Suck It to Me Baby

The Avengers continued to hold sway, easily outpacing any potential competition with an estimated second weekend box office of $103.8 million. Granted there was but a single new national release with Dark Shadows that ranked second overall with an opening salvo of $28.5 million.

In limited release, single mom drama Girl in Progress bowed with an OK $1.2 million. Avengers aside the wow bow was Tollywood newcomer Gabbar Singh that collected $643,000 from 45 engagements for an impressive per screen average of $14,290.

More than 20 additional films debuted in limited or exclusive launches and the vast majority truly struggled to find an audience. The few that escaped dire results included Lebanon’s Oscar submission Where Do We Go Now? with a $16,100 tally from three locations and a $7,000 solo flight for the reissue of the 1937 French classic Grand Illusion.

Overall weekend revenues rang up slight better than $170 million (Avengers accounting for 60% of the total) and a 34% decline from the prior session. It was 25% improved from 2011 when the second weekend of Thor ranked at the top with $34.7 million and the $26.2 million debut of Bridesmaids was, appropriately, in the bridesmaid’s slot.

Boxoffice tracking indicated an opening gross somewhere in a mid-$30 million range for Dark Shadows and Thursday midnight advances of $550,000 were easily in line with expectations. However, Friday figures of $9.5 million quickly had prognosticators lowering the bar and scratching their heads.

Exit demos of a 57% female audience were not unexpected but the 73% skew for plus 25 year olds was slightly higher than had been anticipated. Critical and audience response was mixed with general surprise that it was more comedic than terrifying in light of its source material. It at least has the potential for strong holds in light of the upcoming male tilt for the likes of Battleship, The Dictator and Men in Black III.

Also of note was the second week expansion of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with the addition of 150 playdates and still healthy $14,290 average. Its true test is imminent when it rises to 1,000 plus screens and the results will provide the answer to whether it has a shot at becoming this year’s Midnight in Paris.

I Got Plenty of Nyucking

Was it a fair fight? Katniss vs. Moe, Larry and Curly. Regardless, The Hunger Games made it a hat trick as box office champ with an estimated $21.3 million while the contemporized The Three Stooges bowed to $17.2 million.

The session also featured two other wide release freshmen. The bump in the night Cabin in the Woods ranked third with a $14.8 million tally and further down the list Lockout, a future set actioner, bowed to $6.2 million.

The weekend heat came largely in the niches. The continuation of Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7^th Day revealed a new story from T.D. Jakes and grossed an impressive $660,000 from 103 pews. In Quebec the good news was French box office sensation Intouchables opening with $314,000 at 44 sites. On the flip side Brit hip hopping StreetDance 2 lost the beat with $121,000 from 80 exposures.

Quebec export and foreign-language nominee Monsieur Lazhar made a successful border crossing with an $118,000 debut at 19 locations (it’s grossed $3.8 million in Canada). Among the dozen other exclusive newcomers only the Chinese import A Simple Life registered with $41,400 from 9 playdates.

Overall weekend revenues amassed about $115 million for a 5% decline from the prior frame. It was also 13% off of 2011’s pace when the bows of Rio and Scream 4 respectively grossed $39.2 million and $18.7 million.

The Hunger Games continues to climb up the all-time domestic box office charts and now ranks in the top 25 with a shot to reach the top 10 with an eventual gross of more than $400 million.

There were mixed emotions about bring The Three Stooges up to date and tracking indicated low expectations of $12 million to $15 million. But viewers proved more receptive to the antics and it’s well positioned as one of the few comedies in the marketplace. Opening exit demos revealed a not unexpected male tilt of 58% and an encouraging 52% audience aged 25 years and younger.

Cabin in the Woods came in at the low end of the pundit’s crystal ball range of $14 million to $16 million. It certainly seemed like a cookie cutter chiller though reviews were better than usual for the genre. Again men were in the majority with 57% of sales but the crowd was 65% aged older than 25 years.

Considerably more brutish was the estimated $58 million generated internationally by Battleship that opens May 18 on these shores. The board game inspired mayhem opened in 28 territories and could well prove to be one of the more shrewd strategic moves of the year. Essentially it entered the marketplace in advance of World Cup and Olympic fever that traditionally has pancaked movie going activity.

The May 4 bow of The Avengers doesn’t leave much time for alternative movies to secure a foothold at the multiplex. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen should secure about $8 million by that date but Bully’s rather timid $530,000 gross this weekend as it widened to 158 locations hasn’t been able to translate headlines into ticket sales.

Sink or Swim

The appetite for The Hunger Games continued with the hearty survivalists adding an estimated $33.7 million to take the weekend box office crown and push its cache to more than $300 million domestically.

The frame’s newcomers (so to speak) trailed in second and third positions. The belated Pie story American Reunion bowed to $21.4 million while the reconstituted Titanic buoyed to $17.4 million with the addition of 3D lifeboats.

On the Indian circuit the Hindi Houseful 2 cracked the top 10 with $722,000 at 121 venues while Telugu Racha displayed comparable strength with $273,000 at 41 locations. Niche release We the Party garnered a less than festive $34,500 at 59 sites.

On the exclusive front there was ample encouragement for the danceable Damsels in Distress with a $61,300 box office at four bandstands and the sly Italian import We Have a Pope grossed $30,600 at three vestries. Also strong was the Turkish spectacle Fetih 1453 (Conquest 1453) with a $31,200 box office from four screens. Conversely the non-fiction Comic-Con Episode IV didn’t get much geek love with a $7,100 gross at a trio of locations.

Weekend revenues added up to roughly $125 million to slip back 17% from seven days earlier and was 10% off of last year’s Easter weekend. However, it bumped up 6% from its calendar equivalent when the second weekend of Hop led the session with $21.2 million and newcomers Hanna and Arthur bowed respectively with $12.4 million and $12.2 million.

