Box Office Report

Hellboy (Ron Perlman) ready to battle the golden army in HELLBOY II:THE GOLDEN ARMY(2008).
© Universal Pictures

Box Office: HELLBOY Edges Past Hancock

By: Jarrod Sarafin
Date: Sunday, July 13, 2008

For weeks here in our Mania Box Office reports, we’ve been talking about the overwhelming competition in the month of July, especially in terms of a wide range of demographics from couple movies to fantasies to straight family films. So, entering the second weekend of July and seeing the winner hold down only $35.8 million isn’t very surprising. Not when second place is right behind with $33.0 million and third place debuted with $20.5 mil. In other words, rather than one movie taking everything, the field of box office competition spread out a bit here.

Taking 1^st place is director Guillermo del Toro and Universal Pictures with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The sequel fared better in its debut than the predecessor, which only managed a $23.1 mil bow in early April 2004. The latest adaptation of the Mike Mignola comic debuted on 3,204 theaters this weekend and wound up grossing $35.8 mil in domestic sales. While this debut isn’t anything to shout home about, it’s also not as bad as it could be, considering the studio kept the budget low at $85 mil. The debut alone should guarantee it makes more money than the first installment’s domestic gross of $59.6 million.

Will Smith finds himself with another smash hit as Hancock rolls into second place very close to Hellboy II’s box office numbers. The misguided superhero flick which opened up last weekend to the tune of $62.6 mil grabbed another $33.0 in domestic sales this weekend. With the early opening and the high weekday numbers, Hancock is already sitting at a domestic gross of $165.0 million. If you count its $180.2 mil in foreign sales, Columbia Pictures already has a worldwide gross of $345.2 million. Its budget is only $150. Yet another box office success for Mr. Smith and this film is on its way to becoming one of the highest earners of 2008.

The second debuting film for this weekend is Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D, which found its way into 3^rd place with a $20.5 million bow at the domestic box office. Unlike Hellboy II, this remake of the classic was targeted towards family audiences and those audiences seemed to eat it up. New Line kept the budget respectable at $60 mil so this opening spells a decent chance of success. Since the house that Freddy built was folded into Warner Bros. last spring, they’ve been doing well at the box office with Harold and Kumar 2, Sex and the City and this latest film.

Next up is Pixar’s latest effort Wall-E, which grabbed 4^th place by grossing $18.5 million in its third weekend inside theaters. It’s getting close to its budget mark and will likely pass it by next weekend or early the following week if all goes well. In 17 days of release, Pixar has grossed $162.7 million domestically against a budget of $180 mil. It has yet to touch most foreign audiences at the moment with its international grosses sitting still at $3.1 mil.

While Pixar is having to overcome a high budget, the same can’t be said for Universal Pictures’ comic adaptation of Mark Millar’s Wanted. The James McAvoy vehicle has been neck in neck with Wall-E for its three weeks of release at the box office but it has already passes the budget line by nearly $40 mil, thanks to this weekend’s $11.5 take. The studio has it listed at a $75 price tag and it has grossed $112.0 mil domestically after 17 days. If you count the $63.6 mil foreign grosses as of last weekend, Wanted has a worldwide gross of $175.7 million.

Warner Bros. also has another hit on their hands with their big screen treatment of the 60’s television series Get Smart. The Steve Carell film landed in 6^th place this weekend by grabbing another $7.1 mil at the box office. The studio kept the budget at $80 mil and in four weeks of distribution, it has grossed $111.4 mil domestically and another $34.7 mil internationally. Not bad at all for Warner Bros and Carell is likely pleased he didn’t have a repeat performance of last summer’s disaster Evan Almighty.

Speaking of disasters, it looks like Eddie Murphy has another dud on his hands. I think most of us could see this coming. Two wide releases were more than enough for July 11 yet 20^th Century Fox still insisted on sneaking in their sci-fi comedy Meet Dave. As a result, the Murphy film debuted with only $5.3 mil this weekend, which doesn’t look good at all since the budget is at $60 mil and there’s three new wide releases next weekend as well. For all the successful debuts that we’ve talked about lately, this one is clearly on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Paramount and DreamWorks hit the $200 mil domestic mark this weekend with their action animation Kung Fu Panda grossing another $4.3 mil. The film has been doing very well since opening and in six weeks of distribution, it has grossed $356.1 mil worldwide on a budget price tag of $130 mil.

