>No new wide releases this weekend, the final weekend of the year as we welcome the arrival of 2012. We are estimating a box office volume of $145 million for Friday-Sunday for the top 12 films, up 27% from $114 million last weekend (which was limited by Christmas Eve on Saturday) and down only 2% from this weekend last year.
With Christmas Eve’s low numbers in last weekend’s tallies, the crop of holdovers have a great chance of growing in their second weekend. War Horse will show a particularly large weekend gain, although that is based on the fact that it played only one day in the last Friday-Sunday period.
(millions)
Major Returning Films Change This Domestic
Dec 30-Jan 1 vs wknd 1 Weekend Total*
Mission: Impossible 4 Par + 6% $31.2 $190
Sherlock Holmes 2 WB + 9% $22.0 $155
Alvin & Chipmunks 3 Fox +45% $18.5 $100
War Horse DW/Dis +110% $15.5 $ 75
Girl with Dragon Tattoo Sony + 9% $14.0 $ 95
Adventures of Tintin Par +39% $13.5 $ 90
We Bought a Zoo Fox +39% $13.0 $ 75
New Year’s Eve WB +66% $ 5.5 $ 40
Darkest Hour Sum +27% $ 3.8 $ 35
Box Office Volume
For the past four years, the top 12 films in the comparable weekend have averaged $153 million total, ranking 10th of 52 weeks. Last year this weekend’s total was $149 million, and the same weekend in 2009 was $209 million. This Friday-Sunday is looking like $145 million, down 2% from this weekend last year.
Come back throughout the weekend to see how the New Year’s weekend and the conclusion of holiday week shapes up. Saturday morning we will have an early look at how the weekend is looking, on Sunday we will have initial studio estimates (based on Friday and Saturday actuals), and Monday we will have the final weekend numbers.
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