Shutter Island fought off all newcomers to remain in the #1 spot for the 2nd weekend in a row. The two new releases had decent openings, and some familiar faces rounded out the top five. Once again, I would say that my predictions were not bad, as I picked all five films to be in the top five, with three of them finishing in the spot I predicted. Here’s the breakdown.
Shutter Island was the #1 film with a gross of $22.2 million (I predicted a #2 finish and a gross of $15.6 million). The film was down 45.9% from last weekend and had a per theatre average of $7,393, which was the 3rd highest of any film in theatres this weekend, and highest in the top ten. The film definitely did not play like other horror films, as the weekend percentage drop was very low for the genre. In two weeks of release, Shutter Island has grossed $75 million, so it is very close to making back its budget, which is reported to be around $80 million.
Opening in 2nd place, in a career best for director Kevin Smith, is the action comedy Cop Out, with a gross of $18.5 million (I predicted a 1st place finish and a gross of $19 million). The film overcame absolutely horrendous reviews, but audiences were in the mood for a buddy comedy that had a 1980’s vibe to it (Harold Faltermeyer, who famously composed the song “Axel F” from the movie Beverly Hills Cop was Cop Out’s composer). Don’t expect this movie to last long in theatres, as it had a per theatre average of $5,894, which is average at best. Still, for director Kevin Smith, this is the highest grossing opening weekend he has ever had for one of his films.
Debuting in 3rd place is the horror film The Crazies with a gross of $16.5 million (I predicted a 3rd place finish and a gross of $12 million). This film played well for a horror film, as it had a per theatre average of $6,672, which was the 2nd highest per theatre average in the top ten, and was the beneficiary of some excellent reviews, as horror films are not known for being favorites of the critics. I think The Crazies will have a big drop next weekend, but maybe it will hold up as well as Shutter Island. We’ll have to wait and see.
Finishing in 4th place is Avatar with a gross of $14 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $11.3 million). Avatar had a per theatre average of $5,700 and was down a ridiculously low 13.8% from last weekend. Remember, this is a film that has been out for 11 weeks. Avatar has now grossed $706.9 million.
Dropping one spot from last weekend to 5th place is Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief with a gross of $9.8 million (I predicted a 5th place finish and a gross of $7.2 million). It had a per theatre average of $2,968, and was down 35.8% from last weekend. The chances of this franchise getting a sequel are pretty small with the per theatre average so low after three weekends, and its budget reportedly around $95 million. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief has now grossed $71.2 million.
In limited release, The Art of the Steal, the documentary about a prized art collection, Prodigal Sons, the documentary about a family in Montana and The Yellow Handkerchief, the thriller with William Hurt, Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart have not released their box office totals as of this writing.
The James Van Der Beek thriller Formosa Betrayed grossed $69,000. It was released in 15 theatres and had a per theatre average of $4,600.
Faring much better was the film A Prophet which grossed $170,000. It was released in 9 theatres and had a per theatre average of $18,889.
Also of note:
Valentine’s Day went over the $100 million mark this weekend (its third week of release). It has a total gross of $100.3 million, making it the first release of 2010 to gross over $100 million.
So to recap, here were my predictions:
1) Cop Out – $19 million
2) Shutter Island – $15.6 million
3) The Crazies – $12 million
4) Avatar – $11.3 million
5) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief – $7.2 million
And here are the actual numbers:
1) Shutter Island – $22.2 million
2) Cop Out – $18.5 million
3) The Crazies – $16.5 million
4) Avatar – $14 million
5) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief – $9.8 million
My top five predictions were off by $17.9 million
Next weekend, Shutter Island will try to be the #1 film for the third weekend in a row against Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Brooklyn’s Finest, starring Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, and Don Cheadle.
Check back next week for my predictions!
