Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson have life to celebrate in THE BUCKET LIST(2008).
© Warner Bros.
WB Grabs a BUCKET of Cash
By: Jarrod Sarafin, News EditorDate: Sunday, January 13, 2008
It seems that earlier press releases about Uwe Boll’s In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale were a bit misleading. Sure, the film got 3,000+ theaters but only 1,605 of those theaters were in here in the states in its opening debut. As such, the film didn’t make the top 10 and I don’t have to talk about it here other than what you’re reading here. It landed in 14th place this weekend and only grabbed 3.2 mil here. So there, I’m done talking about the Uwe Boll aspect of this report.
Not that the rest of this report will be much exciting to talk about, which I’ll note below the chart with the numbers. That could be changing but January tends to be rather boring for new movies. The studios seem to be coming down from their holiday sugar highs (NT2, I Am Legend, Alvin, etc).
The top performer for this weekend is WB’s The Bucket List, grabbing 19.5 mil in receipts after expanding into 2,895 theaters in its 3rd week of release. In the first two weeks, it made only 1.4 mil so its total reflects that, which is now at 20.9 mil. WB has its budget listed at 45 mil.
Following in 2nd place for the weekend is the debuting First Sunday by Sony Screen Gems. The film starring Ice Cube pulled in 19.0 million on 2,213 theaters across the nation, which amounts to an average of $8,585 per showing. Screen Gems seems to continue making smart decisions with their films by keeping small budgets and sneaking in under the radar with these prospective hits. Just last year, around this same time, they took advantage of a teenage audience with their Messengers PG-13 horror film when most people were watching the Superbowl. It ended up making a bit of money over its small budget and while no budget has been listed for Sunday, it can be guessed that the budget is very low indeed.
Fox Searchlight once again expanded their Juno release this weekend and once again enjoys a spot in the top 3. The film written by Diablo Cody & directed by Jason Reitman has received good word of mouth and has gained momentum with each expansion while maintaining a steady income of revenue. This weekend was no different with the film pulling in another 14.0 mil in its 2,448 theaters. This has it only dropping 11% from its previous weekend and has its domestic total at 71.2 million. It’s clearly a big hit for the indie branch of 20th Century Fox.
The next 3 spots in the report find us back into the sugar highs I spoke of beforehand, three films which have pulled in unbelievable box office numbers over the last month and two of those films were released on the same exact weekend (Dec 14.).
Landing in 4th place is the former 3-week champion, Disney’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The sequel took another 11.8 million this weekend in its 3,377 theaters, which makes for an average rate of $3,400. In 4 weeks of theatrical release, it has 187.2 mil domestically and another 102.0 overseas, which has its worldwide gross at 289.3 mil. The studio will begin pulling the film out of local cinemas over the next few weeks but not before it likely hits the domestic 200 mark and who knows what it will do in overseas numbers. It still has a good month of international distribution ahead of its self.
You see how much Fox’s indie branch is banking with Juno, right? Well, their main distribution arm has enjoyed the same profitable venture with Alvin and the Chipmunks, something which has their own executives tongue tied lately. Alvin, with its low 60 mil budget, has now pulled in 187.7 mil domestically after grabbing another 9.1 this weekend. The family blockbuster is still showing in 3,384 theaters in its 5th week of release. Not quite sure how this film will translate overseas but it does have 65.0 mil so far in international territories, which marks a worldwide gross of 252.8 mil. As I say, unreal numbers for a 60 mil budget. Fox is having one hell of a month at the box office.
Following in 6th place is the biggest success of the winter, WB’s I Am Legend, which grabbed another 8.1 mil this weekend. In 5 weeks of release, it has pulled in 240.2 mil here in the states and another 169.3 mil overseas. No budget listed by the studio but it’s obvious that a worldwide gross of 409.5 mil makes this a blockbuster reminiscent of the summer numbers...
Yet another WB film follows in 7th place with the returning of One Missed Call, which checked in with another 6.1 mil in change this second week of release. This film has been taking a critical beating by a lot of people but it’s hard to say how much damage it’s getting at the profit margins since no budget has been released from the studio. In two weeks, it has 20.6 million in domestic receipts. While this isn’t good, it’s not exactly horrible either if their budget is low.
