Transformers: Dark of the Moon tore past the $500 million worldwide mark yesterday, which was its ninth day in theaters. That broke the ten-day record held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Those movies went on to earn $963.4 million and $1.014 billion (and counting), respectively, which looks like a good target range for Dark of the Moon.
Dark of the Moon and On Stranger Tides, though, don't precisely match up as an apples-to-apples comparison. When On Stranger Tides hit $500 million, it had only been playing domestically for eight days. Dark of the Moon, on the other hand, hit domestic and foreign theaters on the same day (June 29), so it had two more days of domestic play than On Stranger Tides. On Stranger Tides, though, had the advantage of simultaneously opening in all of its foreign markets, while Dark of the Moon has yet to invade China and Japan.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon has so far earned $214 million domestically, which lagged behind predecessor Revenge of the Fallen by $27 million. Most of that, though, can be attributed to Revenge of the Fallen's incredibly front-loaded opening. Beyond the first two days, Revenge of the Fallen has only out-grossed Dark of the Moon by $10 million.
It's a much different story overseas. Dark of the Moon has already earned a massive $297.1 million and is on pace to pass Revenge of the Fallen's $434.2 million final tally no later than Thursday. As far as individual territories go, Dark of the Moon eclipsed its predecessor in Russia ($30.1 million), Germany ($20.1 million) and Brazil ($9.6 million), among other small markets, and will move ahead in South Korea, Mexico and Taiwan this weekend.
Based on its current pace, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will rocket past $600 million worldwide on Saturday, its 11th day in theaters. That will top the previous speed-to-$600 million record of 12 days held by the last two Pirates movies. Reaching that level will make Dark of the Moon the second-highest grossing movie of 2011 ahead of Fast Five ($601.5 million) and behind On Stranger Tides. Adding to Dark of the Moon's impressiveness is that it's hitting these numbers before striking China (July 21) and Japan (July 29), two territories that, combined, contributed $90 million to Revenge of the Fallen and over $170 million to On Stranger Tides.
While it's a bit premature to definitively call it, Dark of the Moon appears to be on pace to ultimately close with over $1 billion worldwide. The biggest obstacle arrives next weekend: if Transformers avoids getting completely steamrolled by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, then it should become the ninth $1 billion movie in history.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
DVD Tuesday__7-5-11
July 5th
13 Assassins Includes Digital Copy
R
American Flyer
Not Rated
Anniversary at Shallow Creek
PG-13
Bloodlust Zombies
Not Rated
Bloodrayne: The Third Reich
R
Drive-In Horrorshow
Not Rated
Empire of Assassins
R
Ferocious Planet
Not Rated
Fireman Sam: Brave New Rescues
Not Rated
Frankenstein Syndrome
Not Rated
Hobo With a Shotgun
R
Hustle
R
UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields
Not Rated
Wake Wood
Not Rated
Witchville
Not Rated
Without a Father
Not Rated
13 Assassins Includes Digital Copy
R
American Flyer
Not Rated
Anniversary at Shallow Creek
PG-13
Bloodlust Zombies
Not Rated
Bloodrayne: The Third Reich
R
Drive-In Horrorshow
Not Rated
Empire of Assassins
R
Ferocious Planet
Not Rated
Fireman Sam: Brave New Rescues
Not Rated
Frankenstein Syndrome
Not Rated
Hobo With a Shotgun
R
Hustle
R
UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields
Not Rated
Wake Wood
Not Rated
Witchville
Not Rated
Without a Father
Not Rated
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Weekend Report: 'Transformers' Claims Independence Gross Record
This weekend, Transformers: Dark of the Moon dominated the box office with an estimated $97.4 million on approximately 9,300 screens at 4,013 locations. In the process, the robo-threequel rocked the Independence Day weekend gross record, eclipsing Spider-Man 2's $88.2 million, and socked Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides for the top-grossing weekend crown of 2011 so far. The Friday-to-Sunday opening salvos of Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were $70.5 million and $109 million, respectively.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon amassed $156.6 million for its five-day opening ($162.1 million total including Tuesday night previews), edging out Spider-Man 2's $152.4 million as the ninth highest-grossing five-day start ever. The last big movie to share Dark of the Moon's days and dates (Wednesday, June 29, through Sunday, July 3) was War of the Worlds in 2005, and Dark of the Moon handily out-grossed that alien invasion movie's $100.6 million five-day launch, though the two movies had nearly identical percentage changes throughout the weekend.
