HomeLOGIN HomeREGISTER HomeRSS 
HomeHOME



Box Office Report

27 Comments | Add
 

Rate & Share:
1
 

Related Links:
 

Info:

Box Office: THUNDER Wins a Slow Labor Weekend

By Jarrod Sarafin     August 31, 2008


Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, Nick Nolte, Ben Stiller and Brandon T. Jackson in TROPIC THUNDER (2008).
© DreamWorks Pictures
What a slow weekend at the box office. The estimated winner of this report has $11.5 million dollars. That should say it all or at least, indicate just why late August and September are sometimes referred to as the month where studios insert movies to die quickly. Luckily for this particular weekend’s winner, that’s not the case. It’s a film which has been out for weeks and is already close to successful for Paramount and DreamWorks.
That’s right. Tropic Thunder wins the report again. While still showing in 3,473 theaters around the country, the Ben Stiller-directed film brought in another $11.5 million this weekend. This makes for an average of $3,311 per showing with audiences and has the overall domestic tally at $83.8 million. The film has yet to reach a lot of foreign territories with only $2.6 mil of oversea numbers. The budget is at $92 mil.
Following in second place is Babylon A.D., with the film grabbing $9.7 mil in its first three days of domestic distribution. 20th Century Fox’s latest sci-fi adventure was universally panned by critics and the director himself with the box office numbers reflecting that fact from audiences. The studio opened the film in 3,390 theaters around the nation so this points to an average of only $2,861 per showing. Not a good start for a film costing $90 million to make.
The biggest story of this box office report is a subject we know well. Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan’s uber-success story The Dark Knight. Yes, with Sunday’s estimates, the film has reached that coveted $500 mil domestic mark, something only one film has accomplished before now (if you don’t include inflation). The second adventure of the caped crusader pulled in an estimated $8.7 mil this weekend on its 2,750 theaters across the nation, which makes for an average of $3,181 per showing for audiences.
With Sunday’s numbers, The Dark Knight has a domestic gross of $502.4 million. If you include the fact that the sequel has pulled in another $416.7 mil overseas, the WB has grossed $919.1 million worldwide since the film launched into theaters July 18, 2008. We know who is the champion of the box office in 2008 and he dresses like a bat.
Sony dropped two places with their House Bunny taking 4th place by pulling in another $8.3 mil this weekend. If you include its debut weekend numbers, the film has pulled in a domestic gross of $27.8 mil. Not bad at all for a film with budget of only $25 mil.
Overture Films likewise doesn’t have too much to worry about with its latest release Traitor hitting 5th place in its debut weekend. By keeping the Don Cheadle film at a low $22 mil budget, its debut gross of $7.9 mil isn’t bad at all for the indie distributor. The film is showing on 2,054 theaters across the country so it has the second highest average rate of $3,846 per showing.
Universal Pictures dropped three places with Death Race coming in at 6th place in its second week of distribution. The remake of the cult classic Death Race 2000 pulled in an estimated $6.2 mil on 2,537 theaters. This 50% drop sounds bad but the studio and director Paul W.S. Anderson kept the budget manageable with a $45 mil price tag. In ten days of release, the film has grossed $23.0 mil domestically and it has yet to reach foreign markets.
I have no January 2008 flashback this weekend. As I said in the last report, it’s easy to remember Rambo getting beat out by a spoof movie like Meet the Spartans in its debut weekend in January 2008. That isn’t the case with the same creators falling short on their latest spoof Disaster Movie. Lionsgate launched the film into 2,642 theaters this weekend and it wound up with a debut of $6.1 mil. As with most spoof movies, the budget is low to the tune of only $20 mil.
Universal continues rolling along with their biggest success of the summer, the musical Mamma Mia. The film took in another $4.4 mil this weekend and landed in the 8th place. The studio had the budget at only $52 mil and since opening up opposite The Dark Knight on July 18, the film has grossed $131.5 mil domestically and another $206.7 mil in foreign territories. This makes for a worldwide gross of $338.2 mil, one of the top profitable films of summer 2008.
 
Sony follows in 9th place with their action-comedy Pineapple Express taking in another $3.3 million from audiences around the nation. Like the House Bunny, Sony Pictures kept the budget very low with a price tag of only $27 mil. Since the film has grossed $79.7 mil domestically, this makes for another success for the studio.
And last is the limited release Vicky Christina Barcelona from MGM and The Weinstein Company. The film is showing in only 692 theaters but still managed 10th place by pulling in another $3.0 mil this weekend. If you include the previous two weekends of release, the film has a domestic tally of $12.7 million.
 
