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May 19, 2013
 

BEHIND THE WEEKEND BOXOFFICE – 5/19/13

 

OPENINGS:  In order for STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS (Paramount) to hit its $70.6M weekend studio estimate (and $84.1M over 4+ days), it will need to have the best Sunday hold in the top 10 by a substantial margin.  Paramount has it slipping only 24%, when the next-lowest drop is 30% (and that’s also for a Paramount movie–the lowest title from any other studio is 34%).  So we’ll see how that holds up tomorrow.  In any case, this is a disappointing opening, lower than the first 4 days of the 2009 Star Trek, even though this one had 3D/Imax ticket prices.   Overseas, Darkness made $40M in 40 territories (the global total is $164.6M so far), which is a solid but not blockbuster number.  Darkness should make more than Star Trek‘s $385.7M worldwide total… but maybe not by much, even though its production cost was $50M higher this time and the marketing spend overseas was greatly increased.  Not the sign of a thriving franchise.

HOLDOVERS:  THE GREAT GATSBY (Warners) had an OK hold in its second weekend, down 53% to $23.4M on its way to $130-140M in the US.  Overseas, where Baz Luhrmann’s pictures typically overperform, it made $42.1M in 49 territories.  It should reach over $300M worldwide–which may not make it particularly profitable, given its huge cost and marketing, but would come as a welcome relief for a movie that for months looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

IRON MAN 3 (Disney) continues to own the global boxoffice, with another $35.2M in the US ($337.1M total), where it’s getting very healthy Saturday bumps from the family audience, plus another $40.2M overseas ($736.2M).  It’s already at $1.07B, and might still have another $200M or so in the tank.

No other holdover topped $3.1M for the weekend.  THE CROODS (DreamWorks Animation/20th) continued to hold very well, with a 24% drop in its 9th weekend.  MUD (Lionsgate) added another 108 theatres (it’s now in 960) and slipped only 15%, with a $2300 per-theatre average.

LIMITED RELEASE:  FRANCES HA (IFC) had a very solid start, with a $33.5K average at 4 theatres–although that was helped by celebrity Q&As.  It widens on Friday.  THE ICEMAN (Millenium) expanded to 165 theatres, and had an OK $2800 average.  KON-TIKI (Weinstein) tripled its run to 61 theatres with a $2500 average.  STORIES WE TELL (Roadside Attractions) spread to 23 theatres with a fair $6K average.  LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED (Sony Pictures Classics) doubled to 22 theatres with a $3300 average.  WHAT MAISIE KNEW (Millenium) had a $8500 average at 4.



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."