However, whlie the first Transformers made $133.3 million by day five (including previews), the second one, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, collected $200.1 million by its fifth day. What's more, Dark of the Moon's estimated attendance was far below Dark of the Moon and Spider-Man 2 and even behind the first Transformers by over ten percent. Dark of the Moon's 3D share of the gross was 60 percent at a record 2,789 3D locations, which was stronger than the 40 percent range showings of the last four major 3D releases (Cars 2, Green Lantern, Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates 4) but still down from the format's glory days. Dark of the Moon's exit polling results were 62 percent male (compred to 54 percent male for Revenge of the Fallen) and 55 percent under 25 years old.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon had an uphill battle after the negative reactions to Revenge of the Fallen, which itself relied on the good will generated by the first Transformers to deliver its awesome numbers. Dark of the Moon looked like more of the same, though its marketing promised the slickest robo-spectacle yet as well as a stronger alien invasion/disaster angle and a reveal that humans were working with the Decepticons all this time (intended as an "oh my god" point in the ads). It wasn't enough to overcome the stench of Revenge of the Fallen, but the franchise's fumes were still strong enough and Dark of the Moon's spectacle great enough in an unspectacular summer to yield likely the first $300 million plus movie of the year.
In second place, Cars 2 sprang a leak. The Pixar sequel slowed 62 percent to an estimated $25.1 million. That was the steepest second-weekend drop yet for a Pixar movie and was significantly worse than WALL-E (off 48 percent) and the first Cars (off 44 percent) at the same point. With $116 million in ten days, Cars 2's total was slightly behind Cars' $117.1 million at the ten-day mark, and attendance was even worse. While Transformers: Dark of the Moon had a 60 percent 3D share, Cars 2's fell to around 35 percent from 40 percent last weekend.
Bad Teacher was downgraded by 55 percent, but it still outdrew the debut of another school-oriented comedy, Larry Crowne. The Cameron Diaz vehicle pulled in an estimated $14.1 million for a $59.5 million sum in ten days.
Despite the presence of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, Larry Crowne failed to make the grade, grossing an estimated $13 million at 2,973 locations. The opening was well below par for both stars, and it's no wonder: the movie had a meek premise, coming off as a mild-mannered version of television's Community, and lacked punch in its marketing, relying too much on Hanks and Roberts' presence to carry the day. Distributor Universal Pictures' reported a demographic breakdown of 64 percent female and 81 percent 35 years of age and older.
Monte Carlo rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $7.6 million at 2,473 locations, which was slightly less than Ramona and Beezus from last summer. Distributor 20th Century Fox's research showed that 80 percent of Monte Carlo's audience was female and 60 percent was under 25 years old.
Green Lantern's downward spiral worsened, and the superhero movie's now dimming faster than Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It plummeted 65 percent to an estimated $6.3 million, falling behind the older Super 8, which made an estimated $7.5 million. In 17 days, Green Lantern has grossed $102 million or just a bit more than what Transformers: Dark of the Moon did in its first three days. Super 8 stood at $108 million in 24 days.
Meanwhile, Bridesmaids crossed the $150 million mark on its 50th day and surpassed Knocked Up to become the top-grossing Judd Apatow production yet. The comedy had the second-smallest decline of the weekend behind Midnight in Paris, down 33 percent to an estimated $3.5 million. With a $152.9 million haul in 52 days, Bridesmaids also edged out the final gross of Sex and the City.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon amassed $156.6 million for its five-day opening ($162.1 million total including Tuesday night previews), edging out Spider-Man 2's $152.4 million as the ninth highest-grossing five-day start ever. The last big movie to share Dark of the Moon's days and dates (Wednesday, June 29, through Sunday, July 3) was War of the Worlds in 2005, and Dark of the Moon handily out-grossed that alien invasion movie's $100.6 million five-day launch, though the two movies had nearly identical percentage changes throughout the weekend.
