To no surprise, G.I. Joe: Retaliation topped this weekend’s box-office with $41.2 million and with it audiences felt generous enough to give it an “A-” CinemaScore. The film also scored an impressive $80.3 million overseas, which is the largest international opening of the year so far, bringing its overall four-day cume to $132 million.
However, the Joe result is still $13.5 million behind 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, even with 3-D and IMAX showings, which goes to show just how many people actually bought a ticket. The success story here for Paramount, however, is the rise in international numbers whereas the first Joe finished just above $152m and this second is already beyond half that number.
The story more people will be talking about, however, rather than G.I. Joe at #1 will be the massive flop The Host turned out to be making it quite clear the Stephenie Meyer fandom is largely focused on Bella and Edward and not nearly as interested in the author’s other writings. Audiences that saw it on opening day gave it a “B-” CinemaScore, which certainly isn’t very good considering the way audiences like to inflate their grades and given my highly negative review of the film and the lack of push back from fans I have to feel most of them agree with me or, as the numbers suggest, simply didn’t turn out to see it at all.
Tyler Perry wasn’t flopping however, his new film Temptation scored an impressive $22.3 million and an “A-” from opening day audiences. It’s the second best opening for a non-Madea film from Perry where 2010’s Why Did I Get Married Too? is #1 in that category with $29.2m.
Looking over Thursday’s predictions I know Laremy is smiling as he was just $800,000 off on his G.I. Joe prediction, only $300,000 under on Temptation and saw the writing on the wall for The Host where his $12 million prediction was only $1 million off… but how about the readers?
Well, John Debono nearly nailed the Joe number with a $41.3 million prediction and someone give Debono a cookie for also nearly nailing his Temptation prediction. As far as The Host goes, it was Jack who, like Laremy, predicted $12 million and was closest on the board.
Outside the top ten we’ll start with The Place Beyond the Pines starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Bradley Cooper. Opening in just four theaters the film managed $270,184 or $67,546 per screen.
The Sapphires from The Weinstein Co. is continuing to do well, expanding only to 12 theaters this weekend after only playing in four last weekend the film added another $72,379 to its total.
Rodney Ascher’s The Shining theory documentary, Room 237, opened in only two theaters and brought in $30,000.
Looking forward to next weekend, it’s a busy one lead by Evil Dead which is expected to play in more than 3,000 theaters followed by Jurrasic Park in 3-D, which will play in more than 2,600 theaters. I have no idea how many locations Fox Searchlight will first release Danny Boyle’s Trance, but Simon Killer and Robert Redford‘s The Company You Keep will be getting limited releases along with Upstream Color.
Care to make any early predictions for next weekend? Let’s hear ’em.
