OPENINGS: FAST & FURIOUS 6 (Universal) dropped 16% on Sunday and estimates a 13% slip on Monday–that latter number may be a little overoptimistic, but even if it turns out that the 4-day total is $119M instead of $120M, it matters very little except to Universal’s press people. FF6 was easily the 4th best Memorial Day opener ever, zooming past The Hangover Part II‘s $103.4M. Add to that a huge $190M overseas through Monday (plus another $17M earned from a few territories last week), and FF6 is already at $327M worldwide, more than half the $626.1M that Fast Five made in its entire franchise-record run.
THE HANGOVER PART III (Warners) has only $63M after 5 days of release, with declines of 14% and 25% on Sunday and Monday. That’s less than half of the $135M Hangover II earned in the same period 2 years ago. A tremendous international upsurge would be needed to get this much past breakeven, and so far the comedy is in only 3 territories, where it made $19.2M over the weekend.
EPIC (20th) had a soft $42.6M start, falling 19% and 16% on Sunday and Monday. That’s considerably below previous animated Memorial Day openings like the $61M for both Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda 2. It’s not showing much early strength overseas, either, with a $23.1M weekend in 36 territories.
HOLDOVERS: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (Paramount) fell 47% from last Fri-Sun, with the holiday giving it a boost to a $47M 4-day weekend. Its 155.8M total puts it almost dead even with 2009’s Star Trek after 12 days of release (Darkness is $291K ahead), but really that’s not so great, considering that a holiday weekend and 3D/Imax ticket prices are factored in. It seems very likely that Darkness will fall behind Star Trek from this point on in the US. Paramount’s big goal this time around, though, was to grow the franchise overseas after Star Trek made only 1/3 of its total internationally, and Darkness is at $102.1M outside the US ($13.1M this weekend) with large chunks of the world (including China) still to open, on pace to easily beat Star Trek‘s $128M international total.
IRON MAN 3 (Disney) is at $372.4M in the US after a $24.4M 4-day weekend, with $774.8M overseas, a $1.15B total making it the 5th biggest movie ever. THE GREAT GATSBY (Warners) has $117.7M in the US after a $17M 4-day weekend, but its $85.6M overseas total is dismayingly mild.
MUD (Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate) had a better hold at the boxoffice this weekend than any of the tentpoles, down only 14% for the 3-day weekend (actually up 8% to $2.4M with Monday included), despite losing almost 25% of its theatres.
LIMITED RELEASE: BEFORE MIDNIGHT (Sony Pictures Classics) counterprogrammed all the tentpoles quite well, with a strong $64K average over the 4-day weekend in 5 theatres. FRANCES HA (IFC) expanded promisingly, with a $12K average over 4 days in 60 theatres. LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED (Sony Pictures Classics) had a $4500 average at 63 theatres. FILL THE VOID (Sony Pictures Classics) had a solid start, with a $26K average at 3. The documentary WE STEAL SECRETS (Focus World) averaged $8600 at 4.
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