The recently expanded Picture House release of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl dropped one slot down to 9^th this weekend by taking in another $2.3 mil at the box office. The indie film has been hitting theaters for four weeks now and has grossed $11.0 mil domestically.

And after eight weeks of stellar box office results, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has found its way into the 10^th spot. The fourth adventure of the iconic adventurer pulled in another $2.2 mil this weekend to set its domestic mark at $310.4 mil, just $3 mil shy of its fellow May Paramount comrade Iron Man ($313.4 mil). As you will see in our Summer Numbers list below, Indy is the highest worldwide performer of 2008 since it has grabbed $740.5 mil overall.

Rank	Movie	Weekend	Theaters	Average	Total	Budget
1	Hellboy II: The Golden Army	$35.8 mil	3,204	$11,200	$35.8 mil	$85
2	Hancock	$33.0 mil	3,965	$8,322	$165.0 mil	$150
3	Journey to the Center of the Earth	$20.5 mil	2,811	$7,321	$20.5 mil	$60
4	Wall-E	$18.5 mil	3,849	$4,808	$162.7 mil	$180
5	Wanted	$11.5 mil	3,157	$3,669	$112.0 mil	$75
6	Get Smart	$7.1 mil	3,086	$2,302	$111.4 mil	$80
7	Meet Dave	$5.3 mil	3,011	$1,760	$5.3 mil	$60
8	Kung Fu Panda	$4.3 mil	2,704	$1,590	$202.0 mil	$130
9	Kit Kittredge	$2.3 mil	1,849	$1,274	$11.0 mil	---
10	Indiana Jones 4	$2.2 mil	1,664	$1,352	$310.4 mil	$185

Overall Numbers for Summer 2008 Tent Poles

Indiana Jones 4 Numbers:

Budget: $185 mil
Opening: $100.1 mil
Domestic: $310.4 mil
Foreign: $430.0 mil
Worldwide: $740.5 mil

Iron Man Numbers:

Budget: $140 mil
Opening: $98.6 mil
Domestic: $313.4 mil
Foreign: $251.7 mil
Worldwide: $565.1 mil

Kung Fu Panda Numbers:

Budget: $130 mil
Opening: $60.2 mil
Domestic: $202.0 mil
Foreign: $154.1 mil
Worldwide: $356.1 mil

Hancock Numbers:

Budget: $150 mil
Opening: $62.6 mil
Domestic: $165.0 mil
Foreign: $180.2 mil
Worldwide: $345.2 mil

Sex and the City Numbers:

Budget: $65 mil
Opening: $57.0 mil
Domestic: $148.2 mil
Foreign: $198.4 mil
Worldwide: $346.6 mil

Prince Caspian Numbers:

Budget: $200 mil
Opening: $55.0 mil
Domestic: $139.0 mil
Foreign: $161.5 mil
Worldwide: $300.6 mil

The Incredible Hulk Numbers:

Budget: $150 mil
Opening: $55.4 mil
Domestic: $129.8 mil
Foreign: $95.1 mil
Worldwide: $224.9 mil

Wall-E Numbers:

Budget: $180 mil
Opening: $63.0 mil
Domestic: $162.7 mil
Foreign: $3.1 mil
Worldwide: $165.9 mil

Wanted Numbers

Budget: $75 mil
Opening: $50.9 mil
Domestic: $112.0 mil
Foreign: $63.6 mil
Worldwide: $175.7 mil

Get Smart Numbers:

Budget: $80 mil
Opening: $38.6 mil
Domestic: $111.4 mil
Foreign: $34.7 mil
Worldwide: $146.1 mil

The Happening Numbers:

Budget: $60 mil
Opening: $30.5 mil
Domestic: $63.3 mil
Foreign: $78.9 mil
Worldwide: $142.3 mil

Speed Racer Numbers:

Budget: $120 mil
Opening: $18.5 mil
Domestic: $43.3 mil
Foreign: $42.2 mil
Worldwide: $85.5 mil

And here we go. After a year of marketing trailers, clips, viral website updates and everything else, Christopher Nolan’s sequel The Dark Knight is poised to strike theaters next weekend. As we know, Fandango has been flooding news that the early screening/showings of the film has been selling out across the country, enough so that some theaters are putting in 3:00 am and 6:00 am showings.

