Liam Neeson once again showed that he is the man in Hollywood as his film Unknown was the surprise champion at the box office this weekend. It held off four other films in what was a tight battle at the box office this weekend. Only $4.7 million separated the 1st place film from the 5th place film. Needless to say, my predictions were not very strong. I predicted four of the films in the top five, but did not correctly predict where one film in the top five would finish. The box office was down from last weekend’s totals as well as year over year, which goes to show that the quality of films being released right now is not very good. Here’s how the weekend broke down:
Debuting in 1st place with a gross of $21.7 million is the Liam Neeson thriller Unknown (I predicted a 2nd place finish and a gross of $18 million). Unknown had a per theatre average of $7,154, which was the highest per theatre average of any film in the top ten. The opening for Unknown was below the totals of the films that I used to make my prediction with. See below:
2002 – The Bourne Identity – $27.1 million opening weekend
2009 – Taken – $24.7 million opening weekend
2010 – The A-Team – $25.6 million opening weekend
2011 – Unknown – $21.7 million opening weekend
Still, the opening weekend is impressive considering that its main competition this weekend, I Am Number Four, was shown in IMAX theatres, which upped the ticket price of that film. Unknown had no gimmicks, and just produced results. The budget for Unknown is estimated to be around $30 million, so it will definitely be a profitable film by the end of next weekend. A good performance for Unknown.
Debuting in 2nd place is the sci-fi adventure I Am Number Four with a gross of $19.5 million (I predicted a 1st place finish and a gross of $31 million). I Am Number Four had a per theatre average of $6,183. The film definitely debuted below my expectations because with the exception of the film Push, every film that I used to make my prediction with, had an opening weekend that was higher than I Am Number Four. See below:
2007 – Disturbia – $22.2 million opening weekend
2008 – Jumper – $27.3 million opening weekend
2008 – Eagle Eye – $29.1 million opening weekend
2009 – Push – $10 million opening weekend
2010 – Kick-Ass – $19.8 million opening weekend
2011 – I Am Number Four – $19.5 million opening weekend
Reviews were not good, but I thought the premise would be appealing enough to make it the number #1 film. Even IMAX screenings didn’t help the film. The fact that for the most part the cast is unknown probably hurt its overall chances, but I am definitely surprised by what I deem to be a disappointing debut for the film. I Am Number Four cost $60 million to make, and I doubt that it makes back its money.
For the second straight weekend, this film has been the surprise story of the weekend for me. Staying in 3rd place for the second weekend in a row is Gnomeo and Juliet with a gross of $19.4 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $15.9 million). Gnomeo and Juliet had a per theatre average of $6,437 and was down only 23.5% from last weekend. This film has really come out of nowhere to become a nice hit for Touchstone Pictures, and it should continue to do well as there are no kid’s films being released next weekend, so it has that market all to itself. After 10 days, Gnomeo & Juliet has grossed $50.4 million.
Dropping from 1st place to 4th place is the Adam Sandler//Jennifer Aniston comedy Just Go With It with a gross of $18.2 million (I predicted a 3rd place finish and a gross of $17.7 million). Just Go with It had a per theatre average of $5,130 and was down 40.4% from last weekend. The hold is still good for the film, as it’s per theatre average is still above $5,000. The only thing that surprises me is the drop from 1st place to 4th place, which is a little steeper than I thought. After 10 days, Just Go with It has grossed $60.7 million, and is within striking distance of making back its $80 million budget.
Debuting in 5th place is the comedy Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son with a gross of $17 million (I predicted a 6th place finish and a gross of $10 million). Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son had a per theatre average of $6,026. The success of this franchise boggles me. No film in the franchise has been shown much love from the critics, and I’m not a big Martin Lawrence (outside of the Bad Boys franchise), so the series is not appealing to me. Still, audiences came out to see the films, although this installment is well below the openings of the previous two films. See below:
2000 – Big Momma’s House – $25.6 million opening weekend
2006 – Big Momma’s House 2 – $27.7 million opening weekend
2011 – Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son – $17 million opening weekend
The fact that the debut is the lowest of the franchise gives me some hope that we will never see another installment, and the film will face some competition next weekend from the comedy Hall Pass, so it should see a substantial drop with the two films competing for the same audience. Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son only cost $32 million to make, so it’s well on its way to making back its budget, and that’s what scares me. If the film makes a profit, we could see a 4th installment in the franchise.