Rank
Movie
Weekend
Theaters
Average
Total
Budget
1
Tropic Thunder
$11.5 mil
3,473
$3,311
$83.8 mil
$92
2
Babylon A.D.
$9.7 mil
3,390
$2,861
$9.7 mil
$70
3
The Dark Knight
$8.7 mil
2,750
$3,181
$502.4 mil
$185
4
The House Bunny
$8.3 mil
2,714
$3,058
$27.8 mil
$25
5
Traitor
$7.9 mil
2,054
$3,846
$9.4 mil
$22
6
Death Race
$6.2 mil
2,537
$2,454
$23.0 mil
$45
7
Disaster Movie
$6.1 mil
2,642
$2,335
$6.1 mil
$20
8
Mamma Mia!
$4.4 mil
1,968
$2,244
$131.5 mil
$52
9
Pineapple Express
$3.3 mil
2,047
$1,656
$79.7 mil
$27
10
Vicky Christina Barcelona
$3.0 mil
692
$4,339
$12.7 mil
----
 
 
 Will next weekend be even more exciting?
Doubtful…
 
Friday September 8, 2008 Releases:
Wide
Bangkok Dangerous (2,500+ theaters)
Limited
Everybody Wants to Be Italian
Ping Pong Playa
Passengers

MOVIES REVIEWS

Comments (8) | Bangs (0)
MANIA INTERVIEW & REVIEW:...
Comments (4) | Bangs (0)
DVD REVIEW- I Am Legend (Ultimate...
Comments (8) | Bangs (0)
MOVIE REVIEW- Valkyrie
Comments (6) | Bangs (1)
DVD REVIEW- Death Race
Comments (3) | Bangs (0)
MOVIE REVIEW #2- THE SPIRIT
Comments (4) | Bangs (0)
MOVIE REVIEW #1- THE SPIRIT
Comments (16) | Bangs (0)
MOVIE REVIEW- The Curious Case of...
Comments (12) | Bangs (1)
MOVIE REVIEW- The Day the Earth...
Comments (16) | Bangs (0)
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE - The Mania...
Comments (5) | Bangs (1)
Review: WANTED on DVD
Comments (10) | Bangs (0)
MOVIE REVIEW- TRANSPORTER 3
Comments (3) | Bangs (0)
DVD Review of The Man from...

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Showing items 1 - 10 of 27
1 2 3 >  >>  
akobus 8/31/2008 5:06:33 PM
For the record Babylon AD's budget was not a $90 million, its between $60-$70 million. Boxofficemojo has it listed at $70 million, imdb has it listed at $60 million, and Wikepedia has it listed at $65 million. Anyway the film had a disspointing opening, it'll probably make around $12 million for the 4 day weekend, I still have not seen it but I plan on it, it got panned by critics, but I don't care I still think it looks kind of cool. Basically I've heard the movie is like a Sci-Fi version of XXX so I will probably enjoy the movie.
evilbeagle 8/31/2008 5:27:38 PM
Saw Tropic Thunder this weekend. Pretty funny movie. Didn't think it was GREAT, but I laughed a lot. Never go full retard.
hanso 8/31/2008 5:51:06 PM
WHAT WHAT! 502 motherfrakin dollars bitches!! Buwahahahaha. I pity the fool who paid $10 to see Babylon AD. On a more personal note, I haven't done jack shit this weekend. Literally nothing. And it was everything I hoped it would be. 2 more days till The Shield!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
akobus 8/31/2008 6:14:58 PM
Funny no one is mentioning other new openers the praised Hamlet 2 and the R-Rated Comedy College, oh thats right because this weekends boxoffice take was so terrible for each neither even cracked the top 10. College- Which is a cheap (budget wise) raunchy comedy, came in a sad 15th place in the top 20, making a laughable $2.1 million on 2,123 screens. The film that probably suprised many with its floppage is Hamlet 2 the comedy made by the people who made Team America, and wowed the Sundance Film Festival. Yeah well this film which was "Supposed to be this years Napoleon Dynamite," did not measure up to the hype as it tanked, being released in almost 1,600 theaters and only making $1.6 million for the weekend, and coming in 17th place in the top 20.
TrueJedi48 8/31/2008 6:50:41 PM
Hanso, good to see we have another Shield fan here at mania. I picked up season 6 last tuesday to refresh myself since it's been so long since it last aired. Shane is gonna pay for killing Lem.... CAN'T WAIT!!!
hanso 8/31/2008 7:11:14 PM
Yea man, know what you mean. Part of my doing nothing was I ran through the last Shield season to get ready for the Final Act.
Flint521466 8/31/2008 7:43:37 PM
And the thing is, Shane KNOWS Vic is gonna find out. So for him it's only a matter of time. Can't wait!
almostunbiased 8/31/2008 8:14:48 PM
Crap, another busy weekend and I haven't had time to see tropic thunder yet. Fun weekend, but still I really want to see that movie.
hanso 8/31/2008 8:30:31 PM
You a The Shield fan to Flint? Nice! Do they review Shield episodes on this site? If they don't, need to. Got 3 fans on this thread right now, and I know "needaname", "fft" and "hobbs" are fans also. This weekend sucked so bad at the box office we are discussing television. Strike Team is where it's at! Yo, Tina is hot and they show her ass in one scene. Sweet!
WarCry 8/31/2008 9:34:51 PM
"Yeah well this film which was "Supposed to be this years Napoleon Dynamite," did not measure up to the hype as it tanked," Maybe because everyone who SAW Napoleon Dynamite was like me and didn't get what all the hype was about and they weren't going to fall for it again....
1 2 3 >  >>  

MOVIES NEWS UPDATES

MORE CONTENT BY JARROD SARAFIN

RELATED CONTENT