Inception did it again and was the #1 film for the third weekend in a row, holding off three newcomers in Dinner for Schmucks, Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Charlie St. Cloud, which all debuted to average results. Despicable Me had the smallest decline of any film in the top ten, and Toy Story 3 inched closer to the $400 million mark. I predicted all five films in the top five, three of them order, and the most any of my predictions were off was by $4.5 million. Here’s how the weekend broke down:
Remaining in 1st place for a third weekend in a row is Inception with a gross of $27.5 million (I predicted a 1st place finish and a gross of $29.5 million). The per theatre average for Inception was $7,763, and the film was down 35.6% from last weekend. The percentage drop is slightly higher from last weekend, but the film has been below 40% drops on both weekends since its release, so it just goes to show you the tremendous staying power the film has, and how audiences are going again to try and unravel the mystery behind Inception. After three weekends, Inception has grossed $193.3 million, so it’s just printing money for Warner Bros. as the budget for the film was $160 million.
Debuting in 2nd place is the Steve Carell//Paul Rudd comedy Dinner for Schmucks with a gross of $23.3 million (I predicted a 2nd place finish and a gross of $24 million). The film had a per theatre average of $8,004, which was the highest of any film in the top ten this weekend. The comedy got mixed reviews from critics, and audience buzz also feels average on the film. It’s a film that you see; you like; and then quickly forget as soon as you leave the theatre. What’s interesting is the four film that I used in my prediction on Friday had an opening weekend average that ended up being the gross for the film this weekend, so the film performed as the industry expected it would. See below:
2010 – Date Night – $25.2 million opening weekend
2009 – I Love You, Man – $17.8 million opening weekend
2008 – Role Model – $19.1 million opening weekend
2007 – Evan Almighty – $31.1 million opening weekend
Average opening weekend – $23.3 million opening weekend
The budget for Dinner for Schmucks is around $69 million, so it will not be a big moneymaker for Paramount//DreamWorks. Next weekend the film has direct competition in the form of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s The Other Guys so we’ll see how big a drop Dinner for Schmucks takes next weekend.
Dropping from 2nd place to 3rd place is the Angelina Jolie thriller Salt with a gross of $19.2 million (I predicted a 3rd place finish and a gross of $22.3 million). Salt had a per theatre average of $5,329 and the film was down 46.5% from last weekend. The drop was a bit higher than The A-Team’s second weekend drop of 43.9% but still lower than Knight and Day which had a 48.1% second weekend drop. Having said that, Salt is definitely the more popular of the three films, as The A-Team and Knight and Day have grossed close to $80 million each during their entire runs, while Salt has grossed $70.8 million in 10 days, so Salt will be the highest grossing of the three when all is said and done, and I don’t think most analysts would have predicted that when the summer box office began.
Despicable Me dropped from 3rd place to 4th place with a gross $15.5 million (I predicted a 5th place finish and a gross of $15.6 million). Despicable Me had a per theatre average of $4,315 and was down 34.4% from last weekend, which was the lowest percentage drop of any film in the top ten. The hold for Despicable Me is quite impressive and the film has really been quite a surprise considering that Universal is really the last major studio to seriously get into the animation business. After four weekends, Despicable Me has taken in $190.3 million which means Universal is raking in the money as the budget for the film was only $69 million.
5th place could change when final numbers come out on Monday, but currently Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is the #5 film with a gross of $12.5 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $17 million). Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore had a per theatre average of $3,381 which is absolutely horrendous for a film that had an ultra-wide theatre count of 3,705, which is the highest of any film in release. The film was also being shown in 3-D, which means higher ticket prices, so the suits at Warner Bros. are definitely not happy. The franchise is dead, and this film will be on DVD shelves sooner than the studio would have liked it to be. On the plus side, it did fair better than the other talking animal movies of 2010. Here’s the list:
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – $12.5 million opening weekend
Marmaduke – $11.5 million opening weekend
Furry Vengeance – $6.6 million opening weekend
Although the gross was higher, neither Marmaduke nor Furry Vengeance was shown in 3-D or had a theatre count as high as Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The budget for Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is reportedly around $85 million, so this is just another bomb for Warner Bros. this summer, joining the underperforming Jonah Hex and Sex and the City 2.
Debuting in 6th place is Charlie St. Cloud with a gross of $12.1 million (I predicted a 6th place finish and a gross of $8 million). Charlie St. Cloud had a per theatre average of $4,465 which is not impressive for an opening weekend. Zac Efron can draw audiences, but it has to be in roles that audiences want to see him in (musicals or comedies). He can grow to do drama, but right now critics and audiences seemed to have passed on Charlie St. Cloud. The film will not make back its budget (estimated around $44 million), but Efron should come out all right when all is said and done.
Toy Story 3 was the #7 film with a gross of $5 million (I predicted a 7th place finish and a gross of $6.2 million). Toy Story 3 had a per theatre average of $2,392 and was down 43.5% from last weekend. After 7 weekends, Toy Story 3 has grossed $389.6 million.
Grown Ups was the #8 film with a gross of $4.5 million (I did not make a prediction for this film). Grown Ups had a per theatre average of $1,983 and was down 39.4% from last weekend. After 6 weekends, Grown Ups has grossed $150.7 million.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was the #9 film with a gross of $4.3 million (I did not make a prediction for this film). The Sorcerer’s Apprentice had a per theatre average of $1,712 and was down 55.2% from last weekend. After 3 weekends, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has grossed $51.8 million.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was the #10 film with a gross of $3.9 million (I did not make a prediction for this film). The Twilight Saga: Eclipse had a per theatre average of $1,699 and was down 44.8% from last weekend. After 5 weekends, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has grossed $288.2 million.
Here is how The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ranks compared to the rest of the series:
1) The Twilight Saga: New Moon – $296.6 million
2) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – $288.2 million
3) Twilight – $192.7 million
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse should just get over the $300 million mark by the end of its run.
In limited release:
Get Low – The film that stars Robert Duvall and Bill Murray and is about a man who stages his own funeral grossed $90,900 from 4 theatres for a per theatre average of $22,725. Get Low had the highest per theatre average of any film in theatres this weekend.
The Dry Land – The film that stars Ryan O’Neal and America Ferrara and is about a war veteran dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder grossed $7,700 from 5 theatres for a per theatre average of $1,540.
The Concert – The film that is a comedy about an orchestra getting together for one more concert grossed $20,100 from 2 theatres for a per theatre average of $10,050.
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel – The documentary about the man behind Playboy magazine grossed $10,000 from one theatre.
Smash His Camera, Enemies of the People, The Extra Man, Who Killed Nancy and Helen have not reported their opening weekend grosses as of this writing.
So to recap, here were my predictions:
Inception – $29.5 million
Dinner for Schmucks – $24 million
Salt – $22.3 million
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – $17 million
Despicable Me – $15.6 million
And here are the actual numbers:
Inception – $27.5 million
Dinner for Schmucks – $23.3 million
Salt – $19.2 million
Despicable Me – $15.5 million
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – $12.5 million
My predictions compared to the actual top five films were off by $10.4 million.
Next weekend, Inception looks to be the #1 film for a fourth weekend in a row, but this time it will be taking on Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys, the dance sequel Step Up 3-D, and a film about the start of internet porn – Middle Men. Check out Biff Bam Pop next Friday to read my predictions!
