Box office still is set to be up from last year...
The Avengers dropped 64% to an estimated $29.1 million. That may sound steep, but its' actually pretty solid for a superhero flick, being on par with The Dark Knight and slightly better than Thor. The film has earned a strong $299.1 million in eight days, and will pass the $300 million mark in a record nine days. Based on similar trajectories, the film could earn anywhere between $85 and $110 million for the weekend, shattering the highest-grossing second weekend of all-time, formerly held by Avatar's $75.6 million. Right now, I'm going to say Avengers will wind up with $95 million for its' second weekend.
Debuting in second place was Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's latest collaboration, Dark Shadows, which earned an OK estimated $9.7 million on Friday. Now considering that was in the face of Avengers, that's not a terrible number, but it isn't great either, considering that Alice in Wonderland opened four times higher on its' debut Friday (though it was expected for the film to not gross nearly as much). It also will mean that the film will come in below expectations, as analysts were forecasting a mid-30's millions debut. Audiences gave it mixed reception, with a B- CinemaScore, which means it probably won't show good legs. Look for a debut of roughly $30 million, and then solid results overseas.
Think Like a Man came in third place on its' fourth Friday, down 38% to an estimated $1.6 million, in what should be a $5.5 million weekend. The Lucky One slid 34% to an estimated $1.3 million, and in its' eighth weekend, The Hunger Games eased just 25% to an estimated $1.2 million. Both films are in line for $4 million weekends.
Weekend studio estimates coming tomorrow evening...