However, whlie the first Transformers made $133.3 million by day five (including previews), the second one, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, collected $200.1 million by its fifth day. What's more, Dark of the Moon's estimated attendance was far below Dark of the Moon and Spider-Man 2 and even behind the first Transformers by over ten percent. Dark of the Moon's 3D share of the gross was 60 percent at a record 2,789 3D locations, which was stronger than the 40 percent range showings of the last four major 3D releases (Cars 2, Green Lantern, Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates 4) but still down from the format's glory days. Dark of the Moon's exit polling results were 62 percent male (compred to 54 percent male for Revenge of the Fallen) and 55 percent under 25 years old.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon had an uphill battle after the negative reactions to Revenge of the Fallen, which itself relied on the good will generated by the first Transformers to deliver its awesome numbers. Dark of the Moon looked like more of the same, though its marketing promised the slickest robo-spectacle yet as well as a stronger alien invasion/disaster angle and a reveal that humans were working with the Decepticons all this time (intended as an "oh my god" point in the ads). It wasn't enough to overcome the stench of Revenge of the Fallen, but the franchise's fumes were still strong enough and Dark of the Moon's spectacle great enough in an unspectacular summer to yield likely the first $300 million plus movie of the year.
In second place, Cars 2 sprang a leak. The Pixar sequel slowed 62 percent to an estimated $25.1 million. That was the steepest second-weekend drop yet for a Pixar movie and was significantly worse than WALL-E (off 48 percent) and the first Cars (off 44 percent) at the same point. With $116 million in ten days, Cars 2's total was slightly behind Cars' $117.1 million at the ten-day mark, and attendance was even worse. While Transformers: Dark of the Moon had a 60 percent 3D share, Cars 2's fell to around 35 percent from 40 percent last weekend.
Bad Teacher was downgraded by 55 percent, but it still outdrew the debut of another school-oriented comedy, Larry Crowne. The Cameron Diaz vehicle pulled in an estimated $14.1 million for a $59.5 million sum in ten days.
Despite the presence of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, Larry Crowne failed to make the grade, grossing an estimated $13 million at 2,973 locations. The opening was well below par for both stars, and it's no wonder: the movie had a meek premise, coming off as a mild-mannered version of television's Community, and lacked punch in its marketing, relying too much on Hanks and Roberts' presence to carry the day. Distributor Universal Pictures' reported a demographic breakdown of 64 percent female and 81 percent 35 years of age and older.
Monte Carlo rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $7.6 million at 2,473 locations, which was slightly less than Ramona and Beezus from last summer. Distributor 20th Century Fox's research showed that 80 percent of Monte Carlo's audience was female and 60 percent was under 25 years old.
Green Lantern's downward spiral worsened, and the superhero movie's now dimming faster than Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It plummeted 65 percent to an estimated $6.3 million, falling behind the older Super 8, which made an estimated $7.5 million. In 17 days, Green Lantern has grossed $102 million or just a bit more than what Transformers: Dark of the Moon did in its first three days. Super 8 stood at $108 million in 24 days.
Meanwhile, Bridesmaids crossed the $150 million mark on its 50th day and surpassed Knocked Up to become the top-grossing Judd Apatow production yet. The comedy had the second-smallest decline of the weekend behind Midnight in Paris, down 33 percent to an estimated $3.5 million. With a $152.9 million haul in 52 days, Bridesmaids also edged out the final gross of Sex and the City.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday Report: 'Transformers' Looms Large Over Holiday Weekend
On Friday, Transformers: Dark of the Moon dominated the box office with an estimated $32.9 million on approximately 9,300 screens at 4,013 locations. That ranked as the third highest-grossing non-opening Friday of all time behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($36.7 million) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Fallen ($33.5 million).
