will be lucky to gross half of its $125 million production budget.
Premium Rush
This one makes me a little sad. I very much enjoyed Premium Rush, so I'm going to blame the film's performance on its mediocre marketing job. After a week in theaters, the JGL bike chase/thriller has grossed a mere $9.3 million. Considering its production budget of $35 million, there's no way this can't be considered a flop.
The Apparition
Warner Brothers did a wonderful job of sabotaging this film's release. After a practically nonexistent marketing push, the horror flick opened in only 810 theaters to an opening weekend gross of $2.8 million. So far the film has grossed $3.8 million, and has no chance of getting anywhere close to its $17 million production budget.
How do you think the box office will fare in September? There's potential for some big releases, such as Finding Nemo 3D, Resident Evil: Retribution, The Master, Trouble with the Curve, and Looper. Will they be enough to overcome the black hole that is September? Share your thoughts below!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Box Office Review: July 2012
It is very difficult to discuss the past month's performance at the box office in light of the tragic event that occurred on July 20 in Aurora, Colorado. Now more than ever, the film community must band together to condemn this and other senseless acts of violence. Film has always been the greatest medium for spreading new ideas and influencing ways of thinking around the world. As a filmmaker one must recognize the power inherent in the medium. I recognize that that the audience will always find varied meanings within the film, many that were unintended by the filmmakers, but there is no place in our society for films that actively promote or even condone this type of violence. Now I haven't yet seen The Dark Knight Rises (so don't send me any spoilers...) but I know from Nolan's other works that he would never condone actions of violence against the innocent.
< / soapbox>
This post is supposed to be about numbers, right? I like numbers. No wibbly wobbly emotional stuff...
What worked:
The Dark Knight Rises
Though it hasn't broken any records and is still lagging behind its predecessor, TDKR has still been quite a successful summer blockbuster. Batman flew past his production budget after only nine days and just passed $300 million domestically, $550 million worldwide. Will it outgross The Dark Knight? I think so. But I doubt it has any chance of getting close to The Avengers' mammoth haul.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Like TDKR, Spidey is having a hard time living up to the box office successes of his previous incarnation. With only $244 million domestically, The Amazing Spider-Man is the lowest grossing film in the franchise by around $80 million. Hopefully these lower returns won't give Sony cold feet about The Amazing Spider-Man #2, because I really enjoyed Andrew Garfield's interpretation of the character (and even preferred it to Tobey Maquire's.)
Ted
If anyone doubted that Seth MacFarlane's crude and usually hilarious brand of humor would translate well from TV to the big screen, they were definitely mistaken. The $50 million comedy starring Marky Mark and Meg from Family Guy has already reached $195 million domestically, which may be enough for it to hold onto its title of highest grossing R rated comedy of 2012.
What didn't:
People Like Us
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci's attempt to break into the world of heartfelt dramas has unfortunately fallen flat. People Like Us grossed a depressing $9 million in July, bringing its total domestic haul to a mere $12 million, $4 million short of its production budget. Will the goodwill from the Transformers franchise continue to give Bob and Alex chances to pursue pet projects or will they be forever doomed to churn out mindless action drivel with robots in 3D?
The Watch
Here is a classic case of potential break-out R rated comedy gets mixed up in a PR nightmare, has its title and release date changed, and then barely makes more in its opening weekend than Let's watch a fourth movie about people who wish they could dance good so they can be famous like Channing Tatum.
< / soapbox>
This post is supposed to be about numbers, right? I like numbers. No wibbly wobbly emotional stuff...
What worked:
The Dark Knight Rises
Though it hasn't broken any records and is still lagging behind its predecessor, TDKR has still been quite a successful summer blockbuster. Batman flew past his production budget after only nine days and just passed $300 million domestically, $550 million worldwide. Will it outgross The Dark Knight? I think so. But I doubt it has any chance of getting close to The Avengers' mammoth haul.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Like TDKR, Spidey is having a hard time living up to the box office successes of his previous incarnation. With only $244 million domestically, The Amazing Spider-Man is the lowest grossing film in the franchise by around $80 million. Hopefully these lower returns won't give Sony cold feet about The Amazing Spider-Man #2, because I really enjoyed Andrew Garfield's interpretation of the character (and even preferred it to Tobey Maquire's.)
Ted
If anyone doubted that Seth MacFarlane's crude and usually hilarious brand of humor would translate well from TV to the big screen, they were definitely mistaken. The $50 million comedy starring Marky Mark and Meg from Family Guy has already reached $195 million domestically, which may be enough for it to hold onto its title of highest grossing R rated comedy of 2012.
What didn't:
People Like Us
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci's attempt to break into the world of heartfelt dramas has unfortunately fallen flat. People Like Us grossed a depressing $9 million in July, bringing its total domestic haul to a mere $12 million, $4 million short of its production budget. Will the goodwill from the Transformers franchise continue to give Bob and Alex chances to pursue pet projects or will they be forever doomed to churn out mindless action drivel with robots in 3D?
The Watch
Here is a classic case of potential break-out R rated comedy gets mixed up in a PR nightmare, has its title and release date changed, and then barely makes more in its opening weekend than Let's watch a fourth movie about people who wish they could dance good so they can be famous like Channing Tatum.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Box Office Review: June 2012
June is essentially over, but the box office is about to heat up as July looks to beat last July's $1.395 billion to replace it as the highest grossing month of all time.
It is still too early to call this weekend's releases hits or misses, although Ted and Magic Mike, which both look to open around $50 million, will definitely be better off than Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection and People Like Us. However, their success really depends on how well they hold up against two of the biggest films of the year: Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises.
But anyway, here's my box office scorecard for the month of June.
