Weekend Box-Office: ‘Hunger Games’ #1 as it Crosses $250 Million Mark and Beats ‘Avatar’s Record
By
Brad Brevet
The Hunger Games is now over $250 million in just ten days and is Lionsgate’s #1 film of all-time by a massive margin, more than doubling the studio’s previous highest grossing film. Can you name that film? Tell you what, while you think about it let’s take a look at the complete weekend box-office top ten and see if you can figure it out before I’m done.
Laremy predicted the #1 movie correctly 5 Weeks In A Row
As I said, The Hunger Games is now over $250 million domestically and has broken Avatar‘s record becoming the fastest non-sequel to hit that mark, two days fewer than Avatar (without the 3-D surcharge). Only three films made it to $250 million faster than Hunger Games, which were The Dark Knight in eight days and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in nine. For some reason that is amazing to me.
Along with the $61.1 million it brought in this weekend, it also made $34.8 million internationally where it has now made $113.9 million giving it a grand total of $364.9 million worldwide.
Weekend: $61.1 million (59.9% drop) Cummulative Total: $251 million RottenTomatoes Score:85% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #1 and his prediction of $76.3 million was $15.2m off for a percentage error of 24.88%.
Made on a reported budget of $150 million, Wrath of the Titans did not exactly enjoy a stellar domestic opening, making 44% less than its predecessor. When it comes to reader predictions so many of you were right there with Laremy, expecting a result north of $45 million and some even as high as $80+ million. Turns out John-PT‘s $32.5 million was the closest on the board and Warner Bros. is probably going to start second-guessing the idea of making a sequel to a poorly received films… Curiously enough, it did receive a B+ CinemaScore, which is rather astonishing, but then again, after audiences have paid money for something awful I’m sure it’s hard to admit they wasted that money.
Then again, just as with the first one the international markets could save this one.Clash of the Titans made $330 million from foreign markets alone, perhaps Wrath can repeat that feat and come out on top.
Weekend: $34.2 million / RottenTomatoes:24% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #2 with $48.8 million, which is $14.6m off for a 42.69% error.
With a disappointing third place finish, Mirror Mirror trips, stumbles and falters out of the gate to the tune of $19 million, and if anything I am going to blame the horrible, horrible, horrible marketing. While this film is a farcical take on the Snow White tale it is far from the slapstick, fall down stupidity the trailers were selling, which appear to have even managed to scare off family audiences who are likely to go see just about anything as long as it will shut the kids up for a few hours.
Laremy overshot this one by $6.6 million, but the readers weren’t as bullish many predicting below $20 million and the closest among them was gripmonster, whose $19.1 million prediction was $100,000 shy of spot on.
Weekend: $19 million / RottenTomatoes:49% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #3 with $25.6 million, which is $6.6m off for a 34.74% error.
Dropping only 26.5% is 21 Jump Street as the comedy is now only $6.9 million shy of $100 million. Considering it was made on a budget of $42 million I’d say the folks at Sony are probably smiling when they think of this flick.
Weekend: $15 million (-26.5% drop) / Cume: $93.1 million / RottenTomatoes:85% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #4 with $13.3 million, which is $1.7m off for a 11.33% error.
I wish this film would get out of the top ten so I could stop thinking of things to say about it.
Weekend: $8 million (-38.9% drop) / Cume: $189.6 million / RottenTomatoes:57% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #5 with $7.3 million, which is $0.7m off for a 8.75% error.
So it looks like John Carter is going to end its domestic run around $75 million or so. Shame.
Weekend: $2 million (-60% drop) / Cume: $66.2 million / RottenTomatoes:51% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #6 with $1.9 million, which is $0.1m off for a 5% error.
This film is looking at nearly a six-times multiplier based on its reported $12 million budget.
Weekend: $1 million (-50% drop) / Cume: $67.7 million / RottenTomatoes:25% Laremy’s rank: Laremy picked it to finish #9 with $0.8 million, which is $0.2m off for a 20% error.
It’s trying so hard to reach that $100 million mark domestically you can almost see it reaching.
Weekend: $0.835 million (-35.8% drop) / Cume: $98.4 million / RottenTomatoes:42% Laremy’s rank: Not Ranked
With the limited releases, The Weinstein Co. managed to trump up some publicity for their new documentary Bully and it managed to make $115,000 from five theaters in New York and Los Angeles this weekend for a $23,000 average. And the Clive Owen thriller Intruders opened in 33 theaters for a dismal $40,500 and a $1,227 per theater average.
Next weekend the lone new major wide release is the return of the American Pie peeps with American Reunion coming to theaters with, correct me if I’m wrong, but quite a bit of anticipation behind it. For the risk takers out there, anyone care to place an early wager?
Here’s how the three previous Pie releases opened:
American Pie 2 (2001) $45,117,985
American Wedding (2003) $33,369,440
American Pie (1999) $18,709,680
American Reunion is eying 3,200 theaters next weekend if that helps, which is more than any of the three previous releases with American Wedding having been released in 3,175 theaters in 2003.
Oh, did you figure out what Lionsgate’s previously highest grossing film was? If not, click here for the answer.
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