With $92.1 million in three days ($97.6 million including previews), Transformers: Dark of the Moon edged out The Hangover Part II's $91.3 million as the top-grossing three-day start of 2011 so far. However, its predecessor, Revenge of the Fallen, had generated $127.9 million by Day Three, and, while the first Transformers movie had a lower three-day gross ($84.9 million), it had nearly 20 percent greater estimated attendance than Dark of the Moon. Dark of the Moon's 3D share of the gross continued to be 60 percent at a record 2,789 3D locations.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon jumped 53 percent from Thursday to Friday, which was a greater increase than its predecessors at the same point. The increase was comparable to War of the Worlds, which opened on the same day and date in 2005 and, hence, is a more apples-to-apples daily comparison through the Independence Day holiday. If Dark of the Moon continues to have a similar pattern to War of the Worlds, its three-day weekend would come in at around $97 million and its four-day would hit over $115 million. That puts Dark of the Moon in contention to break Spider-Man 2's Independence Day opening gross records ($88.2 million Friday-Sunday; $115.8 million Friday-Monday).
The five-day, Wednesday-to-Sunday Independence Day opening gross record is also potentially within Transformers: Dark of the Moon's reach. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is the current benchmark with $157.6 million. Through Monday, its sixth day, Dark of the Moon could be sitting at close to $180 million, which would firmly rank among the Top Ten six-day opening grosses ever, even if it trails the previous Transformers movies in gross and/or attendance.
In second place, Cars 2 sprang a leak. The Pixar sequel slowed 69 percent to an estimated $7.9 million. That was the steepest first-Friday-to-second-Friday drop yet for a summer Pixar release. WALL-E was the previous low at 61 percent, while the first Cars was off 53 percent at the same point. With $98.8 million in eight days, Cars 2's total was ahead of Cars' $92.5 million, but attendance was way down and the gross lead is on pace to vanish as well. While Transformers: Dark of the Moon had a 60 percent 3D share, Cars 2's fell to around 35 percent.
Bad Teacher was downgraded by 63 percent, but it still outdrew the debut of another school-oriented comedy, Larry Crowne. The Cameron Diaz vehicle pulled in an estimated $4.5 million for a $49.4 million sum in eight days.
Despite the presence of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, Larry Crowne failed to make the grade, grossing an estimated $4 million at 2,973 locations. Monte Carlo rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $3.1 million at 2,473 locations, which was slightly higher than Ramona and Beezus from last summer.
Green Lantern's downward spiral continued. The superhero movie plummeted 68 percent to an estimated $1.9 million, falling behind the older Super 8, which made an estimated $2.2 million. In 15 days, Green Lantern has grossed $97.6 million or about as much as Transformers: Dark of the Moon did in just over three days. Super 8 stood at $102.7 million in 22 days.
Meanwhile, Bridesmaids crossed the $150 million mark on its 50th day and also became the top-grossing Judd Apatow production yet.
With $92.1 million in three days ($97.6 million including previews), Transformers: Dark of the Moon edged out The Hangover Part II's $91.3 million as the top-grossing three-day start of 2011 so far. However, its predecessor, Revenge of the Fallen, had generated $127.9 million by Day Three, and, while the first Transformers movie had a lower three-day gross ($84.9 million), it had nearly 20 percent greater estimated attendance than Dark of the Moon. Dark of the Moon's 3D share of the gross continued to be 60 percent at a record 2,789 3D locations.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon jumped 53 percent from Thursday to Friday, which was a greater increase than its predecessors at the same point. The increase was comparable to War of the Worlds, which opened on the same day and date in 2005 and, hence, is a more apples-to-apples daily comparison through the Independence Day holiday. If Dark of the Moon continues to have a similar pattern to War of the Worlds, its three-day weekend would come in at around $97 million and its four-day would hit over $115 million. That puts Dark of the Moon in contention to break Spider-Man 2's Independence Day opening gross records ($88.2 million Friday-Sunday; $115.8 million Friday-Monday).
The five-day, Wednesday-to-Sunday Independence Day opening gross record is also potentially within Transformers: Dark of the Moon's reach. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is the current benchmark with $157.6 million. Through Monday, its sixth day, Dark of the Moon could be sitting at close to $180 million, which would firmly rank among the Top Ten six-day opening grosses ever, even if it trails the previous Transformers movies in gross and/or attendance.
