As expected, Matt Damon's sci-fi flick Elysium topped the box office with a middling debut. The R-rated pic from the director of District 9 earned $29.8 million, for a per-venue average of a fairly solid $9,077 from 3,284 locations. Altogether, District 9 did open in line with what I expected, but it fell short of what other analysts had expected, which had pegged a $35 million opening. Also, the film fell quite short of District 9's $37 million debut back around this time four years ago. Critical reception was solid, but unspectacular, while audiences were a bit mixed, giving it a "B" CinemaScore. It looks like this may be another misfire for Sony in what has been a tough summer for them, as the budget was a lower-than-usual but still high $115 million. Overseas has started out great though, so it may wind up reaping solid profits, but with it likely to miss $100 million in the U.S., its' still a bit of disappointment. Released through TriStar, Sony was expecting around $35 million.Arguably the biggest winner this weekend goes to the R-rated comedy We're The Millers, which took second place. The Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis flick earned a strong $26.4 million over the three-day frame, for a five-day total of a strong $37.9 million. For the weekend, the per-theater average was a great $8,104. The five-day start edged out previous Sudeikis-Aniston team-up Horrible Bosses, which earned $36.1 million in its' first five days. Warner Bros. aggressively marketed this film, and has earned yet another strong hit this summer after The Great Gatsby, Man of Steel, The Conjuring and even Pacific Rim (on a worldwide scale). The budget was $37 million, which means this will be a cash cow for the studio. Analysts had ranged projections between $25 and $35 million for the five-day stretch. Reviews were negative, but audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore, which portends to solid legs the rest of the month. Millers may wind up as August 2013's only $100+ million grosser.
Debuting in third place with solid results was Disney's final entry for the summer, Planes. Originally supposed to go direct-to-DVD, the animated entry debuted to $22.3 million, for a per-venue average of a decent $6,005 (with a low 20% of sales being in 3D). Planes was expected to debut a bit higher by analysts, but I am actually surprised it did this well. For one, it was opening at the end of a six (or seven)-film long family glut, and it just didn't look extremely appealing. But Disney did a great job marketing it, and it seemed like families did return somewhat (though not enough to break the so-called "curse"). The film was a wing higher than Turbo's $21.3 million debut and The Smurfs 2's $17.5 million 3-day openings, though its' likely Planes will wind up below Turbo's five-day start ($31 million). However, one spot that makes this opening a success is that its' budget was just $50 million. Combine that with no competition until late-September, and Disney should be very happy with the end result. A sequel, Fire and Rescue, has been set for next July, and this opening will justify that films' release. Planes had the biggest opening ever for an animated film in August, and Disney was projecting a $25 million debut. Despite negative reviews, audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
With the crowded marketplace, it was hard for the final new release, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters to really stand out. The fantasy sequel debuted a bit less than expected, with $14.4 million over the three-day stretch and $23.3 million since Wednesday. The three-day was just half of what The Lightning Thief earned in its' first three days three and a half years ago, and the five-day start was $15 million behind its' first five days. It seemed kinda surprising that Sea of Monsters actually existed, as the first one only did so-so business (overseas did earn $150 million though). But here it is, and its' only opening to levels other family live-action movies have done in late-summer. Audiences did like what they saw, giving it a "B+" CinemaScore, despite negative reviews. Overseas numbers have started rolling in, and distributor Fox, who hasn't had a great summer either, is reporting they are bigger than the last one. No other PG-rated competition for the next month and a half should at least have Percy Jackson hold well in the weeks ahead, but the budget was $90 million, which will be nearly impossible to reach. Fox was projecting between $20 and $25 million for the five-day frame.Following its' solid debut last weekend, 2 Guns was affected by the new releases, and plunged 58% to $11.2 million, for a 10-day gross of a less-than-great $48.6 million. Look for a final gross in the $70 million range, which wouldn't be amazing, but still ahead of its' budget. The Smurfs 2 failed to stabilize (strangely, no kids movies' experienced Saturday bumps this weekend), and was down 47% to $9.3 million, for a poor $46.5 million 12-day gross. Provided it holds through Labor Day at this point, the sequel will probably not go much further than $75 million, or around half of its' predecessor. Overseas will save it, though.
The Wolverine lost over 1,000 screens and dropped 62% to $8 million, for a $112 million 17-day gross. The X-Men spin-off became the 19th flick of 2013 to pass the century mark, and should finish in the $130-$135 million range, though that will be the lowest gross to date for a movie in that particular franchise (the opposite overseas, however). The Conjuring continued to hold better than usual for a horror flick, off 49% to $6.6 million, for a strong $120.7 million gross in 24 days, and should finish in the same range.
Even with a new competitor, Despicable Me 2 continued to perform strong in what will likely be its' final weekend in the Top 10. The animated blockbuster was down 42% to $5.9 million, and has earned a huge $338.5 million in 39 days. Worldwide, it has earned nearly $750 million. Rounding out the Top 10 was Grown-Ups 2, which was off 54% to $3.6 million, but has picked up a fairly strong $123.8 million in one month of release, and will add another $10 million or so before its' done.
Overseas, The Smurfs 2 came out on top with $34.6 million from most markets. With $160 million worldwide so far, Smurfs 2 won't come anywhere near its' predecessor's $560 million worldwide gross, though it should still earn $350-$400 million worldwide. Pacific Rim is becoming an overseas hit, with another $33 million from most markets (and becoming Warner Bros. biggest film yet in China). Worldwide, it has earned nearly $350 million, and should wind up above $400 million. The Wolverine added $18 million from 95% of the foreign marketplace (Japan is the last to open), for a $310 million worldwide gross so far. The Lone Ranger expanded into most other markets, but only managed $14.5 million for a worldwide gross of $190 million so far, on its' way to perhaps matching its' $250 million production budget. Now You See Me is becoming a hit overseas, earning another $13.3 million after expanding to Australia, and is at over $250 million worldwide so far (rounding out the Top 5).
