For the 7th weekend in a row, Avatar fought off all challengers and remained the #1 film at the box office. Here’s how everything broke down.
Avatar was #1 with a gross of $30 million (I predicted a gross of $27.92 million, and for it to be the #1 film). The James Cameron blockbuster had a per theatre average of $9,759, which was once again the highest per theatre average in the top ten. Avatar was down only 14.1% from last weekend (which was an even smaller percentage drop than the previous weekend), and set a record for the highest seventh weekend gross of all-time. With this weekend’s gross, Avatar remains the #2 film all-time in domestic gross. It is already the #1 international and worldwide film of all-time. Here are the numbers:
DOMESTIC GROSS
1) Titanic – $600.7 million
2) Avatar – $594.5 million
INTERNATIONAL GROSS
1) Avatar – $1.444 billion
2) Titanic – $1.242 billion
WORLDWIDE GROSS
1) Avatar – $2.039 billion
2) Titanic – $1.842 billion
Also of note, only two films have been #1 for seven straight weeks since 1997. Those two films are Titanic and Avatar. It’s funny in retrospect to think about the buzz leading up to the film, which was that there was no way Avatar would reach the Titanic levels of success.
Opening in 2nd place with decent results was Edge of Darkness with a gross of $17.1 million (I predicted a 2nd place finish and a gross of $22 million). I would think that most everyone involved was happy with the outcome, as reviews were mixed and Mel had not headlined a film in many years. It had a per theatre average of $5,584, which is all right, but shows me that this film will not be around for the long term. It may have some trouble making back its reported $80 million budget.
Debuting in 3rd place with disappointing results is the romantic comedy When In Rome with a gross of $12.1 million (I predicted a 3rd place finish and a gross of $12 million). The film had a per theatre average of $4,912, and anytime a wide release debuts with a per theatre average that is less than $5,000, you know that the film is an underperformer. I still question why the film was not released on Valentine’s Day weekend, but it is easier to play armchair quarterback then to make the decisions.
I did all right with my top three predictions, but now I run into some trouble. Staying in 4th place is the comedy The Tooth Fairy with a gross of $10 million (I did not make a prediction on this film as I did not think it would be in the top five this weekend). The Tooth Fairy held up amazingly well in its second weekend as it was only down 28.6% from last weekend. It’s per theatre average of $2,990 was not as strong. I’m very very surprised that the film held up this well, but it once again shows me that I underestimate the power of the family film. The total gross after two weeks stands at $26.1 million.
Rounding out the top five is The Book of Eli with a gross of $8.8 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $7 million). This film was down 44.3% from last weekend, and had a per theatre average of $2,852. It has been a steady performer in its three week run, and once again it proves how bankable Denzel Washington is as a leading man. Its total gross stands at $74.3 million.
The mistake I made in my predictions was Legion, which was the #6 film with a gross of $6.8 million, down 61.1% from its opening weekend. I thought it would be the #5 film with a predicted gross of $6.825 million.
In limited release, Saint John of Vegas opened in two theatres with a gross of $22,400, for a per theatre average of $11,200.
Once again, here were my predictions:
1) Avatar – $27.92 million
2) Edge of Darkness – $22 million
3) When In Rome – $12 million
4) The Book of Eli – $7 million
5) Legion – $6.825 million
And here are the actual numbers:
1) Avatar – $30 million
2) Edge of Darkness – $17.1 million
3) When In Rome – $12.1 million
4) The Tooth Fairy – $10 million
5) The Book of Eli – $8.8 million
My top five predictions (please note that these were my predictions, and not the actual top five, as I didn’t make a prediction on The Tooth Fairy ) were off by (2.08 + 4.9 + .1 + 1.8 + .25) $9.13 million.
Next weekend Avatar will continue to look to be the #1 film against Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in the love story Dear John, John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers try to stop terrorists in From Paris With Love, and some skiers are trapped on a ski lift in the thriller Frozen.
Check back next week for my predictions!
