The summer box office season went out with a whimper, much like the sound my box office predictions delivered as well. While my view on Shark Night 3D was a little tongue and cheek, I did think it would perform better than it did. Well, there’s always next week.
The Help has been a surprise hit at the box office, holding on to the number one spot for a third weekend in a row with $14 million. In four weeks of release, The Help has made $118 million on North America. I had predicted $12 million and a second place showing.
Debuting in second place was The Debt, starring Helen Mirren. The drama brought in $9.6 million for a soft start. Interestingly, I predicted The Debt would gross $9 million but land in fourth place, so I wouldn’t say I was totally off the mark. But clearly this was a poor weekend for the studios, since the second place film brought in such a low number.
In third place was another new release, the sci-fi, found footage flick Apollo 18, with an underwhelming $8.7 million (I had predicted a third place debut but with a $11.5 gross). The lack of promotion and obvious lack of interest from cinemagoers means we’ll be seeing this one out on DVD before too long.
Right beside Apollo 18 on store shelves will be the poorly reviewed Shark Night 3D, which tanked on it’s opening weekend with an $8.6 million gross, a far cry from the $15 million I thought it would bring in. Am I the only one itching for shark movies? I guess so.
Landing in fifth place was Rise of the Planet of the Apes with $7.8 million. I hadn’t even made a prediction for this film, as I thought Colombiana was a lock for the fifth spot (it actually came in 6th with $7.4 million). Rise of the Planet of the Apes clearly continues to resonate with audiences, as evidenced by it’s solid run and the line-up I encountered going to the film Saturday night (check out my review Monday afternoon).
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) Shark Night 3D – $15 million
2) The Help – $12 million
3) Apollo 18 – $11.5 million
4) The Debt – $9 million
5) Colombiana – $7 million
And here are the actuals:
1) The Help– $14 million
2) The Debt – $9.6 million
3) Apollo 18 – $8.7 million
4) Shark Night 3D – $8.6 million
5) Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $7.8 million
Can The Help make it four in a row next week? We’ll find out, when the comedy Bucky Larson, Stephen Soderbergh’s Contagion and the MMA film Warrior hit screens. Check back on Friday for our predictions.
