The box office top 10 was up about $7 million from last year with two of the three new or expanding releases exceeding initial expectations and thanks in part to the Oscar nominations given out on Thursday. Moderate box office bumps were received by top 10 films Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook, and Argo was also on the receiving end of a solid bump in its 621 theater run. Nominees Django Unchained and Les Miserables continued to play well with audiences. With 41 days until the Academy Awards, I think we’ll continue to see the nominated films do relatively well.
As for the weekends new or expanding releases, all three finished in the top 3 spots. The most disappointing performance of the three films came from Gangster Squad, which ended the weekend in third place. Earning a ‘B+’ Cinemascore,Gangster Squad got off to a strong start on Friday, but dropped slightly on Saturday and then significantly on Sunday. The 4 month delay in releasing the movie may have added to the reason for the film under-performing, but having seen the movie I’ll tell you it’s because it wasn’t all that good.
Performing exceedingly well and finishing in the #2 spot was Marlon Wayans’ A Haunted House. The film earned a ‘B-’ Cinemascore, which doesn’t bode well for its word of mouth buzz, but these types of movies tend to hang around and draw in big crowds. Again, having seen the movie…it’s not all that good and is worth a rental and that’s about it.
The number one film of the weekend, in it’s third weekend of release but its first opening nationwide was Zero Dark Thirty. The film earned an ‘A-’ Cinemascore, and although robbed of a Best Director nomination it did receive a Best Picture nod among its five Oscar nominations. I’ve long felt and continue to feel that this is a movie that audiences want to see; controversy aside. Based on this weekend, I think that it’s safe to say that I was right about that.
Here’s how the top 10 fared:
Box Office Recap
| RANK | TITLE | WEEKEND TOTAL | JOE’S PREDICTION | DOMESTIC TOTAL | WORLDWIDE TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zero Dark Thirty | $24,000,000 (Estimated) +790.2% |
$27,000,000 | $29,481,000 (Estimated) |
$32,581,000 (Estimated) |
| 2 | A Haunted House | $18,817,000 (Estimated) |
$15,000,000 | $18,817,000 (Estimated) |
$18,817,000 (Estimated) |
| 3 | Gangster Squad | $16,710,000 (Estimated) |
$23,000,000 | $16,710,000 (Estimated) |
$16,710,000 (Estimated) |
| 4 | Django Unchained | $11,065,000 (Estimated) -44.7% |
$12,400,000 | $125,399,000 (Estimated) |
$125,399,000 (Estimated) |
| 5 | Les Miserables | $10,127,000 (Estimated) -36.8% |
$10,400,000 | $119,206,000 (Estimated) |
$238,406,000 (Estimated) |
| 6 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey |
$9,080,000 (Estimated) -48.2% |
$10,500,000 | $278,124,000 (Estimated) |
$840,924,000 (Estimated) |
| 7 | Lincoln | $6,314,000 (Estimated) +16.6% |
N/A | $152,579,000 (Estimated) |
$152,579,000 (Estimated) |
| 8 | Parental Guidance | $6,100,000 (Estimated) -37.1% |
$6,100,000 | $60,650,000 (Estimated) |
$76,350,000 (Estimated) |
| 9 | Texas Chainsaw (3D) | $5,150,000 (Estimated) -76.3% |
$7,500,000 | $30,752,000 (Estimated) |
$30,752,000 (Estimated) |
| 10 | Silver Linings Playbook | $4,312,000 (Estimated) +38.2% |
N/A | $41,306,000 (Estimated) |
$53,864,219 (Estimated) |
The Box Office Prediction Game – Week #1 results
In the second weekend of the Box Office Prediction Game, the boys at Movie Mavericks really kicked some ass. Jason won the weekend, followed closely by Trevor. Shane of Film Rehab was the big loser of the weekend, knocking himself way down into 5th place. Remaining in last place is yours truly….
Here are the week #2 standings
*At the time of this posting, the box office numbers were only estimates. The standings and numbers will be updated Monday evening, after the actual numbers are released
| Zero Dark Thirty $24,000,000 (Estimated) |
Gangster Squad $16,710,000 (Estimated) |
A Haunted House $18,817,000 (Estimated) |
Weekend Total | Yearly Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe | $27,000,000 | $23,000,000 | $15,000,000 | $13.1 | $26.8 |
| Nick The Cinematic Katzenjammer |
$15,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $12.5 | $21.2 |
| Daniel Daniel’s Film Reviews |
$23,500,000 | $21,000,000 | $10,500,000 | $13.1 | $24.8 |
| Shane Film Rehab |
$12,000,000 | $13,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $17.9 | $26.6 |
| Trevor Movie Mavericks |
$26,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $7.1 | $10.8* |
| Jason Movie Mavericks |
$22,000,000 | $18,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $5.5 | $11.2* |
| *No prediction made for Promised Land |
4 Readers Commented
Join discussion