The Weekend Report: January 1, 2012

The three-day portion of 2011’s final weekend generated roughly $170 million worth of ticket sales. Following weeks of declines, the final surge posted a 28% boost from the prior weekend and was up 4% from last year’s 52nd weekend when Little Fockers posted $30.8 million and True Grit was the bridesmaid with $24.6 million.

The Weekend Report (3 Day), Christmas Day

The industry was dreading this holiday season with Christmas and New Years – traditionally poor movie going days – falling on Sundays. The current weekend should see a big boost on Monday with both War Horse and the sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour opening wide along with the exclusive bow of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

The sobering drop in both box office and admissions in 2011 has all sectors of the industry talking about the future of movie going. A few cheerleaders are insisting the past 12 months are an anomaly and strong 2012 titles will bring a reversal of fortunes.

The Weekend Report, December 18, 2011

The industry adhered to Bert Lance’s admonishment that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” with a trio of sequels on the cusp of holiday movie going. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows led with an estimated $39.3 million followed by Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked grossing $23.3 million and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol in caboose position at $13.1 million.

Additionally a couple of awards contenders opened in exclusives including Oscar doc short listed dance profile Pina that tripped a light fantastic $16,200 at two venues. The screen adaptation of (Gods of) Carnage bowed at five sites with an OK $85,200.

The Weekend Report

New Year’s Eve and The Sitter (which could easily have been a hard-R segment of NYE) are on top, but not very impressively so. Twilight continues to wind down, losing a bit of its massive core audience with darker material and keeping newcomers at a distance. And there are a parade of limited releases out there (Tintin, Young Adult, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A Dangerous Method) doing nice, but not thrilling, business.

No column today, as Len is with LAFCA for its year-end vote.

The Weekend Report

Moviegoers were otherwise engaged this weekend and overall box office sank by slightly more than half. With no new national releases in the mix, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn easily held onto the top spot with an estimated $16.8 million.

Niche and exclusive newcomers generally did little to brighten the picture. The exception was the exclusive bow of the controversial Shame that grossed $364,000 from 10 engagements. Also good was Bollywood newcomer The Dirty Picture with a $263,000 tally at 52 venues. But otherwise it was the blahs across the ages and genders.

The Weekend Report: November 27, 2011

There was no sunset for Twilight as its fourth incarnation Breaking Dawn ascended to the top of weekend movie sales with an estimated $41.9 million for the three-day slice of the Thanksgiving holiday session.

Three new national releases – all targeted toward family viewing – failed to enliven the festive spirit that came early last weekend but didn’t sustain the merriment. The re-booted The Muppets ranked second with $29.3 million (all figures reflect three-day box office). Two other films targeted that segment with 3D offerings. The animated Arthur Christmas bowed to $12.3 million while the period adventure Hugo arrived at the station with $11.3 million.

The Weekend Report: November 20, 2011

Twilight pretty much ran over Happy Feet Two that was expected to open with at least $30 million and rising to more than $35 million. It also had a majority female audience of 60% and despite its younger appeal wound up with an audience of 53% aged 25 years and more upwardly mature. A studio spokesman cited the comparably disappointing opening of Polar Express and crossed fingers that the picture will sustain through the holidays.

The Weekend Report, November 13, 2011

The Greeks had a word for it and it certainly wasn’t lost in translation as Immortals ascended to the Olympus of weekend movie going with an estimated $31.4 million. The session featured two other national bows that ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime. The two title Adam Sandlers of Jack and Jill slotted into third with $25.1 million while G-Man J. Edgar arrived with $11.4 million.

The Weekend Report: November 6, 2011

Nobody knows nuttin! Both new entries and holdovers defied the wisdom of tracking reports that predicted … well, what didn’t happen.

Collectively it added up to an unexpectedly resilient hold for Puss in Boots that put the stereoscopic animation at the top of weekend viewing with an estimated $33.3 million. The frame’s anticipated chart topper – the caper hijinx of newcomer Tower Heist – arrived below a $30 million plus haul at, instead, $25.1 million. The sessions other new national release, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, also came up short with $13.2 million to slot third overall.

