Wow, I don’t think anybody predicted the massive opening weekend that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland just had. Audiences scooped up an amazing $116 Million worth of tickets to the film. This is the biggest opening weekend in Tim Burton’s entire career, and despite a critical consensus that this was a very average movie, word of mouth appears to be good.
This also appears to indicate that audiences are embracing the 3D trend. I am very curious if there will be a large drop-off next weekend, because the 3D in Alice was in no way comparable to the 3D in Avatar. If Avatar is what people are expecting, they are going to be disappointed.
It is interesting to note that Avatar only opened to $77 Million, but has now grossed over $720 Million. I will be pretty shocked if Alice has any real legs at the the box office, but the totals this morning show me that this movie may be full of surprises.
Brooklyn’s Finest, starring Don Cheadle, Richard Gere, and Ethan Hawke, came in second over the weekend with $13.5 Million. It played in just under 2,000 theaters, and has a fairly modest budget of $25 Million, so it will likely end up profitable.
Shutter Island made about $13 Million in its 3rd week in release. It now has exceeded its budget of $80 Million (with $95 Million total), and looks certain to hit $100 Million next weekend.
Kevin Smith’s Cop Out suffered a 50% drop from opening weekend, putting it in fourth place with $9.1 Million. It has now made $32 Million and has earned back its $30 Million budget. Avatar dropped 40% from last weekend, but still holds on to the number five spot with $7.7 Million.
The Crazies dropped out of the top five after its first week in release, but it did make around $7 Million. No doubt in anticipation of an Oscar bump, Crazy Heart was expanded into an additional 126 theaters, and increased its total by 36%, placing it in ninth place.
Next week Matt Damon stars in Green Zone, and every nerd’s dream comes true when She’s Out of Your League debuts. Our Family Wedding and Remember Me with Robert Pattinson will also open.
