The science fiction thriller Oblivion starring Tom Cruise easily took the #1 spot at the box office this weekend and managed to outdo my expectations. Oblivion gave Cruise his fifth highest opening of all time, earning $37 million (above my $32.8M projection). This is good news for the star, whose box office track record has been spotty as of late. While the fourth Mission: Impossible was a huge blockbuster in 2011, recent titles Valkyrie and Jack Reacher were only mid-size performers, while Knight and Day and Rock of Ages were straight up disappointments.
One cause for concern for Oblivion: it earned a weak B- Cinemascore grade. With Pain and Gain opening next weekend to attract the male audience and Iron Man 3 around the corner in two weeks, long term prospects for Oblivion are questionable.
Last weekend’s champ 42 slipped to second with $17.7 million, a bit below my $19.7M projection. The Jackie Robinson story has amassed an impressive $54 million and looks assured to cross the $100 million mark.
Third place went to The Croods with $9.2 million (higher than my $8M projection). Box office dud Scary Movie V held up barely better in its sophomore weekend than I predicted with $6.1 million (I said $5.7M).
Finally, the expanded roll out of the Ryan Gosling/Bradley Cooper crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines didn’t match my expectations. I predicted it would be #4 with $6.4 million. It only managed a #6 opening with $4.9 million. This allowed G.I. Joe: Retaliation to place fifth with $5.7 million.
Tomorrow on the blog – I’ll have my prediction up for Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain, starring Mark Wahlberg and The Rock, as well as the ensemble comedy The Big Wedding. Those predictions will also be posted on http://www.boxofficeace.com, which you need to visit if you haven’t already. Stay tuned, my friends!
All My Life... I Wanted To Be A Blogster 