In second place, Cars 2 sprang a leak. The Pixar sequel slowed 69 percent to an estimated $7.9 million. That was the steepest first-Friday-to-second-Friday drop yet for a summer Pixar release. WALL-E was the previous low at 61 percent, while the first Cars was off 53 percent at the same point. With $98.8 million in eight days, Cars 2's total was ahead of Cars' $92.5 million, but attendance was way down and the gross lead is on pace to vanish as well. While Transformers: Dark of the Moon had a 60 percent 3D share, Cars 2's fell to around 35 percent.
Bad Teacher was downgraded by 63 percent, but it still outdrew the debut of another school-oriented comedy, Larry Crowne. The Cameron Diaz vehicle pulled in an estimated $4.5 million for a $49.4 million sum in eight days.
Despite the presence of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, Larry Crowne failed to make the grade, grossing an estimated $4 million at 2,973 locations. Monte Carlo rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $3.1 million at 2,473 locations, which was slightly higher than Ramona and Beezus from last summer.
Green Lantern's downward spiral continued. The superhero movie plummeted 68 percent to an estimated $1.9 million, falling behind the older Super 8, which made an estimated $2.2 million. In 15 days, Green Lantern has grossed $97.6 million or about as much as Transformers: Dark of the Moon did in just over three days. Super 8 stood at $102.7 million in 22 days.
Meanwhile, Bridesmaids crossed the $150 million mark on its 50th day and also became the top-grossing Judd Apatow production yet.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Around-the-World Roundup: 'Cars 2's Foreign Model Yields Strong Sales
Cars 2 quickly raced in to first place overseas this weekend, and the numbers, at least initially, may have commercially validated Disney-Pixar's decision to give the sequel a drastic international makeover. Another animated sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, wasn't far behind, while Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides moved ever closer to the coveted $1 billion mark.
Check out results for Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates 4 and more on our overseas weekend chart here.
Cars 2 debuted to an estimated $42.9 million from 18 territories (or around 25 percent of the foreign market). According to distributor Walt Disney Pictures, this opening was up 127 percent from the first Cars in the same markets and was also a marked improvement over Up and Ratatouille. Remarkably, though, Cars 2 also tracked four percent ahead of Toy Story 3, which went on to earn a Pixar-best $648.2 million overseas last year.
Leading the way for Cars 2 was a $9.3 million start in Russia, which was more than the entire runs of the first Cars and Toy Story 3. The animated sequel also cruised to wins in Mexico ($8.1 million), Brazil ($7.6 million) and Australia ($5.2 million). Cars 2 had a strong start in Italy as well, though its $5.7 million wasn't remarkable considering the movie prominently features an Italian racecar and one of the major races is set in Italy.
The first Cars was one of Pixar's poorest performers overseas with $217.9 million. This was attributed to its small-town America setting and focus on the distinctly American racing sport NASCAR. The studio took major steps to broaden the foreign appeal for the second installment, adding an international espionage plot while sending Lightning McQueen on a World Grand Prix with stops in Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom. Based on the initial results of Cars 2, it's in great shape to significantly out-perform its predecessor, and a final tally north of $400 million appears to be a good target.
After leading for the last two weekends, Kung Fu Panda 2 eased 37 percent to $36.7 million from 56 markets. It's only major opening came in Australia, where it took second place behind Cars 2 with $4.8 million. The animated sequel has earned $340.8 million overseas for a worldwide total (domestic plus foreign) of $493 million, and it will join the $500 million club in the next few days.
The Hangover Part II added another $16.5 million from 56 territories, which was propped up by a solid $2.9 million start in Spain (including previews). The comedy sequel has grossed an impressive $284 million overseas, and its worldwide figure reached $527.7 million. It passed Meet the Fockers ($516.6 million) to become the highest-grossing live action comedy ever, excluding hybrids like Night at the Museum.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides fell 49 percent to an estimated $13.5 million, which brought its incredible foreign total to $756.1 million. On Thursday, Pirates passed The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to become the third highest-grossing movie ever overseas behind the James Cameron movies Avatar and Titanic. Including its domestic earnings, Pirates has tallied $985.2 million worldwide and is on pace to cross the $1 billion mark by Saturday at the latest.
