It was a very disappointing weekend at the box office. No film grossed over $25 million this weekend. That has not happened since the weekend of April 17 when 17 Again opened at #1 with $23.7 million. Here’s what happened:
People did not turn out to see Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow’s latest film. Funny People’s numbers were uncharacteristically low for Sandler films, though it’s not fair to judge Apatow as this is only his third film. Funny People debuted at #1 with $23.4 million [I predicted $38 million] and a per theatre average of only $7,288. The film got decent but not great reviews, but people do not like Sandler when he is dramas. They want to see him laugh. Give the man credit for taking on a more serious part, and trying to play against type, but audience want to see him make us laugh, not cry. It’s a hard film to sell because it’s more of a drama than a comedy, but the ads clearly focus on the humour. The word of mouth might have doomed it, or people were not that interested in the film to begin with. Having the distinction of being the summer’s lowest grossing opening weekend for a #1 film is never a good thing. Funny People has to be considered a disappointment.
In 2nd place is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Retaining the number two position [I predicted it would be the #3 film] for the 2nd straight weekend, the film dropped a respectable 39.9% [lowest in the top 5] and grossed $17.7 million [I predicted $11.7 million]. Its overall gross stands at $255.4 million dollars. It is currently the 4th highest grossing film of the year, and by Monday or Tuesday it will become the 3rd highest.
Dropping from 1st to 3rd is G-Force. The story of guerrilla guinea pigs dropped 46.2% for a gross of $17 million. Its total gross stands at $66.4 million [I predicted $14.2 million, and for it to be the #2 film]. The hold is good, so we’ll see if word of mouth continues to drive this film because it will face some competition next weekend in the form of another task force.
In 4th place, with the highest percentage drop-off of films in the top 5 with 52.9% is The Ugly Truth. The Gerard Butler//Katherine Heigl romantic comedy grossed $13 million [I predicted $11 million]. The drop-off is high because this is film that appeals to the dating crowd and adults, so those type of films usually have stronger holds and play longer. The $100 million mark is now out of the question, but I think it will finish better than Katherine Heigl’s 27 Dresses which grossed $76 million.
Rounding out the top 5 was Aliens in the Attic. The film had a dismal per theatre average of $2,511 and a gross of $7.8 million [I predicted $8 million]. What makes this gross embarrassing is that the film was launched in 3,106 theatres, so it had the studio support behind it. This film will fade from theatres very quickly and hope to make some money on DVD
Once again, here are my predictions:
1) Funny People – $38 million
2) G-Force – $14.2 million
3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – $11.7 million
4) The Ugly Truth – $11 million
5) Aliens in the Attic – $8 million
Here are the final numbers:
1) Funny People – $23.4 million
2) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – $17.7 million
3) G-Force – $17 million
4) The Ugly Truth – $13 million
5) Aliens in the Attic – $7.8 million
Next week brings us G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, so we’ll see how the live-screen version of this franchise does. Come back on Friday to read my predictions.