The Weekend Report: October 30, 2011

The Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots was initially expected to open north of $40 million but expectations were pared back to $35 million to $40 million as opening day loomed. The audience skewed 59% female and 55% were 25 years old and up according to exit polls (family stats were unavailable). Once again 3D underperformed with those engagements accounting for roughly two-thirds of the compliment and 51% of the box office while Imax dates were 7% of the total.

The Weekend Report, October 23, 2011

If there was ever a whiff of doubt about spooks or horror franchises, the bow of Paranormal Activity 3 exorcised skeptics with an estimated $53.5 million that dominated weekend ticket sales. The session also featured two other national newcomers. The umpteenth The Three Musketeers (in 3D!) got fenced into fourth spot with $8.7 million while Johnny English Reborn bowed to an Oh Oh $3.8 million. The latter two films have fared considerably better overseas where they’ve respectively grossed $55 million and $90 million.

The Weekend Report

Real Steel nosed ahead of a couple of newcomers to take top spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $16.1 million. Dusted off but hardly gleaming were new versions of Footloose and The Thing that followed with respective grosses of $15.8 million and $8.7 million. The third new release was the birder comedy The Big Year that laid an egg with a $3.3 million launch.

The Weekend Report: October 9, 2011

Real Steel provided the TKO to ascend to the top of weekend movie going charts with an estimated $26.8 million debut. The sessions other national freshman, the political thriller The Ides of March, was a distant second with $10.4 million launch. The lull pre-Thanksgiving also saw another Telugu movie out-pacing the traditionally stronger Hindi newcomer…

The Weekend Report: October 2, 2011

Families continued to hold sway at the multiplex as Dolphin Tale ascended to the top of the weekend movie charts with an estimated $14.3 million. Holdovers dominated frame sales with a quartet of new national releases bowing to mostly fair to poor response. The exception was the inspirational Courageous that ranked fourth with $8.8 million from a modest run of 1,161 playdates.

Trailing behind were the Cancer comedy 50/50 with $8.7 million, the chiller Dream House with $8.1 million and the teen targeted What’s Your Number eking out $5.5 million.

The Weekend Report: September 25, 2011

The Lion King continued to roar with an estimated $22.1 million gross that placed it at the top of weekend viewing charts. Four debuting films ranked right behind. The critically acclaimed baseball opus Moneyball bowed to $20.4 million and the family targeted Dolphin Tale opened with $19.9 million. Movie goers were less enthusiastic for premiering action fare with Abduction garnering $11 million and Killer Elite trailing on a $9.4 million box office.

The Weekend Report, September 18, 2011

The Lion King, reconstituted for 3D, pawed its way to the top of the box office with an estimated $29.1 million. Three other films debuted nationally this weekend to generally disappointing results.

The Weekend Report: September 5, 2011

The Help wins the weekend with an estimated 0% drop and almost 50% more than the #2 film, The Debt. After that, a newbie sandwich around a $162 million all-ape filling.

And - The Summer Studio Market Share Chart

The Weekend Report

Almost as though The South was getting back at critics in the Northeast Corridor, Hurricane Help is estimating a drop of just 28% in its third weekend. The only newcomer to crack double digits is Columbiana.

The Weekend Report: August 21, 2011

The box office got some unexpected assistance as The Help rose to the top of weekend ticket sales with an estimated $20.4 million. However a quartet – three in 3D – of new national releases failed to enliven late summer movie going. Best of the newcomers was a fourth installment of the pre-teen targeted Spy Kids that grossed $11.8 million to rank third in the lineup.

The Weekend Report, August 14, 2011

The chimps beat off the competition as the second weekend of Rise of the Planet of the Apes earned bragging rights with an estimated $27.1 million to rank at the top of the ticket buying list. It was close but no cigar for the debut of the 60s-set race comedy-drama The Help that bowed to $25.2 million.

Three additional films made national debuts during the frame. Final Destination 5 ranked third with $18.1 million while the irreverent 30 Minutes or Less slotted fifth with $13.1 million. And it wasn’t a gleeful moment as Glee: The 3D Concert Movie suffered stage fright with $5.8 million.