Box office will be down from last year, only the second time this year its' happened...and is it just me, or is Hollywood starting to get super-concerned about the rest of the summer?
The Avengers will hold onto #1 for a third-straight weekend, and held very well with a 45% Friday-to-Friday decline to an estimated $16 million. Based on recent trajectories, the film is headed for a $55 million third weekend, where it will have earned an exceptional $457 million in just 17 days.
Battleship unfortunately is going to join the ranks of John Carter and Dark Shadows as one of the years' biggest domestic disappointments. After earning an underwhelming $420,000 at midnight showings, the action-war epic/board-game adaptation earned just an estimated $9 million on Friday, on par with both of those titles. With negative buzz and strange marketing, it made sense why it didn't fare well. The film was a bit more positively recieved by audiences, earning a "B" CinemaScore, but that doesn't normally translate into legs. The film will likely close with around $28-$30 million for the weekend.
The Dictator opened in third, as expected, with an estimated $5.8 million on Friday, which was down from both Borat and Bruno's opening days. It had already opened on Wednesday, and since then, it has earned $12.8 million. Audiences didn't like it though despite generally positive critical reception, giving it a "C" CinemaScore. Look for a $15 million 3-day weekend and $22 million since Wednesday, both on par with expectations.
Fourth place is going to be a battle between What To Expect When You're Expecting and Dark Shadows. Expecting narrowly beat it on Friday with an estimated $3.9 million. The pregnancy comedy is probably going to have to settle for a $12 million weekend, below expectations. Shadows plunged 60% from last Friday to an estimated $3.8 million, and should also clock in with around $12 million.
Check back tomorrow afternoon for weekend studio estimates....
