Overall box office was once again up from last year...
Becoming the first movie of 2012 to hold the top spot for two weeks straight, Dr. Suess' The Lorax held OK for an animated blockbuster. The book adaptation dropped 45% to $38.8 million, for a per-theater average of a solid $10,370 from around 4,200 screens at 3,746 theaters, and has picked up a solid $121.7 million tally in 10 days. It passed the $100 million mark on its' ninth day, becoming the third film of the year to reach that mark, and today it passed Safe House and The Vow to claim first place for the year by far. The second weekend drop was in line with Horton Hears A Who and Despicable Me, though due to stronger summer weekdays, Lorax is now only about $4 million ahead of Despicable through the same point. With no new family films until Mirror Mirror on March 30th, Lorax should easily become the first animated movie since Tangled to pass the $200 million mark stateside.
Meanwhile, John Carter took second place, and was unable to do well with audiences, earning $30.2 million, for a per-theater average of a good $8,050 from 3,749 theaters. Among recent action adventures, the opening was the same as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time's three-day start, which would go on to gross $90 million stateside. Unfortunately for Carter, while it did reach Disney's expectations, it carries a huge $250 million pricetag, something that certainly won't happen stateside. But don't count it as a failure just yet, the film recieved a good "B+" CinemaScore from audiences, and it earned a massive $70 million overseas this weekend. Its' possible that international numbers could help save it, and even with mixed critical reception, it still out-performed some analysts' weaker expectations. Still though, the film didn't become the blockbuster that Disney was hoping for.
Project X slid one spot to third with a decent hold, down 47% to $11.1 million, for a 10-day total of $39.7 million. The found-footage party flick is looking for a finish in the $60 million range. Act of Valor followed with a 48% drop to $7 million, for a 17-day gross of $56.1 million, on its' way to a $65-$70 million finish.
Horror flick Silent House debuted in fifth place with an estimated $6.7 million, in line with expectations and averaging a forgettable $3,136 from 2,124 theaters. No budget information is currently available, but audiences despised the quiet thriller with a "F" CinemaScore (which was the same grade The Devil Inside recieved), which is certainly not a good sign for legs in the next few weeks.
That leaves Eddie Murphy's comedy A Thousand Words in sixth place, with $6.2 million, for a per-theater average of a weak $3,268 from 1,890 theaters. That was right in line with distributor Paramount Pictures' expectations, but still disappointing for a film starring Murphy. In recent films, this one opened slightly ahead of Imagine That and Meet Dave, and audiences were mixed on this one, giving it a "B-" CinemaScore despite critics slapping it with negative reviews. With a $40 million budget, there's no way this is going to hit that mark, but at least it won't be as costly as John Carter.
Safe House followed with another strong hold, down 35% to $4.8 million for a $115.6 million gross in one month of release. The Denzel Washington film is looking for a finish north of $120 million and rank second to American Gangster among his biggest-grossing films ever. The Vow continued to take in date audiences even a month after Valentine's Day, down 36% to $3.8 million, for a $117.5 million gross in the same amount of time and is also headed for the same field as Safe House.
This Means War held onto a Top 10 spot for one more weekend, as the action romance comedy dipped 32% to $3.8 million, for a $46.9 million gross in 24 days. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island wasn't far behind, rounding out the Top 10 with a 45% drop to $3.6 million, for a $90.6 million gross since its' opening one month ago. It also has grossed over $280 million worldwide.
Overall box office was up 5.5% from last year when sci-fi alien invasion flick Battle: Los Angeles debuted on top with a solid $35.6 million, on its' way to nearly $85 million domestically and nearly $215 million worldwide. Rango dropped to second, with a 41% ease to $22.6 million, while Amanda Seyfried adventure flick Red Riding Hood debuted to mixed results in third, grossing $14 million. The film would be a disappointment, earning just north of $35 million stateside. The Adjustment Bureau slipped 45% to the fourth spot with $11.6 million, and Disney suffered a major misfire with motion capture animated film Mars Needs Moms, which landed in fifth place with just $6.9 million, on its' way to just over $20 million domestically.
Here is the final Top 10:
# Movie Final Numbers Studio Estimates My Prediction
1 Dr. Suess' The Lorax $38,846,020 $39,100,000 $40,000,000
2 John Carter $30,180,188 $30,603,000 $32,000,000
3 Project X $11,142,103 $11,550,000 $11,500,000
4 Act of Valor $6,991,877 $7,000,000 $7,000,000
5 Silent House $6,661,234 $7,010,000 $8,500,000
6 A Thousand Words $6,176,280 $6,350,000 $6,000,000
7 Safe House $4,801,510 $5,000,000 $4,000,000
8 The Vow $3,842,485 $4,000,000 ----
9 This Means War $3,756,060 $3,750,000 $3,500,000
10 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island $3,611,388 $3,685,000 $4,500,000
Here is the final Top 10:
# Movie Final Numbers Studio Estimates My Prediction
1 Dr. Suess' The Lorax $38,846,020 $39,100,000 $40,000,000
2 John Carter $30,180,188 $30,603,000 $32,000,000
3 Project X $11,142,103 $11,550,000 $11,500,000
4 Act of Valor $6,991,877 $7,000,000 $7,000,000
5 Silent House $6,661,234 $7,010,000 $8,500,000
6 A Thousand Words $6,176,280 $6,350,000 $6,000,000
7 Safe House $4,801,510 $5,000,000 $4,000,000
8 The Vow $3,842,485 $4,000,000 ----
9 This Means War $3,756,060 $3,750,000 $3,500,000
10 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island $3,611,388 $3,685,000 $4,500,000
