The box office results for the weekend of May 18th – 20th sees The Avengers rewriting more records while all the newbies are firing off blanks. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Marvel’s The Avengers ($55.7 million)
2. Battleship ($25.3 million)
3. The Dictator ($17.4 million)
4. Dark Shadows ($12.7 million)
5. What to Expect When You’re Expecting ($10.5 million)
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ($3.2 million)
7. The Hunger Games ($3 million)
8. Think Like a Man ($2.7 million)
9. The Lucky One ($1.7 million)
10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits ($1.4 million)
Analysis
With The Avengers has kept box office record-keepers on their toes the last three weeks, Disney had to adjust their own personal books, as the superhero extravaganza has become their highest-grossing flick ever, dethroning previous holder Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Domestically, the geek dream team has soared to $457 million in just 16 days at theaters. And by doing so, it will knock off a couple of Star Wars’ flicks and secure the #4 spot on the all-time chart. Worldwide, this has risen to just under $1.2 billion.
Now while The Avengers have been on the up-n-up, Battleship may be sinking before it even leaves the stateside port. Grossing an impressive $215 million overseas, prior to releasing in the U.S. may seem like a hit (pun intended) for Universal Pictures; but when your flick rang up a $209 million production bill – and that’s not factoring in the marketing/promo costs – the dismal opening weekend on your home turf blasts a shot of reality into your face. These days, most studios are banking on the international totals to pad the stats. In this case, the only stat getting any padding is how this studio may have yet another summer FLOPPER on their hands. Plus, the lovely critics and audiences have collectively said that this is a major “miss.”
The Dictator may also be feeling a little unwelcome, despite trying to get the jump on its competitors by releasing on Wednesday. Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat and Bruno creator/star) spent a few more dollars ($65 million) in bringing his latest audacious character onto the big-screen. The opening weekend is far below what his previous two outlandish flicks generated and will likely end up not grossing as much when its all said and done at the theaters. His act may have gotten tired with general audiences.
And the final newbie comes in the form of the star-laced romantic-comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Going with the multi-storyline approach, this critically panned product’s only hope to see the black ink rides on the DVD/On-Demand run. Its production budget was just $40 million and could have a slight chance in hanging around for a couple weeks in the top ten. That said, Lionsgate should not be expecting any financial miracles with this sucker.
The Hunger Games currently holds the longest streak in the top ten with 9 weeks. Domestically, the year’s first blockbuster has reached $391 million.
This Friday, Will Smith tries to conjure up another summer hit by going back to the well with Men in Black 3. And playing second fiddle, is the horror flick Chernobyl Diaries. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