Yet another WB film…wait a minute, I’ve said that. The fourth WB film for this weekend also landed in the top 10 with P.S I Love You taking 8th place. While I can’t say whether OMC is a failure or not, I can definitely say “Love” is a success for the studio even with no budget. In 4 weeks of release, the film has pulled in 47.0 million by banking as a credible alternative for couples and certain demographics.
The next Veggie tales adventure follows in 9th place with Universal’s The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything grabbing 4.4 million in its debut this weekend. The studio only released the film in 1,337 so it had no shot at really getting any higher against the heavier released competition.
Last place goes to the Focus Film Atonement, which has been a limited release throughout its 6 weeks of release. This weekend was no different with the film pulling in 4.3 mil in its 950 theaters across the nation. It has 25.2 million in domestic totals.
| Rank | Movie | Weekend $ | Theaters | Average | Total $ | Week # |
| 1 | The Bucket List | 19.5 mil | 2,911 | $6,712 | 20.9 mil | 3 |
| 2 | First Sunday | 19.0 mil | 2,213 | $8,585 | 19.0 mil | 1 |
| 3 | Juno | 14.0 mil | 2,448 | $5,718 | 71.2 mil | 6 |
| 4 | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | 11.8 mil | 3,377 | $3,400 | 187.2 mil | 4 |
| 5 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | 9.1 mil | 3,384 | $2,689 | 187.7 mil | 5 |
| 6 | I Am Legend | 8.1 mil | 3,353 | $2,424 | 240.2 mil | 5 |
| 7 | One Missed Call | 6.1 mil | 2,240 | $2,736 | 20.6 mil | 2 |
| 8 | P.S I Love You | 5.0 mil | 2,323 | $2,154 | 47.0 mil | 4 |
| 9 | The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything | 4.4 mil | 1,337 | $3,305 | 4.4 mil | 1 |
| 10 | Atonement | 4.3 mil | 950 | $4,526 | 25.2 mil | 6 |
We’ve entered the ugly step-sister phase of the box office year, historically speaking. To sum it up, want to know the top opener for a January opener?
Star Wars A New Hope (Special Edition): 35.9 million
Black Hawk Down comes in 2nd place on the all-time list with 28.6 mil. Basically, it’s a month where most families choose to lay off the movie going experience because of lack of choice or saving that hard earned buck after a costly bout with the holidays.
This month (and sometimes February) tends to be the months when studios drop the lower-marketable films of their upcoming agendas, roll the dice and hope for the best…
But that doesn’t seem to be the case this month. Not by looking at the marketing aspect of the films getting a release over the next two weeks.
Cloverfield
&
Rambo
One of those films has had a huge marketing blitz over the past 6 months in various targeted mediums; theater, television, radio and internet. How many articles have we (the news sites) covered for Cloverfield anyway? Countless, ranging from new clips to viral websites to interviews, the coverage has been endless...
Lionsgate hasn’t done too shabby a job of marketing for the upcoming 4th installment of Rambo either. It may not have had as much exposure as the monster flick in some areas (websites) but it still has enjoyed a decent spotlight in the key areas. I know I’ve seen at least a dozen ads pop up during the various NFL games these past few weeks and that alone has it reaching millions in key demographics to the core audience who would like the film’s concept. (Myself included).
It all comes down to the same question in the end.
Will this January be like any other January of the past? Or will it perform unbelievable numbers due to the above two films? I’ll say that if anyone has a shot at beating the current opening record of 35.9 million, it would be those two films above. We shall see within two weeks…
Friday January 18, 2008 Releases:
Wide Releases
Cloverfield (3,100+ theaters)
27 Dresses (3,000 theaters)
Mad Money (2,200 theaters)
Limited Releases
Teeth
Cassandra’s Dream
Day Zero
Taxi to the Dark Side
Expanding
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
I'm really shocked. I never thought it would do that well.