It’s Woman vs. Shark as The Shallows swims its way into theaters next weekend. Providing a considerably different aquatic experience than Finding Dory, the horror thriller pits bikini clad Blake Lively in the fight of her life against a big ol’ great white.
Jaume Collet-Serra directs and this is his first time in four films that he’s not working with Liam Neeson (he made Unknown, Non-Stop, and Run All Night). Columbia Pictures is hoping its simple premise and effective trailers will get horror buffs and Shark Week supporters to turn out.
Yet I don’t expect this will take a significant bite out of the box office. All shark movies are measured against Jaws (the original summer blockbuster). Those are big fins to fill and my prediction actually has this just outdoing 2010’s Piranha remake.
The Shallows opening weekend prediction: $10.4 million
For my Independence Day: Resurgence prediction, click here:
In a season of sequels and family entertainment, STX Entertainment is hoping adults will turn out for the Civil War drama Free State of Jones, out next weekend. Focused on the real-life story of a Southerner staging a rebellion against the Confederacy, Jones comes from director Gary Ross, known for Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, and the first Hunger Games pic. Matthew McConaughey stars with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell, and Brendan Gleeson among the supporting cast.
Jones was originally set for release in March prior to its summer push back. The reported $65 million production isn’t your typical summer fare and it may have made more sense with a spring (or especially fall) release date. The studio may be depending on counter programming to lure older audiences into the theaters. Strong reviews could help, but I’m not confident this will break through in a major way.
Even with its well-regarded leading man and accomplished director, I believe Free State of Jones will likely debut in the lower double digits and hope for small declines in further weekends.
Free State of Jones opening weekend prediction: $12.7 million
For my Independence Day: Resurgence prediction, click here:
20 years after its predecessor became the biggest summer hit of 1996 (and the year for that matter), the long gestating sequel Independence Day: Resurgence invades theaters next weekend. Long gestating? Absolutely. Long awaited? That remains to be seen.
Disaster director extraordinaire Roland Emmerich is back behind the camera for the reported $200 million budget alien pic and he’s brought along some of the original cast from two decades ago. That includes Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner and Vivica A. Fox mixed in with new cast members Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Sela Ward, and William Fichtner. Conspicuously missing? Will Smith, whose character has been killed off (not a spoiler: the trailers say so). This wouldn’t have been the case if the Fresh Prince had signed up, but he’s got a more breathlessly anticipated summer ’16 flick coming with Suicide Squad.
The original was a phenomenon that took in $306 million domestically, which is equivalent to nearly $600 million today adjusted for inflation. Comparing the opening of the first Day is a tricky proposition. Independence Day opened on a Tuesday over the long Fourth of July weekend, generating $96 million over its six day roll-out. The Friday to Sunday take was $50 million.
Resurgence faces challenges that the first one did not. Will Smith was an emerging box office sensation at the time of release and he’s nowhere to be seen here. This summer has proven that there’s a touch of sequelitis occurring at the multiplex. Then there’s this – will younger audiences turn out in droves when part 1 was released when they were in diapers or before they were born?
While Resurgence shouldn’t have too much trouble topping that $50 million figure earned in the traditional Friday to Sunday portion of the weekend, it’s highly unlikely to reach the over $300M accomplished by the first one. I’ll predict an opening gross in the low to mid 60s for a so-so debut.
Independence Day: Resurgence opening weekend prediction: $63.5 million
For my Free State of Jones prediction, click here:
Disney/Pixar looks to have their biggest debut ever while Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart team up for an action comedy as Finding Dory and Central Intelligence premiere this weekend. You can find my detailed prediction posts on each here:
My estimates do have that animated fish pulling off Pixar’s largest opening weekend haul with Intelligence performing similarly to Hart’s two last pics, Ride Along 2 and Get Hard.
As for holdovers, I look for current champ The Conjuring 2 to lose about half its audience. Another sequel, Now You See Me 2, should experience a better sophomore hold than Warcraft.
