2012 is off to a rocking start, with January performing ahead of last year. But February, which usually is a weak month at the box office, had many of its' titles overperform, in what resulted as the biggest-grossing February of ALL-TIME!! Total grosses are estimated to come in at an estimated $807 million, up 19% from 2011 and up 6.5% from 2010, and considering that month was boosted by the still-surging Avatar, we're talking about the impossible just about being accomplished here!!
For the first time ever in February, which is usually led by a holdover, all films in the Top 5 were February releases. In fact, the top-grossing holdover was The Grey, which slotted in ninth place for the month with $27.8 million, with the three-month-old (and winner of Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars) The Descendants being the next-strongest holdover in 12th place with $19 million.
Out of all the strong February releases, romantic drama The Vow took first with $104.2 million (estimated), which marks the first time a February movie grossed $100 million by the end of the month since 2005's Hitch and performing way ahead of expectations. It is the first film of the year to reach that mark domestically, and is expected to reach the $120 million plateau by the time it leaves theaters. It was also the first Screen Gems movie to reach that mark.
Action thriller Safe House was second with $99 million (estimated), just short of being the second February movie to gross $100 million in a month since 2005. But still, its' the second-biggest Denzel Washington film ever behind American Gangster, which it could still pass by the time it leaves theaters, and is performing way ahead of expectations.
The month's biggest surprise landed in third, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island denied all expectations with a strong $77.7 million in three weeks of release. Considering the fact that family sequels don't do well usually, this is very impressive. It also has become the years' biggest international hit at nearly $240 million worldwide, passing its' predecessor on the overseas front. Its' also running nearly $3 million ahead of Gnomeo and Juliet through the same point, which should help it finish above $100 million stateside.
Super Bowl Weekend releases Chronicle and The Woman in Black charted in fourth and fifth for the month, with strong grosses of $58.6 million and $50.9 million since their openings nearly a month ago. Running way ahead of expectations, they helped Super Bowl Weekend have two new releases earning more than $20 million each for the first time ever.
February was a month of milestones too. Despite being in sixth place for the month and somewhat underperforming compared to expectations, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (3D), with $40.8 million, jumped its' lifetime gross back into the Top 5 highest-grossing domestic films of all-time, and helped push its' worldwide lifetime gross past the $1 billion milestone, and in the process passing The Dark Knight to break into the Top 10 all-time biggest-grossing films worldwide.
So far, in two months, the total yearly box office has grossed an estimated $1.63 billion, up 13.3% from 2011, but still down 10.2% from 2010...but compared to last year, 2012 is so far heading in a positive direction...