What worked:
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
With $170 million already in the bank domestically, the third outing of everybody's favorite group of talking former zoo animals is definitely going to outgross the first two installments' $193 and $180 million domestic grosses. I'm sure y'all are just as excited to find out where they'll end up in the next sequel...
Brave
Pixar's thirteenth film looks to continue the studio's remarkable $200 million track record. After this weekend the film should have a gross of $130 million domestically. It should continue to play well throughout the summer, considering that Merida's only family friendly, animated competitors are Madagascar 3, Ice Age 4 and ParaNorman. Madagascar 3 has a few weeks' head start, but Brave has a good chance of outgrossing it and The Lorax to become the highest grossing animated film of the year.
The Avengers
Joss Whedon sure is greedy these days. Breaking all of the records wasn't enough, so now he has to go and beat Titanic's original run of $600.8 million. Whedon's behemoth grossed $70 million this month, making him the second ever director of a $600 million domestic grossing film. Jim Cameron's response? Avatar 2, 3, and 4.
Moonrise Kingdom
Though released in May, Moonrise Kingdom didn't receive wide distribution until the last weekend of June. After an amazing opening weekend, Anderson's most recent film has continued on an impressive incline, and looks to finish out the month above its $16 million production budget.
What didn't:
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Steve Carell might be able to weather the end of days (I don't really know because I haven't seen it yet...) but he didn't do such a great job weathering the summer box office. Of all the films released in June in more than 1000 theaters, Seeking had the worst domestic opening weekend with almost $4 million. It will probably get close to its $10 million production budget, but has no chance of doing any better than that. Is Steve's star fading? I hope not, because he is one of my favorite comedic actors.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
I normally don't have complaints about films involving Tim Burton, but 2012 has been a tough year for him so far. From the reviews I have read about Lincoln, the biggest problem for the film was the decision to play it straight rather than going campy. (Ironically, I remember criticizing Burton's Dark Shadows for going too far in the opposite direction.) The result? A $70 million should-be blockbuster with a tiny $25 million domestic gross.
Rock of Ages & That's My Boy
Same release date, both recalling the 1980s, both with production budgets around $70 million, and both have currently grossed $30 million domestically. Bad investments? Probably. Worth discussing further? Not in my opinion.
Honorable Mention:
Prometheus
If you've read my reviews you know how much I liked Prometheus, so it makes me sad that it hasn't quite reached the blockbuster proportions that I feel it deserves. A domestic gross of $115 million is respectable, except for the fact that the film is Ridley Scott's return to the Alien universe and the science fiction genre. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, Prometheus currently has the third highest domestic gross of the franchise, behind Alien and Aliens, with $249 million and $181 million respectively. It's a little better knowing that the film's $260 million worldwide gross is double its production budget, and hopefully that will be enough to convince Fox to invest in a sequel.
It is still too early to call this weekend's releases hits or misses, although Ted and Magic Mike, which both look to open around $50 million, will definitely be better off than Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection and People Like Us. However, their success really depends on how well they hold up against two of the biggest films of the year: Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises.
But anyway, here's my box office scorecard for the month of June.
What worked:
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
With $170 million already in the bank domestically, the third outing of everybody's favorite group of talking former zoo animals is definitely going to outgross the first two installments' $193 and $180 million domestic grosses. I'm sure y'all are just as excited to find out where they'll end up in the next sequel...
Brave
Pixar's thirteenth film looks to continue the studio's remarkable $200 million track record. After this weekend the film should have a gross of $130 million domestically. It should continue to play well throughout the summer, considering that Merida's only family friendly, animated competitors are Madagascar 3, Ice Age 4 and ParaNorman. Madagascar 3 has a few weeks' head start, but Brave has a good chance of outgrossing it and The Lorax to become the highest grossing animated film of the year.
The Avengers
Joss Whedon sure is greedy these days. Breaking all of the records wasn't enough, so now he has to go and beat Titanic's original run of $600.8 million. Whedon's behemoth grossed $70 million this month, making him the second ever director of a $600 million domestic grossing film. Jim Cameron's response? Avatar 2, 3, and 4.
Moonrise Kingdom
Though released in May, Moonrise Kingdom didn't receive wide distribution until the last weekend of June. After an amazing opening weekend, Anderson's most recent film has continued on an impressive incline, and looks to finish out the month above its $16 million production budget.
What didn't:
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Steve Carell might be able to weather the end of days (I don't really know because I haven't seen it yet...) but he didn't do such a great job weathering the summer box office. Of all the films released in June in more than 1000 theaters, Seeking had the worst domestic opening weekend with almost $4 million. It will probably get close to its $10 million production budget, but has no chance of doing any better than that. Is Steve's star fading? I hope not, because he is one of my favorite comedic actors.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
I normally don't have complaints about films involving Tim Burton, but 2012 has been a tough year for him so far. From the reviews I have read about Lincoln, the biggest problem for the film was the decision to play it straight rather than going campy. (Ironically, I remember criticizing Burton's Dark Shadows for going too far in the opposite direction.) The result? A $70 million should-be blockbuster with a tiny $25 million domestic gross.
Rock of Ages & That's My Boy
Same release date, both recalling the 1980s, both with production budgets around $70 million, and both have currently grossed $30 million domestically. Bad investments? Probably. Worth discussing further? Not in my opinion.
Honorable Mention:
Prometheus
If you've read my reviews you know how much I liked Prometheus, so it makes me sad that it hasn't quite reached the blockbuster proportions that I feel it deserves. A domestic gross of $115 million is respectable, except for the fact that the film is Ridley Scott's return to the Alien universe and the science fiction genre. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, Prometheus currently has the third highest domestic gross of the franchise, behind Alien and Aliens, with $249 million and $181 million respectively. It's a little better knowing that the film's $260 million worldwide gross is double its production budget, and hopefully that will be enough to convince Fox to invest in a sequel.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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.
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.
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