A very solid weekend at the box office, even if we didn’t come close with our predictions. It’s nice to see two new films have strong openings, especially at this time of year, and both with decent reviews to boot. Here’s how things turned out.
Chronicle, the found-footage/superhero film has a stellar opening, with $21 million to land in first place. That’s nearly $10 million more than predicted, and a far cry from what most observers thought the film would do. It will be interesting to see how the final numbers come out tomorrow though, since the second big release of the weekend was traveling neck and neck with it.
The Woman in Black staring Daniel Radcliffe debut in second place with $20 million, just $1 million off from Chronicle and $5 million more than predicted. The movie got solid reviews, which certainly helped bring an audience in. It also shows that Daniel Radcliffe can definitely open a film other than one with wizards and muggles. We’ll see if the crowds drop off big-time next weekend, as is the usual occurrence with horror films.
The third and final debut of the weekend, Big Miracle, hit number four, as predicted, grossing $8.5 million. It’s definitely underwhelming when compared to Chronicle and The Woman In Black, and I don’t think this one is long for theatres.
As for the rest of the top 5, The Grey dropped from first place to third this weekend, bringing in $9.5 million, while Underworld: Awakening closed things out with $5.6 million. One For The Money, which I thought would hit the top five, actually wound up in sixth with $5 million.
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) The Woman In Black – $15 million
2) The Grey – $14 million
3) Chronicle – $12.5 million
4) Big Miracle – $10.5 million
5) One For The Money – $8 million
And here’s how the actuals are:
1) Chronicle – $21 million
2) The Woman In Black – $20 million
3) The Grey – $9.5 million
4) Big Miracle – $8.5 million
5) Underworld: Awakening – $5.6 million
Next weekend sees the release of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Safe House, The Vow and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions.
