June 2012 was quite a remarkable month, with five movies opening to over $50 million on their debuts...
Despite some close battles, it was animated threequel Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted that ended up being the winner for the month with $176.5 million in 23 days. The animated hit is outperforming expectations and is now the biggest-grossing installment of the franchise, as well as the second $200 million movie this year for animation.
Coming in second place for June was Snow White and the Huntsman, which picked up a solid $144.3 million in its' first month of release. That is a strong figure for a fairy tale adaptation, and the fantasy tentpole is looking to finish its' run near $160 million.
In its' first nine days in theaters, Brave tallied an exceptional $121.4 million, enough to claim third place for June. The movie is at least set to finish with around $230 million, with $250 million still a possibility if it can sustain well through Labor Day. Should that happen, and Brave would be Pixar's fifth-biggest movie ever, behind Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo, Up, and The Incredibles.
Ridley Scott's Prometheus wound up in fourth place for June with a good $116.7 million in 23 days. The R-rated pic has been performing in line with expectations. Rounding out the Top 5 was May holdover Men in Black III, which also fared pretty well with $85.8 million, or roughly half of its' current $173 million total.
In terms of new releases, Ted would be in fifth place with a huge $38.5 million in just its' first two days. In terms of May holdovers, Men in Black III tops followed by The Avengers ($72.7 million), which finished in sixth place for the month of June. The next-strongest holdover from May would be limited release The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which ended up in 13th place for the month with $19.2 million.
Total revenue for June 2012 added up to $1.055 billion, which is up from last June, but down from the record $1.087 billion posted in June 2009. So far, 2012's total gross stands at $5.41 billion, up 9.6% from the first half of 2011, and up 0.9% from the first half of 2010. Disney currently leads all studios with over $1 billion in total grosses thus far, with Sony/Columbia in second with just over $900 million and Universal in third with $880 million. Those studios along with Warner Bros. (who ranks fourth with $660 million so far but sure to get a boost from The Dark Knight Rises) are expected to reach the $1 billion mark. Due to the enormous success of The Hunger Games, Lionsgate is ahead of both Paramount and Fox on the list.
