Thor was the #1 film for the second weekend in a row, but the film that is getting all the notice this weekend is Bridesmaids. The Kristen Wiig comedy had an excellent debut and could be a film that plays well for quite awhile this summer. My predictions were pretty good this weekend. I predicted four of the films in the top five, getting two in the correct finish, and I was fairly close with most of my predictions. Here’s how the weekend broke down:
Thor stayed in 1st place for a second weekend in a row with a gross of $34.5 million (I predicted a 1st place finish and a gross of $34.8 million). Thor had a per theatre average of $8,706 which was the highest per theatre average of any film in release for the second straight weekend (as of this writing). The film was also down 47.5% from last weekend’s gross, which is a good sign for the adventure flick as I would have been worried if the drop was above 50%. The reviews and word-of-mouth on the film are definitely helping it at this point, and it should continue to be in the top five for the next couple of weekends (although there is no way it will be the number one film next weekend). In ten days, Thor has grossed $119.2 million and is getting closer and closer to making back its budget of $150 million for Paramount.
Debuting in 2nd place is the Kristen Wiig comedy Bridesmaids with a gross of $24.4 million (I predicted a 2nd place finish and a gross of $25 million). Bridesmaids had a per theatre average of $8,365 which is terrific news for the comedy. The per theatre average was the second best of any film in release as of this writing. The film was produced by Judd Apatow, which definitely helped in the marketing and for cinephiles who were aware he was involved in its making. The opening weekend does a lot for Kristen Wiig’s career, as it is an excellent debut for anyone who is headlining their first film. As I said in my prediction on Friday, of the three films I used to help make my prediction (27 Dresses, Baby Mama and Bride Wars), I said that Bridesmaids would have the best opening weekend out of those films and I was correct (which is nice to say). The word-of-mouth and glowing reviews on the film will definitely help Bridesmaids out and it really doesn’t have a comedic film to contend with for another two weeks until The Hangover II is released. The budget for Bridesmaids is only $32.5 million, so Universal will be making money off of this film in short order.
Dropping from 2nd place to 3rd place is the action film Fast Five with a gross of $19.5 million (I predicted a 4th place finish and a gross of $14.9 million). Fast Five had a per theatre average of $5,150 (which is amazing to have a per theatre average above $5,000 for three weekends) and dropped 39.8% from last weekend’s gross. The low percentage drop this weekend shows that audiences are still interested in the film, and although it is not the first choice of audiences right now, it is definitely a back-up option. This weekend’s gross also made Fast Five the highest grossing picture in the franchise and $200 million is not out of the question. After three weeks of release, the Vin Diesel adventure has grossed $168.7 million from a budget of $125 million.
Debuting in 4th place is the action-horror film Priest with a gross of $14.5 million (I predicted a 3rd place finish and a gross of $17.5 million). Priest had a per theatre average of $5,063, which is average at best. The film has to be considered an underperformer because of the six films I used to make my prediction, five of them had a better opening weekend gross than Priest (including Bettany’s similar film Legion which had an opening weekend gross of $17.5 million). The film will not be making money for Screen Gems as the budget for Priest is $60 million, and there is no way I see this film becoming profitable on its domestic gross.
Staying in 5th place for the second weekend in a row is the animated adventure Rio with a gross of $8 million (I did not make a prediction for this film). Rio had a per theatre average of $2,731 (which was actually higher than last weekend’s per theatre average) and was only down 5.9% from last weekend’s gross, which was the lowest weekend to weekend percentage drop of any film in the top ten. The film is benefitting from being the only major release for kids and families, and that would explain the strong hold this weekend. After five weeks, Rio has grossed $124.9 million from a budget of $90 million for 20th Century Fox.
I predicted that Jumping the Broom would finish in 5th place this weekend with a gross of $8.5 million. It ended up finishing in 6th place grossing $7.3 million. After ten days, the wedding comedy has grossed $25.9 million from a budget of $6.6 million for TriStar Pictures.
In limited release:
The First Grader was the strongest of the new films that debuted in limited release this weekend. The film grossed $22,600 from 3 theatres, giving it a per theatre average of $7,533 (which was the best per theatre average of any of the new limited release films).
So to recap, here were my predictions:
Thor – $34.8 million
Bridesmaids – $25 million
Priest – $17.5 million
Fast Five – $14.9 million
Jumping the Broom – $8.5 million
And here are the actual numbers:
Thor – $34.5 million
Bridesmaids – $24.4 million
Fast Five – $19.5 million
Priest – $14.5 million
Rio – $8 million
Next weekend is the return of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Check out Biff Bam Pop next Friday to read my predictions!