X-Men: First Class, added $13 million for a total of $185.9 million. By next weekend, it will pass X2 and Wolverine to become the second highest-grossing entry in the series behind The Last Stand. A completely different school-oriented movie, Bad Teacher, expanded in to 24 markets and earned $12.4 million. Its best debut came in Germany, where it took first place with $6.1 million. Through its second weekend, the Cameron Diaz comedy has earned $17.8 million.
Arguably the most successful movie domestically so far this Summer, Bridesmaids showed some serious overseas muscle as well. The movie earned $11.3 million from 11 territories for an early total of $21.1 million. That included a strong $5.8 million first place debut in the U.K. and a decent $1.3 million start in Russia. Bridesmaids is set to roll out in to more territories over the next few months, starting with the Netherlands on July 7 and Germany on July 21.
Super 8 had its best opening so far this weekend with a $4.9 million first place debut in Japan; including all 29 of its territories, the movie made $10.1 million. Through its third weekend in fairly limited international release, the J.J. Abrams-Steven Spielberg thriller has earned $35.8 million.
Check out results for Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates 4 and more on our overseas weekend chart here.
Cars 2 debuted to an estimated $42.9 million from 18 territories (or around 25 percent of the foreign market). According to distributor Walt Disney Pictures, this opening was up 127 percent from the first Cars in the same markets and was also a marked improvement over Up and Ratatouille. Remarkably, though, Cars 2 also tracked four percent ahead of Toy Story 3, which went on to earn a Pixar-best $648.2 million overseas last year.
Leading the way for Cars 2 was a $9.3 million start in Russia, which was more than the entire runs of the first Cars and Toy Story 3. The animated sequel also cruised to wins in Mexico ($8.1 million), Brazil ($7.6 million) and Australia ($5.2 million). Cars 2 had a strong start in Italy as well, though its $5.7 million wasn't remarkable considering the movie prominently features an Italian racecar and one of the major races is set in Italy.
The first Cars was one of Pixar's poorest performers overseas with $217.9 million. This was attributed to its small-town America setting and focus on the distinctly American racing sport NASCAR. The studio took major steps to broaden the foreign appeal for the second installment, adding an international espionage plot while sending Lightning McQueen on a World Grand Prix with stops in Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom. Based on the initial results of Cars 2, it's in great shape to significantly out-perform its predecessor, and a final tally north of $400 million appears to be a good target.
After leading for the last two weekends, Kung Fu Panda 2 eased 37 percent to $36.7 million from 56 markets. It's only major opening came in Australia, where it took second place behind Cars 2 with $4.8 million. The animated sequel has earned $340.8 million overseas for a worldwide total (domestic plus foreign) of $493 million, and it will join the $500 million club in the next few days.
The Hangover Part II added another $16.5 million from 56 territories, which was propped up by a solid $2.9 million start in Spain (including previews). The comedy sequel has grossed an impressive $284 million overseas, and its worldwide figure reached $527.7 million. It passed Meet the Fockers ($516.6 million) to become the highest-grossing live action comedy ever, excluding hybrids like Night at the Museum.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides fell 49 percent to an estimated $13.5 million, which brought its incredible foreign total to $756.1 million. On Thursday, Pirates passed The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King to become the third highest-grossing movie ever overseas behind the James Cameron movies Avatar and Titanic. Including its domestic earnings, Pirates has tallied $985.2 million worldwide and is on pace to cross the $1 billion mark by Saturday at the latest.
X-Men: First Class, added $13 million for a total of $185.9 million. By next weekend, it will pass X2 and Wolverine to become the second highest-grossing entry in the series behind The Last Stand. A completely different school-oriented movie, Bad Teacher, expanded in to 24 markets and earned $12.4 million. Its best debut came in Germany, where it took first place with $6.1 million. Through its second weekend, the Cameron Diaz comedy has earned $17.8 million.
Arguably the most successful movie domestically so far this Summer, Bridesmaids showed some serious overseas muscle as well. The movie earned $11.3 million from 11 territories for an early total of $21.1 million. That included a strong $5.8 million first place debut in the U.K. and a decent $1.3 million start in Russia. Bridesmaids is set to roll out in to more territories over the next few months, starting with the Netherlands on July 7 and Germany on July 21.