And with that, my top five predictions for the weekend:
Finding Dory
Predicted Gross: $117.3 million
2. Central Intelligence
Predicted Gross: $34.1 million
3. The Conjuring 2
Predicted Gross: $20.3 million (representing a drop of 49%)
4. Now You See Me 2
Predicted Gross: $12.5 million (representing a drop of 44%)
5. Warcraft
Predicted Gross: $8.9 million (representing a drop of 63%)
Box Office Results (June 10-12)
Horror fans turned out for The Conjuring 2 as it debuted on top with $40.4 million, just below my $42.6 million estimate and just under the $41.5 million that the original made in its first weekend in 2013.
The video game based Warcraft managed a pretty minor debut with $24.1 million – though it did barely outdo my $23.3M projection. Mostly scathing reviews and poor word of mouth didn’t help for the mega-budget production, but it is doing well overseas.
Another sequel to a 2013 hit, Now You See Me 2, came in third with $22.3 million. I went just over with a $24.1M forecast. This doesn’t match the $29 million that the first made.
Last weekend’s #1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows slipped to fourth with $14.3 million, on target with my $14.4M prediction for an underwhelming two week tally of $60M.
X-Men: Apocalypse was fifth with $9.9 million (I said $10.4M) for a $136M total and Me Before You was sixth with $9 million (I said $10M) for a gross of $36M.
And that’ll do it for now, folks! Until next time…
Today we reach the final installment of my listing of the Top 25 Highest Grossing Actresses in box office history with the top five!
Here are the five ladies that have grossed the most stateside:
5. Julia Roberts
Career Earnings: $2.7 billion
Franchises: The Ocean’s pictures
Highest Grossing Picture: Ocean’s Eleven (2001) – $183 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 11 (Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Erin Brockovich, Hook, Notting Hill, Valentine’s Day, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Pelican Brief)
Lowest Grosser: Fireflies in the Garden (2011) – $70,000
Overall Rank: 30
4. Helena Bonham Carter
Career Earnings: $2.7 billion
Franchises: Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland
Highest Grossing Picture: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) – $381 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 9 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Alice in Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cinderella, Planet of the Apes, Les Miserables, The King’s Speech)
Lowest Grosser: The Theory of Flight (1998) – $73,000
Overall Rank: 28
3. Cate Blanchett
Career Earnings: $2.8 billion
Franchises: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit
Highest Grossing Picture: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) – $377 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 10 (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cinderella, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Robin Hood, The Aviator)
Lowest Grosser: Little Fish (2006) – $8,000
Overall Rank: 27
2. Cameron Diaz
Career Earnings: $3 billion
Franchises: Charlie’s Angels, Shrek
Highest Grossing Picture: Shrek 2 (2004) – $441 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 11 (Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, There’s Something About Mary, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Charlie’s Angels, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, The Mask, Vanilla Sky, Bad Teacher)
Lowest Grosser: Head Above Water (1997) – $32,000
Overall Rank: 19
Scarlett Johansson
Career Earnings: $3.3 billion
Franchises: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Highest Grossing Picture: The Avengers (2012) – $623 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 7 (The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, The Jungle Book, Lucy)
Lowest Grosser: A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004) – $164,000
Overall Rank: 9
And there you have it, my friends! Your 25 highest grossing females in the history of the movies…
We have now reached Top Ten of the Top 25 Highest Grossing Actresses in box office history.
