Month: May 2013

Box Office Results: May 3-5

Disney and Marvel’s Iron Man 3 has kicked off the 2013 Summer Movie Season in grand fashion with the second biggest opening domestic weekend of all time.

Tony Stark and friends propelled the pic to a fantastic $174.1 million opener, opening just slightly above my $172.4M projection. With an A Cinemascore grade, the future looks bright for Iron Man. It will certainly be the highest grosser of the trilogy and the odds are heavy that it will not only be the summer’s highest earning title, but possibly the biggest of 2013, period. Iron Man 3 managed to outdo the gross of the final Harry Potter installment, which earned $169 million in its debut.

As I mentioned in my predictions post last week, it’s last summer’s The Avengers that had audiences primed to see Tony Stark return. Filmgoers will get their next taste of Avengers action in November when Thor gets his sequel and next year when Captain America does, too. It is, of course, The Avengers that continues to hold the honor of largest opening weekend ever. That record should stand for a while.

Iron Man 3 accounted for around 80% of all US business at the multiplex this weekend. As expected, no other title reached double digits. Last weekend’s #1 Pain and Gain fell off sharply with $7.5 million in its second weekend (below my $8.9M projection). 42 was third with $6 million, which is precisely what I predicted. It was the Tom Cruise sci-fi pic Oblivion that suffered the most, in fourth with $5.6 million (well below my $8.1M projection). The Croods rounded out the top five with $4.2 million… I said $4.3M.

The Marvel blockbuster looks to repeat at first next weekend as new entries The Great Gatsby and Tyler Perry Presents Peeples join the mix. I’ll have predictions posts for both of those titles early this week. Stay tuned!

Movies You Might Not Know: Leonardo DiCaprio Edition

Leonardo DiCaprio headlines the eagerly awaited remake of The Great Gatsby, opening this Friday. He’s made his cinematic mark with an impeccable track record of working with the best directors and choosing terrific projects. Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, and the upcoming Wolf of Wall Street with Scorsese. Catch Me If You Can with Spielberg. Inception with Nolan.

However, a 2008 title that reunited Leo with Titanic co-star Kate Winslet was a surprise dud at the box office, bringing in a meager $22 million domestically. That film is Revolutionary Road, directed by American Beauty and Skyfall‘s Sam Mendes. It chronicles a marriage gone bad between the two leads during the 1950s, an era when divorce wasn’t a popular option in society’s view. Road features sharp writing and sure-handed direction with its often dark overtones. It also features DiCaprio doing what he normally does: putting forth a rock solid performance that proves why he’s one of his generation’s finest performers. A supporting performance by Michael Shannon is also one of the picture’s high points.

Revolutionary Road is a frank, honest, and often unflinching view of marriage and broken dreams. Leo and Winslet are both wonderful in it. It’s a tough pic to digest at times, but it’s worth the trip. And while most of Leo’s movies have been financial successes, this is an example of one that fell through the cracks and shouldn’t have.

Box Office Predictions: May 3-5

It’s all about Iron Man 3 this weekend at the box office as the Summer 2013 Movie Season officially begins. On Sunday, I wrote an extensive post in which I boldly predicted the film will have the second biggest US opening of all time after last summer’s The Avengers. That post can be found here:

https://toddmthatcher.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/iron-man-3-box-office-prediction/

All other titles should experience falls between the mid 40s-mid 50s percentage range, with the likely exception of The Croods, which has experienced smaller declines week to week. Last weekend’s #1 and #2, Pain and Gain and Oblivion, have been met with mixed reaction from audiences. Pain and Gain disappointed in its opening last weekend with $20 million and its C+ Cinemascore grade would indicate a precipitous drop, especially with Tony Stark arriving on scene.

That said, here’s my predictions for the weekend’s top five:

1. Iron Man 3

Predicted Gross: $172.4 million

2. Pain and Gain

Predicted Gross: $8.9 million (representing a drop of 55%)

3. Oblivion

Predicted Gross: $8.1 million (representing a drop of 54%)

4. 42

Predicted Gross: $6 million (representing a drop of 44%)

5. The Croods

Predicted Gross: $4.3 million (representing a drop of 34%)

Check back this weekend on the Facebook page for updates on how Tony Stark and friends are doing and, of course, on the blog Sunday for final results.