Dropping from 2nd place to 6th place is the music documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never with a gross of $13.6 million (I predicted a 5th place finish and a gross of $11.5 million). Justin Bieber: Never Say Never had a per theatre average of $4,362 and was down 53.9% from last weekend. The drop is not that surprising as the hardcore fans of Justin Bieber went out to see the film right away and the chances of getting repeat business or interested new audiences was slim. Still, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never has grossed $48.4 million in ten days from a budget of $13 million, so it is a very popular film with executives at Paramount Pictures right now.
Dropping from 6th place to 7th place is The King’s Speech with a gross of $6.5 million (I predicted a 7th place finish and a gross of $6.3 million). The King’s Speech had a per theatre average of $3,148 and the film was down only 9.2% from last weekend, which is the best hold of any film in the top ten for the fourth weekend in a row. After thirteen weeks, The King’s Speech has grossed $103.2 million from a budget of only $15 million.
Dropping from 5th place to 8th place is The Roommate with a gross of $4.1 million (I predicted a 10th place finish and a gross of $3.6 million). The Roommate had a per theatre average of $1,898 and the film was down 49.5% from last weekend. After three weeks, The Roommate has grossed $32.6 million from a budget of only $16 million.
Suffering the biggest position drop of any of the films in the top ten, The Eagle goes from 4th place to 9th place with a gross of $3.5 million (I predicted a 8th place finish and a gross of $3.8 million). The Channing Tatum//Jamie Bell adventure epic had a per theatre average of $1,550 and was off 59% from last weekend. The per theatre average and the percentage drop off were both the worst of any film in the top ten. After ten days, The Eagle has grossed $15 million from a budget of only $25 million.
No Strings Attached dropped from 7th place to 10th place with a gross of $3.1 million (I predicted a 9th place finish and a gross of $3.7 million). No Strings Attached had a per theatre average of $1,587 and was down 46.3% from last weekend. After five weeks, No Strings Attached has grossed $66 million from a budget of only $25 million.
In limited release:
I Am – This documentary is from director Tom Shadyac (best known for directing Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Bruce Almighty) and focuses on how he changed his life following a bicycle accident. He got rid of most of his possessions and views the world in a different light. I Am grossed $10,500 from one theatre giving it the same per theatre average.
Even the Rain – This film stars Gael Garcia Bernal and is about a film crew shooting a movie about Christopher Columbus in Bolivia. While they are there, the people of the community stand up against their water supply being privatized, and the film crew is caught in the middle of it. Even the Rain grossed $53,000 from 8 theatres giving it a per theatre average of $6,625.
The Last Lions – This documentary, narrated by Jeremy Irons, follows a lioness that will do anything to protect her cubs. The Last Lions grossed $46,000 from 4 theatres, giving the film a per theatre average of $11,500, which is the highest per theatre average of any film in release.
Now & Later – This sexually charged drama follows an illegal immigrant and a disgraced banker, who start a passionate relationship that opens each others minds to new ideas and outlooks on life. Now & Later grossed $1,670 from one theatre giving it the same per theatre average.
Brotherhood, Vanishing on 7th Street, Putty Hill and Immigration Tango did not report their box office grosses as of this writing.
So to recap, here were my predictions:
- I Am Number Four – $31 million
- Unknown – $18 million
- Just Go With It – $17.7 million
- Justin Bieber: Never Say Never – $15.9 million
- Gnomeo & Juliet – $11.5 million
And here are the actual numbers:
- Unknown – $21.7 million
- I Am Number Four – $19.5 million
- Gnomeo and Juliet – $19.4 million
- Just Go With It – $18.2 million
- Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son – $17 million
My predictions were off by $30.6 million.
Next weekend, Unknown will battle for the top spot of the box office with the Nicolas Cage action film Drive Angry and the Owen Wilson comedy Hall Pass. Check out Biff Bam Pop next Friday to read my predictions!
Next weekend, Unknown will battle for the top spot of the box office with the Nicolas Cage action film Drive Angry and the Owen Wilson comedy Hall Pass. Check out Biff Bam Pop next Friday to read my predictions!
