OPENINGS: As summer kick-off weekends go, the $92M for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Sony)–which may go down by $1M or so in final numbers tomorrow, given an aggressively high Sunday estimate–was pretty mild. It came in below the openings of 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013 (above only the first Thor and the first Wolverine since 2007)–and has the additional embarrassment of starting lower than the April launch of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Comparisons to the first Amazing don’t work, because that one had a midweek opening for July 4th, but Amazing 2‘s launch is below both of the Sam Raimi Spider-Men epics that had Friday starts. Overseas, Amazing 2 is now playing in all major territories, and was again big ($116M for the weekend, $277M since it began overseas openings 2 weeks ago) but not overwhelming. It will have next weekend mostly to itself, but then more summer blockbusters will come pouring in, limiting its long-term playability. It seems headed for $225-240M in the US (below the first Amazing‘s $262M) and not that much over $500M overseas (a bit above Amazing 1‘s $490M). That would make it just a qualified win for Sony, which spent more this time around and which is basing a huge part of its franchise future on Spider-Man sequels and spin-offs.
HOLDOVERS: THE OTHER WOMAN (20th) did what it was supposed to do, holding on reasonably well (down 43% from last weekend to $14.7M) in the face of the superhero behemoth. It looks to be headed to $75M in the US, and it’s doing quite nicely overseas, with $19.5M this weekend and $45.5M to date. It still has roughly 20 foreign territories left to open, and could end up approaching the $216.2M worldwide total of Bad Teacher.
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL (TriStar/Sony) continues to resonate for its target audience, down 39% to $8.7M and $65.6M so far. Other than the much more expensive Noah, it’s going to be the top religious-themed movie of the year to date.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (Disney/Marvel) naturally got battered by the arrival of Spider-Man, down 53% to $7.8M. That still keeps it on track for $250M in the US, and it should easily get past $700M worldwide, almost doubling the first Captain America‘s $370.6M.
RIO 2 (20th/Blue Sky) held fairly well, down 45% to $7.6M, and should reach $125M or so in the US (below the first Rio‘s $143.6M). Internationally, it’s at $286.8M after a $24.5M weekend, and with animation-happy Japan still to open, it should pass the first Rio‘s $341M overseas total–although not by much. It’s a tidy success, but not the Ice Age-type leap into A-level animation territory that 20th was hoping for.
Neither of last weekend’s openings showed any staying power, as BRICK MANSIONS (Relativity) toppled by 63% to $3.5M, and THE QUIET ONES (Lionsgate) fell 48% to $2M. The best hold in the Top 10 belonged to THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Fox Searchlight), down just 29% to $1.7M after 9 weeks of release and at $51.5M in the US and $89M overseas.
Other notable long runs: DIVERGENT (Summit/Lionsgate) is at $142.7M in the US after a $2.2M weekend, but it continues to lag overseas, where it’s now playing worldwide and is at $107.6M after a $9.3M weekend. It may not crack $300M globally. Overseas territories, on the other hand, have been essential to NOAH (Paramount/Regency), which is at $99M in the US after a $900K weekend, but has $233.4M in the rest of the world after a $6.6M weekend, on its way to a $350M worldwide total.
LIMITED RELEASE: BELLE (Fox Searchlight) had a moderate start with a $26K average at 4 NY/LA theatres. The lower-profile IDA (Music Box) held its own with a $17K average at 3. FADING GIGOLO (Millenium) expanded to 110 theatres with an OK $4600 average. THE RAILWAY MAN (Weinstein) held nicely, down just 12% from last week despite adding just a handful of theatres for a total of 164, with a $3100 per-theatre average. THE LUNCHBOX (Sony Classics) and ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (Sony Classics) lost and gained a few theatres (to totals of 149 and 67, respectively), and had averages of $1900 and $3600. LOCKE (A24) is now in 25 theatres with a $5600 average. The documentary FOR NO GOOD REASON (Sony Classics) got off to a slow start with a $1100 average at 6.
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