The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.
After directing three “Transformers” movies, mega-blockbuster director Michael Bay was probably looking to do something different, maybe even make something smaller and more personal, and the results were the reported $26 million budget caper crime-comedy Pain & Gain (Paramount).
Based on a true story, it teamed Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie as three steroid-popping Miami bodybuilders who go on a crime spree. Despite the big names all around, the confusing crime-comedy genre didn’t necessarily look like a normal Michael Bay film, which held it back to roughly $20 million in 3,277 theaters, about $6,100 per theater.
That’s still fine compared to the production budget and it fared better than his pre-“Transformers” 2005 sci-fi action movie The Island, starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, which opened with just $12.4 million.
Things were much brighter overseas where Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 opened one week earlier internationally than its North American release breaking records in 42 territories that represented 79% of the international marketplace. It grossed an absolutely flooring $195.3 million, which is $10.2 million more than the international opening weekend for Marvel’s The Avengers last year.
While it has yet to open in Russia, China, Germany or North America–that’s next week on May 2 in case you didn’t know–Iron Man 3 set opening weekend records in Argentina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. As far as IMAX, Iron Man 3 brought in roughly $7.2 million in 113 IMAX screens, which is about $64 thousand per venue, setting numerous records for the prestige format, particularly in Brazil, Taiwan, the Philippines and The Netherlands.
You can read more about Iron Man 3 international showing here.
Back in North America, Tom Cruise’s sci-fi actioner Oblivion (Universal), co-starring Morgan Freeman, dropped to second place with $17.4 million, down 53% from its solid opening, to bring its domestic gross to $64.7 million and its worldwide gross to $198.8 million after playing for just ten days.
Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson biopic 42 (Warner Bros.) kept going strong, dropping to third place with $10.7 million, down 40%, to take third place with a running total of $69.1 million. The movie cost $40 million to make.
Despite a buy one ticket get another free promotion, Justin Zackham’s star-studded family comedy The Big Wedding (Lionsgate), featuring Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried and Topher Grace, brought in a disappointing $7.5 million in 2,633 theaters, an average of $2,848 per theater. Not much more to say about that one.
DreamWorks Animation’s family comedy hit The Croods continued to do well with another $6.6 million to take fifth place. Its running total is $163 million making it the second-highest grossing movie of the year domestically.
The action sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Paramount) dropped one notch to sixth place with $3.6 million and $116.4 million, while Scary Movie V (Dimension Films) dropped to seventh place with $3.5 million, down 44%, with $27.5 million grossed so far.
Eighth place went to Antoine Fuqua’s invasion thriller Olympus Has Fallen (FilmDistrict), starring Gerard Butler, which is getting ever closer to $100 million with the $2.8 million grossed this weekend knocking its total up to $93 million.
The Top 10 was rounded out by the Ryan Gosling-Bradley Cooper crime-drama The Place Beyond the Pines(Focus Features) with $2.7 million and $16.2 million total and Jurassic Park 3D (Universal) with $2.3 million and $42 million total.
Despite opening in limited release on 363 screens, Jeff Nichols’ third film Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese “I can keep up with Lindsay Lohan, Dammit!” Witherspoon, opened big with $2.2 million, which was enough for an 11th place opening.
This week’s Top 10 grossed an estimated $77 million which… you guessed it!… was down from last year’s $91 million grossed by the likes of Think Like A Man, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Five-Year Engagement and Safe. But going by how well Iron Man 3 is playing overseas maybe it will do big enough business to turn things around even if it has tough competition against last year’s Marvel’s The Avengers.
Also expanding nationwide was Robert Redford’s The Company You Keep, which Sony Pictures Classic platformed earlier this month and then rolled out into 807 theaters on Friday. Another big ensemble that includes Susan Sarandon, but mainly features Redford and Shia LaBeouf, it brought in $1.2 million in its wide expansion to take 14th place, bringing its total to $2.3 million. No word on whether SPC plans any further expansion.
There were seven other limited releases with Arthur Newman (Cinedigm), starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, having the most significant release into 248 theaters, but only scoring $108,000 or $435 per theater.
Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films.
