The box office results for the weekend of March 23rd – 25th welcomes in the next great cinematic franchise…revenue wise. The Hunger Games sets records and elevates the industry year to new heights. Here are the studio estimates:
1. The Hunger Games ($155 million)
2. 21 Jump Street ($21.3 million)
3. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax ($13.1 million)
4. John Carter ($5 million)
5. Act of Valor ($2 million)
6. Project X ($1.9 million)
7. A Thousand Words ($1.9 million)
8. October Baby ($1.7 million)
9. Safe House ($1.3 million)
10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ($1.3 million)
Analysis
Biggest March opening of all-time. 3rd biggest opening of all-time. And surprisingly, this isn’t even a sequel. The Hunger Games is a monster and will clearly not have to worry about the loot spent on production ($78 million) and/or marketing costs. The majority of critics are endorsing this and word-of-mouth from the rabid fanbase of the books couldn’t be more positive. If anything, at least this product shouldn’t be annoying as Twilight.
While Safe House and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island have lasted in the top ten for 7 weeks, Act of Valor, Project X and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax have all been hanging around for at least 4 weeks. The Lorax is up to $177 million domestically.
Flop Alert: See the last three reports. Nothing new to report here folks. And yours truly is too hungover to come up with anything witty to fill this area.
Sleeper Hit: Act of Valor has quietly achieved $66 million domestically off a total reported budget (production and marketing) of $45 million. When factoring in the DVD and On-Demand run in the coming months, things are looking green for the gimmick product.
This Friday, another blockbuster in the form of Wrath of the Titans, descends upon theaters along with the fantasy tale Mirror, Mirror. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
