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.
Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts
Saturday, June 30, 2012
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.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Avengers, Part 2
The Avengers (2012)
Directed by Joss Whedon
So I just got home from seeing The Avengers with the girlfriend. Don't worry, I won't be posting any spoilers in my review.
We arrived at the theater around 9 pm. We waited in line outside the theater for an hour while Lockout finished its last show of the night before being seated. The next two hours passed quickly as the theater filled to capacity. Then the commercials and trailers began, only three of which are worth mentioning. First was the final Dark Knight Rises trailer, which commanded the most silence I have ever witnessed while watching a trailer in the theater. Second was one of the original trailers for Prometheus, not quite as interesting as the most recent international trailer, but still amazing. Lastly was an Amazing Spiderman trailer which I had not seen before. And then the Avengers assembled.
To be honest, I was less than excited about this film to begin with. I was skeptical of how well Joss would meld all of the previous films, all of the characters, and all of the mythologies into one cohesive and engaging story. While the film was by no means perfect, I am definitely convinced that my doubts were unfounded.
So what did I like the most about it, you ask?
The effects were awesome, there was enough action to fill ten blog posts, and ScarJo is HOT (and luckily not Jossed, but I'm not saying who is). But my absolute favorite part of the film is something that Joss is know best for: character interactions. Not the times when everybody is together delivering exposition to the audience though. The moments that, in my opinion, make the movie more than just a summer tentpole actiony popcorn flick are the small moments, the one-liners between characters at the most random and unexpected times which truly reveal the characters' identities, even as the end of the world is potentially swirling around them. The moments are quirky, original, and last only a few seconds each, but they make the characters immensely relateable, which is quite an accomplishment when the characters are superheros battling aliens who have come to enslave the earth.
I have to be a little nitpicky though.
Ironically, since my favorite part of the film was some of its dialogue, the part that disappointed me the most was also some of the dialogue. Without going into specifics, majority of the dialogue in the beginning of the film is overly expository. Granted, there is a lot of information and backstory to be assimilated, but I feel that it could have been worked in to be less obvious. Also, a few of the actors seemed to do less-than-stellar line readings for parts of the film. Overall the dialogue was well delivered, but there were a few times where the line readings were distractingly stiff. Lastly, the 3D conversion didn't do much for me. I don't know if it was just me, the projector, or just a bad conversion, but at times the images didn't fully line up, especially on the sides of the frame. It didn't ruin the film for me, but it pulled me out of the moment. The main point of 3D is to enhance the experience, but all too often it becomes yet another distraction.
The Final Word:
Go see it. It is a fun, action packed film, perfect for viewing in a crowded theater, although if you didn't see it tonight you definitely missed out on a good experience.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Viewed 12:01 am, May 4, 2012
Directed by Joss Whedon
So I just got home from seeing The Avengers with the girlfriend. Don't worry, I won't be posting any spoilers in my review.
To be honest, I was less than excited about this film to begin with. I was skeptical of how well Joss would meld all of the previous films, all of the characters, and all of the mythologies into one cohesive and engaging story. While the film was by no means perfect, I am definitely convinced that my doubts were unfounded.
So what did I like the most about it, you ask?
The effects were awesome, there was enough action to fill ten blog posts, and ScarJo is HOT (and luckily not Jossed, but I'm not saying who is). But my absolute favorite part of the film is something that Joss is know best for: character interactions. Not the times when everybody is together delivering exposition to the audience though. The moments that, in my opinion, make the movie more than just a summer tentpole actiony popcorn flick are the small moments, the one-liners between characters at the most random and unexpected times which truly reveal the characters' identities, even as the end of the world is potentially swirling around them. The moments are quirky, original, and last only a few seconds each, but they make the characters immensely relateable, which is quite an accomplishment when the characters are superheros battling aliens who have come to enslave the earth.
I have to be a little nitpicky though.
Ironically, since my favorite part of the film was some of its dialogue, the part that disappointed me the most was also some of the dialogue. Without going into specifics, majority of the dialogue in the beginning of the film is overly expository. Granted, there is a lot of information and backstory to be assimilated, but I feel that it could have been worked in to be less obvious. Also, a few of the actors seemed to do less-than-stellar line readings for parts of the film. Overall the dialogue was well delivered, but there were a few times where the line readings were distractingly stiff. Lastly, the 3D conversion didn't do much for me. I don't know if it was just me, the projector, or just a bad conversion, but at times the images didn't fully line up, especially on the sides of the frame. It didn't ruin the film for me, but it pulled me out of the moment. The main point of 3D is to enhance the experience, but all too often it becomes yet another distraction.
The Final Word:
Go see it. It is a fun, action packed film, perfect for viewing in a crowded theater, although if you didn't see it tonight you definitely missed out on a good experience.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Viewed 12:01 am, May 4, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
May 2012 Preview!
Here is a quick list of the films I plan to see in the month of May:
The Avengers
Duh. We already have tickets to see the midnight release.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Sounds a little odd, but check out the trailer. Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and the kid from Slumdog Millionaire star in a quirky British comedy. What more could you want?
Dark Shadows
Burton + Depp = almost every good film ever made. Amiright?
Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson. Need I say more?
Fish Tank and Melancholia
Two films I missed out on during their theatrical releases which are now on Netflix.
One tells the story of an angry teenaged Londoner who treats the world the same way it treats her. Co-starring Michael Fassbender and a horse (insert inappropriate joke here).
The other tells the story of an angry woman whose wedding day gets overshadowed by the end of days. Not your typical angry bride film though, as it is directed by the previously mentioned Lars von Trier.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Yes I saw it in the theater, but I've been needing to practice being patient. And Gary Oldman should win the Best Badass in Glasses Oscar every year.
That's about all that I can think of for now.
Have a suggestion of a film for me to watch? Please share below!
The Avengers
Duh. We already have tickets to see the midnight release.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Sounds a little odd, but check out the trailer. Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and the kid from Slumdog Millionaire star in a quirky British comedy. What more could you want?
Dark Shadows
Burton + Depp = almost every good film ever made. Amiright?
Moonrise Kingdom
Wes Anderson. Need I say more?
Fish Tank and Melancholia
Two films I missed out on during their theatrical releases which are now on Netflix.
One tells the story of an angry teenaged Londoner who treats the world the same way it treats her. Co-starring Michael Fassbender and a horse (insert inappropriate joke here).
The other tells the story of an angry woman whose wedding day gets overshadowed by the end of days. Not your typical angry bride film though, as it is directed by the previously mentioned Lars von Trier.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Yes I saw it in the theater, but I've been needing to practice being patient. And Gary Oldman should win the Best Badass in Glasses Oscar every year.
That's about all that I can think of for now.
Have a suggestion of a film for me to watch? Please share below!
The Avengers
The Avengers (2012)
Directed by Joss Whedon
Waiting (not as) anxiously (as my girlfriend) for the midnight premier.
We bought tickets about a year ago.
Will it be awesome?
Will it be another $250 million flop?
Will ScarJo get Jossed?
Will Loki look less ridiculous?
Will I fall asleep 2/3 of the way through?
Only time will tell!
What about The Avengers excites you the most?
Sound off below!
To be viewed May 4, 2012.
Directed by Joss Whedon
We bought tickets about a year ago.
Will it be awesome?
Will it be another $250 million flop?
Will ScarJo get Jossed?
Will Loki look less ridiculous?
Will I fall asleep 2/3 of the way through?
Only time will tell!
What about The Avengers excites you the most?
Sound off below!
To be viewed May 4, 2012.
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