As seen very clearly in our comment sections these past few months, the fan anticipation is very high for this flick.

And with Warner Bros getting set to debut the sequel on 4,300+ theater prints across the nation, there can be no doubt that audiences will have plenty of showings to choose from when they go watch the film. As far as competition is concerned, there are two other wide releases next weekend and both are targeted towards the family dynamic. Universal is releasing their musical Mamma Mia! On 3,000 prints while Fox releases their animation Space Chimps on 2,400 prints.

It’s time for the Joker to reveal his cards…

Friday July 18, 2008 Releases:

Wide

The Dark Knight (4,300+ theaters)

Mamma Mia! (3,000 theaters)

Space Chimps (2,400 theaters)

Limited

Mad Detective

Lou Reed’s Berlin

More From Mania

Hellboy The Companion TPB

'HELLBOY II' a Journey Worth Taking
(Thursday, July 10, 2008)
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
(Thursday, July 10, 2008)
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
(Saturday, June 9, 2007)
HELLBOY: THE ISLAND #1
(Wednesday, June 29, 2005)
HELLBOY
(Thursday, July 29, 2004)
Hellboy
(Tuesday, February 10, 2004)
HELLBOY: THE RIGHT HAND OF DOOM
(Wednesday, July 26, 2000)

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Comments/Responses

raulendymion • Jul 13, 2008, 02:30pm •

Competition or not I was expecting Hellboy II to come in at around 45 mil or so for the weekend. It was a great follow-up and for anyone into fantasy/mythology/folklore this was a real treat. One can only hope for a third installment, but again like the new Hulk (which I thought was great) there could be a real question mark now with these not so great opening numbers.

RaithManan • Jul 13, 2008, 02:30pm •

Well, last week I said HANCOCK might stay at #1, but I also said I wouldn't be surprised if HELLBOY stole the top spot and it did so good job for HELLBOY. I was really surprised that JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH came in at #3 because I had expected it to get lost in the shuffle with WALL-E and WANTED in the mix.

Eddie, Eddie....Eddie....I know you been re-inventing yourself over the years because the high-octane profane style can only go so far once you do it too much or reach an age were you become mellow. Family oriented material or fan friendly material (LIKE SHREK) can be a good thing when its done right, but not when its completely MINDLESS. Please stop making these type of films because you're starting to drink the same tainted pitcher of kool-aid that ruined Whoopi and Cuba because MEET DAVE had the stentch of PLUTO NASH written all over it and how NORBIT made money last year is beyond me. Eddie needs to go back to clever comedy, do more daring roles like in DREAMGIRLS, or get BEVERLY HILLS COP 4 into production ASAP because not only will your oscar nominated performance in DREAMGIRLS seem like a pipedream (SEE WHOOPI AND CUBA), but you're edging real close to Pauly Shore status if you keep cranking out clunkers like this.

Ladies and gents, the new summer turkey...MEET DAVE, after from passing to SPEED RACER to LOVE GURU. And its amazing that Both Murphy and Myers coming off SHREK crank out movies made to be pitched in the garbage. Now bring on THE DARK KNIGHT so I can skip work.

raulendymion • Jul 13, 2008, 02:52pm •

Already put in for Friday off. Oh, and MEET DAVE? Who is he trying to kid?

wessmith1966 • Jul 13, 2008, 02:53pm •

First off, how in the hell did Eddie Murphy's new movie get greenlighted? I saw the trailer in the theater a couple of weeks ago and everyone in the audience groaned. Thank god I didn't have to go see that this weekend. It looked like a real stinker. Did anyone actually think that movie would be any good? Maybe Eddie needed a paycheck for lawyer's fees. He should go back to standup.