Super 8 had its best opening so far this weekend with a $4.9 million first place debut in Japan; including all 29 of its territories, the movie made $10.1 million. Through its third weekend in fairly limited international release, the J.J. Abrams-Steven Spielberg thriller has earned $35.8 million.
'Transformers' Suboptimal on Wednesday
The Transformers franchise fell back with the debut of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The robo-sequel made $37.3 million on Wednesday, and, while that ranked as the sixth highest-grossing Wednesday opening ever and was the top-grossing opening day of 2011 so far (beating Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), it paled compared to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and likely yielded fewer viewers than the first Transformers.
Invading close to 10,000 screens at 4,011 locations, Dark of the Moon had about as many screens as Revenge of the Fallen and exactly the same number of locations as the first Transformers. Revenge of the Fallen raked in a then-record $62 million in its Wednesday debut two years ago, while the first Transformers drew $27.9 million in its Tuesday start in 2007. The latter's estimated 4.05 million tickets sold was slightly higher than Dark of the Moon's estimate for Wednesday, while Revenge of the Fallen's was nearly twice as much.
Dark of the Moon was the first movie in the series to be presented in the 3D illusion. Its run included 2,789 3D locations (and 146 in IMAX 3D), which was a new 3D record, and 3D accounted for 60 percent of the gross. Thus far, the 3D share has improved upon the 40-ish percent range of the last four big 3D movies Cars 2, Green Lantern, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but clearly wasn't a boon. Distributor Paramount Pictures noted research showing that 62 percent of the audience was male and 55 percent was under 25 years old.
Adjusted for ticket price inflation, Dark of the Moon would drop to 11th on the all-time Wednesday openings chart. It did beat another alien invasion/disaster movie that opened on the same day and date in 2005: War of the Worlds pulled in $21.3 million, and Dark of the Moon had nearly 20 percent greater estimated attendance.
Dark of the Moon's first day included $8 million in midnight shows at around 2,800 venues, which was the second-biggest midnight launch of the year behind The Hangover Part II's $10.4 million. The movie also grossed $5.5 million in Tuesday night previews on around 4,300 screens at 2,700 venues, giving it a total of $42.8 million. The second movie didn't have preview grosses for comparison, but the first one made $8.8 million in previews. With a higher 3D screen ratio, Dark of the Moon's early grosses had a 70 percent 3D share.
Invading close to 10,000 screens at 4,011 locations, Dark of the Moon had about as many screens as Revenge of the Fallen and exactly the same number of locations as the first Transformers. Revenge of the Fallen raked in a then-record $62 million in its Wednesday debut two years ago, while the first Transformers drew $27.9 million in its Tuesday start in 2007. The latter's estimated 4.05 million tickets sold was slightly higher than Dark of the Moon's estimate for Wednesday, while Revenge of the Fallen's was nearly twice as much.
Dark of the Moon was the first movie in the series to be presented in the 3D illusion. Its run included 2,789 3D locations (and 146 in IMAX 3D), which was a new 3D record, and 3D accounted for 60 percent of the gross. Thus far, the 3D share has improved upon the 40-ish percent range of the last four big 3D movies Cars 2, Green Lantern, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but clearly wasn't a boon. Distributor Paramount Pictures noted research showing that 62 percent of the audience was male and 55 percent was under 25 years old.
Adjusted for ticket price inflation, Dark of the Moon would drop to 11th on the all-time Wednesday openings chart. It did beat another alien invasion/disaster movie that opened on the same day and date in 2005: War of the Worlds pulled in $21.3 million, and Dark of the Moon had nearly 20 percent greater estimated attendance.
Dark of the Moon's first day included $8 million in midnight shows at around 2,800 venues, which was the second-biggest midnight launch of the year behind The Hangover Part II's $10.4 million. The movie also grossed $5.5 million in Tuesday night previews on around 4,300 screens at 2,700 venues, giving it a total of $42.8 million. The second movie didn't have preview grosses for comparison, but the first one made $8.8 million in previews. With a higher 3D screen ratio, Dark of the Moon's early grosses had a 70 percent 3D share.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)