As predicted, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are seemingly dominated the Box Office with $32.4M.  It played on a whopping 3,700+ screens, including IMAX screens, for a per-screen average of $8,693.  Sounds decent, but figure in the reported budget of $100M, and it looks like it may be a bit of a climb for the movie to be profitable, at least while in theaters.

The ultra-violent thriller Law Abiding Citizen boasted a very respectable $21.25M, and a $7,353 per screen average, which actually shows it performing very close to WTWTA.  It played in substantially fewer screens (2,890), and if  WTWTA had not had the benefit of IMAX prices, this would have been a much closer race.

The unstoppable juggernaut that is Paranormal Activity continued its trajectory scooping up another $20.1M on only 760 screens!  That puts its per screen average at more than $26,000, nearly three times what WTWTA averaged.  Pretty impressive.  It will expand further next weekend.

Couples Retreat dropped off 47.7%, but still made $17.9M, bringing its total to $63.3M over two weeks.

Continue Reading →

Overall, it was not a particularly impressive weekend at the box office, with the top films boasting relatively modest numbers. Sony Pictures should be smiling, though, because their studio nabbed the top two spots. According to Box Office Mojo, Zombieland lurched over the competition, raking in an estimated $25 million in its opening weekend.  The horror comedy has already recouped its budget, and will likely be a big success story this year, buoyed by positive reviews and good word of mouth.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs continues to impress and took in another $16.7 million for a cumulative gross of $82 million. The unusual move to release Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D drummed up some impressive interest, netting $12.5 million.  Disney is no doubt salivating over this, because Toy Story 3 is set to be released next summer.

The Invention of Lying from  comedian Ricky Gervais had a unimpressive opening of $7.3 million. Its budget was only $18 million, so it should be profitable anyway. In contrast, last week’s Surrogates also made $7.3 million this weekend. Its cumulative total is only $26.3, nowhere close to its reported $80 million budget.

Capitalism: A Love Story, and Whip It both earned $4.8 million, but Whip It played in almost twice as many theaters. Whip It is probably the biggest surprise of the weekend. It had good reviews, a likable and recognizable cast, and was highly promoted. It had to be a big disappointment to Drew Barrymore, who directed the movie, her first.

Recent holdovers Fame ($4.7), The Informant ($3.8) and Love Happens ($2.7) rounded out the top ten.

Sure to start up a storm of controversy, this film from co-director/co-writer Ricky Gervais is a biting social satire wrapped up in the trappings of a cute little romantic comedy.  It pushes boundaries, and is tremendously bold. The story takes place in an alternate realty where lying does not exist. A blind date between the beautiful Anna (cute as a button Jennifer Garner) and schlubby  screenplay writer Mark (Ricky Gervais) sets up the premise of the movie nicely.

When he rings the doorbell, she arrives flustered, proclaiming that she has been masturbating.  This causes him to blurt out that he is now thinking about her vagina. When they get to the restaurant, a waiter (Martin Starr) greets them with “I’m embarrassed I work here” and later, while delivering a drink, he confesses, ” oh I had  a little sip of this.” Mark immediately tells Anna that he has no net worth and will probably be getting fired soon. She informs him that there is no chance of them having a relationship because he has no money, no social stature, and she fears they would have fat children.

The following day, Mark is fired, and on his way out of the office, everyone is sure to let him know how much they disliked him. It is a sad scene of petty and cruel behavior, and it lays the groundwork for the concept that honesty is not always the best policy. The down-on-his-luck, soon to be evicted Mark has a personal Jesus moment when he is at the bank, and realizes that he can just lie about his account balance. The teller naturally believes him, and assumes their computer must have made an error.

Continue Reading →