Took the kids to the Journey of the Center of the Earth and they absolutely loved it. It was a fun movie; a little cheesy sure, but really great family entertainment. When we got home I showed the kids pictures and video I took hiking on Snaefellsnessjokul when I lived in Iceland. I told them I looked, but didn't find any secret passageways to the center of the earth!

Hellboy was ok, but nothing special for me. I never read the comic so I don't have an attachment to the characters. I just can't get into the Hellboy and Liz characters, but liked everything else. The creatures were fantastic and I liked the overall look of the film. I liked the general plot of the film, but it just didn't get fleshed out enough for me and I could have done without the Hellboy & Liz subplot. I did like the scene with Hellboy and Abe slugging a few brews to Manilow. I like Abe and was glad he had a much bigger role in this film, as I find his character to be more interesting than the other leads.

Looking forward to seeing The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia this weekend.

Flint521466 • Jul 13, 2008, 04:20pm •

5 DAYS

WISEGUY562 • Jul 13, 2008, 04:34pm •

I knew HB2 would win the weekend in spite of being released in almost 800 fewer theaters than Hancock. Surprised Hancock did this well but it was being force fed to people. In my theater HB screened 10x a day and Hancock was getting 22 screening per day. And plenty of people just watch what's convenient.

Said last week that Dave would be a disaster of Pluto Nash proportions, well not quite but close.

I was planning on checking out Journey during the week. Especially now since wessmith's kids loved it :)

Wasn't expecting much from HB since I thought the first was just o.k. but I ended up loving it. It was a real treat to the eyes, plenty of action, laughs and a little love story to go along with all that. What else can you ask for?

Expect TDK to open at around 130mil for the weekend. Mark my words

JarrodSarafin • Jul 13, 2008, 05:27pm •

Sooooo...Wiseguy, you don't believe The Dark Knight will beat Spider-Man 3's 151 million opening record.

But you think it will be get near $130 mil next weekend?

Heh, I will mark your words and if you prove correct, I will open next Sunday's Box Office Report with "Maniac Wiseguy was correct..."

:)

myklspader • Jul 13, 2008, 05:56pm •

Glad to see Hellboy 2 did well, even if it is not by much. Nice to know it may make enough to garner another movie.

Thought it was good, but not as good as the first one for me... too much comedy, but still refreshing to see the unlikely superhero get another movie.

Cannot wait for Friday morning… cannot wait for Jack's version of The Joker to be buried once and for all.

Redheaven • Jul 13, 2008, 06:24pm •

I saw Hellboy 2 and thought it was really good. Hope, they make a third but who knows when Guillermo will get to it, because of the hobbit. I think Jarrod is right, Dark knight is goin' to break spidey 3's record. I'm leavin' work early on thursday to catch the midnight showing. I'm also gonna bet it's gonna be number one the following week.

RaithManan • Jul 13, 2008, 06:32pm •

Only two things bothered me about HELLBOY 2. First, the Golden Army visuals looked rather bland in the finale. It looked like they took a bunch of Binoicle figures and tried to super-impose them on the screen. So that sequence looked kinda rushed towards the end or just wasn't made to look convincing enough. Second, how the ending into the credits occurred....made me wondered did Tarintino sneak onto set and shot the last scene because the reaction to the ending from the audience was mostly bewilderment. One woman behind me said, "Well, that was a pretty generic finish".

Maybe Del Toro tried to be a bit quirky with it along with other parts of the film because it had that 70's type of feel right at the end, but it came off as a bit odd and out of left field somewhat. Other than that, Del Toro is showing more and more that he is a visual marvel.

Its gonna be a while for HELLBOY 3 (MORE LIKE 2013 0R 2014) since he's now beginning early work on THE HOBBIT which he is committed to for 4 years, so he's not gonna have time to toil around with other projects whether be as a producer or a director.

And where the hell are you Hanzo? Time to begin the DARK KNIGHT countdown. Or Flint, you can do it. tick tick....tick tick. Get your tickets early folks, because showtimes are selling out where I'm at and may resort to 24hr openings on Thursday and possibly through the weekend.

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