And now, numbers 10-6 before we reach our finale tomorrow…
10. Jennifer Lawrence
Career Earnings: $2.3 billion
Franchises: The Hunger Games, X-Men
Highest Grossing Picture: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) – $424 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 9 (The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle)
Lowest Grosser: Garden Party (2008) – $10,000
Overall Rank: 57
9. Anne Hathaway
Career Earnings: $2.3 billion
Franchises: The Princess Diaries, Rio, Alice in Wonderland
Highest Grossing Picture: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – $448 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 10 (The Princess Diaries, The Devil Wears Prada, Get Smart, Valentine’s Day, Alice in Wonderland, Rio, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables, Rio 2, Interstellar)
Lowest Grosser: Song One (2015) – $32,000
Overall Rank: 52
8. Sandra Bullock
Career Earnings: $2.4 billion
Franchises: Speed, Miss Congeniality
Highest Grossing Picture: Minions (2015) – $336 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 8 (Minions, Gravity, The Blind Side, The Proposal, The Heat, Speed, A Time to Kill, Miss Congeniality)
Lowest Grosser: Who Shot Patakango? (1992) – $2,000
Overall Rank: 47
7. Emma Watson
Career Earnings: $2.6 billion
Franchises: Harry Potter
Highest Grossing Picture: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) – $381 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 10 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, This is the End, Noah)
Lowest Grosser: Colonia (2016) – $15,000
Overall Rank: 32
6. Elizabeth Banks
Career Earnings: $2.7 billion
Franchises: Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect
Highest Grossing Picture: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) – $424 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 8 (The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The LEGO Movie, Pitch Perfect 2, Seabiscuit, The 40 Yr. Old Virgin
Highest Grossing Picture: Avatar (2009) – $760 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 6 (Avatar, The Fast and the Furious, Fast and Furious, Fast & Furious 6, Furious 7, S.W.A.T.)
Lowest Grosser: Battle in Seattle (2008) – $224,000
Overall Rank: 79
14. Angelina Jolie
Career Earnings: $2.1 billion
Franchises: Kung Fu Panda, Tomb Raider
Highest Grossing Picture: Maleficent (2014) – $241 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 10 (Maleficent, Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2, Kung Fu Panda 3, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shark Tale, Wanted, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Salt, Gone in 60 Seconds)
Lowest Grosser: Hell’s Kitchen (1999) – $11,000
Overall Rank: 68
13. Carrie Fisher
Career Earnings: $2.2 billion
Franchises: Star Wars
Highest Grossing Picture: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $936 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 4 (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Lowest Grosser: The Time Guardian (1989) – $12,000
Overall Rank: 61
12. Sigourney Weaver
Career Earnings: $2.2 billion
Franchises: Alien, Ghostbusters
Highest Grossing Picture: Avatar (2009) – $760 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 4 (Avatar, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, The Village)
Lowest Grosser: The Guys (2003) – $21,000
Overall Rank: 60
11. Kathy Bates
Career Earnings: $2.3 billion
Franchises: None
Highest Grossing Picture: Titanic (1997) – $658 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 4 (Titanic, The Blind Side, The Waterboy, Valentine’s Day)
Lowest Grosser: A Little Bit of Heaven (2010) – $15,000
Highest Grossing Picture: Mamma Mia! (2008) – $144 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 6 (Mamma Mia!, Into the Woods, The Devil Wears Prada, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, It’s Complicated, Kramer vs. Kramer)
Lowest Grosser: Dark Matter (2008) – $30,000
Overall Rank: 94
19. Amy Adams
Career Earnings: $2 billion
Franchises: Current Superman/Batman films
Highest Grossing Picture: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – $329 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 7 (Batman v Superman, Man of Steel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Catch Me If You Can, American Hustle, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Enchanted)
Lowest Grosser: Standing Still (2006) – $30,000
Overall Rank: 93
18. Natalie Portman
Career Earnings: $2 billion
Franchises: Star Wars episodes I-III, Thor
Highest Grossing Picture: Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) – $474 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: 6 (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Black Swan, Thor, Thor: The Dark World)
Lowest Grosser: The Other Woman (2011) – $25,000
Overall Rank: 85
17. Sally Field
Career Earnings: $2 billion
Franchises: Second Spider-Man series
Highest Grossing Picture: Forrest Gump (1994) – $330 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: Forrest Gump, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Mrs. Doubtfire, Lincoln, Smokey and the Bandit
Lowest Grosser: Two Weeks (2006) – $47,000
Overall Rank: 94
16. Zoe Saldana
Career Earnings: $2 billion
Franchises: Star Trek (with Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy soon to follow)
Highest Grossing Picture: Avatar (2009) – $760 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: 4 (Avatar, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness)
Hey all – a couple of years back, I wrote a series counting down the top 25 highest grossing actors at the domestic box office of all time. At that time in August 2014, there were four women among the 25. Now there’s just two.
