OPENINGS: The round-number $30M weekend estimate for THINK LIKE A MAN TOO (Screen Gems/Sony) may not last past tomorrow’s final numbers, but even if it stays at that total, it’s $3.6M below the opening weekend for the first Think. Since sequels are typically more front-loaded than the movies that precede them, that suggests $80-85M for Too, compared to $93.6M for the first Think. The movie hasn’t yet opened overseas, and is unlikely to have a run outside selected territories (the first Think made only $4.5M in its entire international release).
JERSEY BOYS (Warners) found an audience only among the 50+ generation, giving it a wan $13.5M weekend. That’s actually better than the openings of some of Clint Eastwood’s other recent non-action openings ($11.2M for J.Edgar, $8.6M for Invictus, $10.2M for Flags of Our Fathers)–although Jersey is in 800-1000 more theatres than any of those, and none of them were hits. Jersey just dipped its toe into overseas release, with $1.6M in 9 territories.
THE ROVER (A24) could hardly have done worse in its nationwide expansion to 599 theatres, with a dreadful $835 per-theatre average for the weekend.
HOLDOVERS: 22 JUMP STREET (Columbia/Sony) fell 49% to $29M, and that estimate assumes an extremely strong Sunday, so it may not hold up. In any case, the movie is at $111.5M after 10 days, far higher than 21 Jump‘s $70.2M, although also losing speed more quickly (21 fell 44% in its 2d weekend). Overseas, 22 is now in 30 territories, and earned $14.1M, for a total of $38.2M. That promises to be the start of a much larger international haul than 21‘s $63.1M.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 (DreamWorks Animation/20th) dropped an unpromising 49% to $25.3M (by comparison, the first Dragon fell just 34% in its 2d weekend). Dragon 2 is now running just $3M ahead of the first movie at this point in its release, and falling so much faster that the margin won’t last long. Overseas, Dragon 2 is now in 52 territories, and took in $43.2M this weekend for a $76.3M total. Quite a few major markets are still to come, including most of Europe, Japan and China, but so far these aren’t thrilling results, considering that the first Dragon earned $277.3M overseas.
MALEFICENT (Disney) topped the longer runs, down just 30% to $13M. With $186M so far, it should easily exceed $200M in the US. Overseas, Maleficent added $44.7M this weekend ($20.3M of that from China), for $335.6M and Japan still to open. It should get past $650M worldwide, and has already beaten Oz the Great and Powerful, although it won’t get near Alice In Wonderland‘s $1B total.
EDGE OF TOMORROW (Warners) is holding well, down 37% to $10.3M, but that still leaves it at a minor $74.5M in the US, hoping to crawl to $100M at best. Much more important is its overseas result, and it pulled in $21.5M this weekend for a $218.3M total, with Japan still to open. It’s unlikely to get beyond $375-400M worldwide, which won’t pay for its enormous production and marketing costs.
The surprise for THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (20th) isn’t that it’s running out of steam in the US (down 42% to $8.6M and a $98.7M total), but the robust business it’s doing internationally, where it earned $20M this weekend in 45 markets, for a $65M total. It has a good chance of exceeding $200M worldwide, which might make it, dollar for dollar, the most profitable release of the summer.
X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (20th) is hanging in there, down 37% to $6.2M and a $216.8M total in the US, and earning $11.3M in 47 overseas markets for a total of $477.3M. Its worldwide $692.1M is currently in 3rd place for 2014, but it will top The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($702.8M) shortly, and probably also Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($710.7M). Both Spider-Man 2 and Godzilla are still struggling to reach $200M in the US ($199.5M vs. $194.9M), although Spider-Man 2 is far ahead internationally ($503.3M vs. $282.4M), with Japan still to come for Godzilla. CHEF (Open Road) slipped just 16% to $1.8M this weekend, with $16.9M earned to date.
LIMITED RELEASE: THIRD PERSON (Sony Pictures Classics) didn’t have much of an opening with an $8400 average at 5 NY/LA theatres. Roman Polanski’s VENUS IN FUR (IFC) did a bit better, averaging $13K at 2 just in NY. OBVIOUS CHILD (A24) expanded to 55 theatres with a $4900 average, and IDA (Music Box), which has made its way to a $2M total, widened to 125 with a $2K average.
About the Author