It’s been nine years since the American Pie franchise hit the big screen (there have been subsequent direct to disc editions). And rather like the Fast and Furious series getting the original cast back for American Reunion seemed like a potent re-boot at the brain storming sessions. Pundits pegged its opening potential in the low to mid $20 million range and the picture came in at the low end of prognostications.

Exit demos showed the film skewing slightly male with 51% and decidedly older 61% of the audience aged 25 years and older. International openings appeared more upbeat with an estimated $19.3 million in 28 territories including $5 million plus bows in Australia and Russia. Regardless, don’t expect the merry pranksters to be quickly renewed.

Reissues long ago ceased to be a significant part of the release schedule but with the added carrot of stereoscopic perspective and (secondarily) the centennial of its historic demise Titanic was primed for a new assault. About half of the domestic crowd was younger than 25 years old and while North American response was solid, international returns floated the boat to $35.5 million from an aggressive push in 53 nations.

The marquee continued to shrink with just seven pictures grossing in excess of $1 million and only Salmon Fishing in the Yemen demonstrating the slightest bit of crossover appeal. Bully added a screen but experienced a 37% decline. Even with its recent lowed classification it appears that strong armed tactics won’t get crowds into the multiplex for this worthy effort.

The Wrath of Con

The Hunger Games added an estimated $60.4 million to its larder to lead weekend box office sales. Already among the top 100 all-time domestic grossers after 10 days in theaters, it should have no problem winding up in the top 20 prior to segueing into ancillary riches.

The session’s incoming national releases followed with the tunic challenged Wrath of the Titans opening to $33.4 million and the dryly comic Snow White spin Mirror Mirror behind at $18.6 million. Telegu movie 3 opened well in the niches with a $120,000 tally from 28 screens.

Among exclusive entries it was no contest as Bully strong armed $110,000 at five sites. Also impressive was Chinese import Love in the Buff with an $87,900 box office from eight playdates.

Overall revenues from the frame fell slightly shy of $150 million that translated into a 31% decline from seven days back. It was 20% improved from 2011 when the freshmen trio of Hop, Source Code and Insidious bowed respectively to $37.5 million, $14.8 million and $13.3 million.

Following on Clash of the Titans, pundits were tracking the Wrath at between $35 million and $39 million. It also stepped out internationally with an impressive $78 million with openings in all major territories save Japan.

The prior film was derided by critics for its reconstituted 3D version and once again Wrath went that route. About 51% of domestic box office derived from regular stereoscopic engagements with an additional 14% from Imax engagements. Not surprisingly it skewed 66% male with 55% of viewers aged 25 years and older.

Mirror Mirror also fell short of expectations pegged between $20 million and $24 million. Reviews were generally withering and derisively cited the film as chiefly of interest to young children. Exit polls identified the crowd as 60% family (37% children younger than 12 years). It was also female dominated with roughly 75% of the audience across all ages. The film has been open in about a dozen international territories for two weeks and collected $13 million.

The top five weekend titles accounted for 90% of business so there was considerable competition for the crumbs among more than 100 other films in the marketplace. Traditionally the pre-summer part of the calendar can be a goldmine for alternative fare … but not this year.

Hop, Skip and Jump Street

Box office went undercover with 21 Jump Street scoring the top spot of the weekend with an estimated stash of $34.7 million.

The reinvention of the bygone TV show was the sole new wide release while other freshmen aimed for niche crowds in hopes of building to bigger platforms. However, the prospects for expansion weren’t bountiful for either the comedic spin on Latin machismo in Casa de mi Padre or the sophisticated slackerisms of Jeff Who Lives at Home. The former grossed $2.2 million at 382 locations while the couch potato mashed $820,000 from 254 ovens.

Also incoming was the Nic Cage programmer Seeking Justice with a $233,000 tally at 231 and the crime comedy L’Empire Bo$$e cashed in an easy to refuse $71,300 from 43 Quebec screens. Among the session’s clutch of exclusives only Cannes prized The Kid with a Bike and the non-fiction Gerhard Richter generated encouraging box office.

Weekend revenues edged toward $110 million for a 21% decline from last weekend. It was also the first downturn sized against 2011 revenues in two months with a 5% drop. A year ago newcomer Limitless top the charts with an $18.9 million bow and freshmen The Lincoln Lawyer and Paul added $13.2 million and $13 million respective openings.

Pundits eyed 21 Jump Street cautiously; suspecting another Dukes of Hazzard or Starsky and Hutch. But reviews and word of mouth were positive and the picture exceeded preliminary estimates that pegged it at $30 million. The film skewed slightly male with 53% of viewers and a 50/50 split for over/under 25s that indicated more than nostalgic interest in the venture.

Exit demos weren’t available for Casa de mi Padre that tossed the dice hoping for a combo of young, hip and Hispanic viewers for a Spanish-language spoof starring Will Ferrell. Initial response was inconclusive regarding where it scored its strongest response. And despite positive reviews Jeff Who Lives at Home looks to be confined to a limited niche crowd. That’s been the fate of this year’s high profile alternative fare including Being Flynn and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen along with the late 2011 award contenders that have underperformed in relation to expectations and kudos.

On the holdover front The Lorax continued to barrel toward a $200 million domestic gross and John Carter faltered by 55% and an eventual $75 million conclusion as Disney struggles to shake off its current doldrums. The cyclic nature of the business thrives on reversals of fortune as experienced this year with Universal going to the head of the class with Seuss and Safe House. It’s been quite some time since the likes of Disney and Warner Bros. could claim 5-year plus annual winning streaks.