This led me to think – who are the top 25 actresses in box office history? Well, wonder no more, friends! This five-part series will count down the women who have made the greatest impact financially at the multiplex. As with my previous list, I’ll list their career earnings, franchises they’ve been part of (which helps one to make this list, as you’ll see), their highest and lowest grossing pictures, and the number of $100M plus entries they have appeared in. I’ll also tell you where they rank on the overall list of biggest grossing performers when you factor the fellas in.
Before we dive into the actual list, here’s some women I figured might have been here, but didn’t make the cut. Despite that whole Titanic being one of the hugest blockbusters ever and multiple Oscar nominations thing, no Kate Winslet. No Drew Barrymore or Nicole Kidman or Charlize Theron. Same goes for Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Melissa McCarthy. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise wasn’t enough to vault Keira Knightley on here.
Enough of who didn’t make the list. Who did? Let’s get to it with numbers 25-21, shall we?
25. Kristen Stewart
Career Earnings: $1.8 billion
Franchises: Twilight
Highest Grossing Picture: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010) – $300 million
Number of $100M+ Earners: 6 (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Twilight, Snow White and the Huntsman)
Lowest Grosser: Camp X-Ray (2014) – $13,000
Overall Rank: 116
24. Gwyneth Paltrow
Career Earnings: $1.8 billion
Franchises: The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Highest Grossing Picture: The Avengers (2012) – $623 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: 6 (Iron Man 3, The Avengers, Iron Man 2, Iron Man, Shakespeare in Love, Seven)
Lowest Grosser: The Good Night (2007) – $22,000
Overall Rank: 111
23. Halle Berry
Career Earnings: $1.8 billion
Franchises: X-Men
Highest Grossing Picture: X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) – $234 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: 7 (X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X2: X-Men United, Die Another Day, X-Men, The Flintstones, Robots)
Lowest Grosser: Frankie & Alice (2011) – $706,000
Overall Rank: 106
22. Queen Latifah
Career Earnings: $1.8 billion
Franchises: Ice Age
Highest Grossing Picture: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) – $196 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: 7 (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Chicago, Ice Age: Continental Drift, Bringing Down the House, Hairspray, Valentine’s Day)
Lowest Grosser: The Perfect Holiday (2007) – $5.8 million
Overall Rank: 104
21. Julianne Moore
Career Earnings: $1.9 billion
Franchises: The Hunger Games
Highest Grossing Picture: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) – $337 million
Numbers of $100M+ Earners: 5 (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Hannibal, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Fugitive)
Lowest Grosser: World Traveler (2002) – $103,000
Overall Rank: 97
And that’ll do it for today! I’ll be bringing you numbers 20-16 tomorrow…
Warner Bros. is banking that audiences want to find themselves between a Rock and a Hart Place (get it?) when Central Intelligence opens next weekend. The action comedy is headlined by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart and hopes to become the first breakout comedy of summer 2016. Rawson Marshall Thurber directs and he’s had success in the genre before with Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and We’re the Millers. Costars include Amy Ryan and Aaron Paul.
As mentioned, this season so far has not been kind to comedies as Neighbors 2, The Nice Guys, and Popstar have all performed with unimpressive results. The one two punch of Johnson and Hart should be a benefit. Hart’s last two pics, Ride Along 2 and Get Hard, both debuted in the mid-30s. While some of the parents that this film is marketing to might be busy taking their little ones to Finding Dory, I don’t see much reason why this wouldn’t accomplish similar results.
A decent comp could be last summer’s Spy with Melissa McCarthy, which opened to $29 million. I’ll say Central Intelligence manages to outdo it and be more in range with Hart’s recent efforts.
Central Intelligence opening weekend prediction: $34.1 million
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