Salon.com > box office

“Iron Man 3″ approaches $1 billion in global box office

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:12:00 +0000

"Iron Man 3," the Marvel Studios movie that now holds the second biggest film opening in the U.S., has reached $990.5 million in global ticket sales. THR reports that the Robert Downey Jr. film is now the No. 2 superhero movie of all time, behind "The Avengers."

From THR:

The tentpole has earned $691.9 million so far internationally, putting it at No. 11 on the list of top-grossing films.

In terms of global standing, Iron Man 3 has now passed up Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($963 million), Jurassic Park ($967 million) and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone ($975 million) to become the 16th highest-grossing film of all time.

After North America, Iron Man 3 has taken in the most in China ($102.4 million), followed by Korea ($55.6 million), U.K. ($49.7 million), Mexico ($43.6 million) and Russia ($40.2 million).

“Iron Man 3″ opens with second biggest U.S. debut of all time

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:16:00 +0000

Marvel Entertainment's "Iron Man 3" has become the year's most successful film, boasting the biggest opening day of all time for China and Russia, and the second-biggest opening of all time in the U.S., at $175.3 million.

From the AP:

"Iron Man 3" had the second-biggest domestic debut ever, behind the $207.4 million start over the same weekend last year for "The Avengers," which teamed Downey's Stark with other Marvel Comics heroes. The new sequel surpassed the $169.2 million opening for 2011's "Harry Potter" finale, the previous second-place debut.

In just nine days, the film shot past the $312 million international total for "Iron Man 2" in its entire theatrical run.

Among the overseas totals so far: $63.5 million in China, $42.6 million in South Korea, $38.3 million in Great Britain and $35.8 million in Mexico.

Disney, Marvel Studio's parent company, attributes part of the film's success to its ongoing "Avengers" franchise, of which "Iron Man" character Tony Stark is a part. "A year ago, we speculated as to the impact of Avengers, and now we're witnessing it first-hand with the success of Iron Man 3," said studio distribution chief Dave Hollis.

“Identity Thief” tops box office again

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:56:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hollywood's latest films performed tepidly at the box-office on Oscar weekend, with Melissa McCarthy's "Identity Thief" returning to the top spot in its third week of release.

The Universal comedy earned $14.1 million on the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, enough to regain the box-office title after losing it last week to 20th Century Fox's "A Good Day to Die Hard," the Bruce Willis action sequel.

With a cumulative total of $93.7 million, "Identity Thief" is the biggest hit so far in 2013. Though the film has been badly reviewed by critics, the road trip duo of McCarthy and Jason Bateman has proved popular at the multiplexes, where no other comedy has been around to challenge it.

More than anything, "Identity Thief" has proven the stardom of McCarthy, following her breakout performance in "Bridesmaids."

"The holding power of a film always gives you an idea of the strength of its concept or its star," said Nikki Rocco, Universal head of distribution. "In this case, it's both."

With the industry gathering for the Oscars on Sunday, it's always a weekend where moviegoers' attention goes more to the Academy Awards than the movie theater. For the fifth week in a row, the box office was down as compared to last year's business

“Zero Dark Thirty” hunts down $24.4 million at box office

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:15:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Zero Dark Thirty" nabbed the biggest haul at the weekend box office.

The controversial Osama bin Laden raid drama earned $24.4 in its first weekend in wide release.

The horror spoof "A Haunted House" and mobster drama "Gangster Squad" debuted in the second and third spots, respectively earning $18.1 million and $17 million.

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Hollywood.com are:

1. "Zero Dark Thirty," Sony, $24,438,936, 2,937 locations, $8,321 average, $29,919,743, four weeks.

2. "A Haunted House," Open Road Films, $18,101,682, 2,160 locations, $8,380 average, $18,101,682, one week.

3. "Gangster Squad," Warner Bros., $17,070,347, 3,103 locations, $5,501 average, $17,070,347, one week.

4. "Django Unchained," Weinstein Co., $11,040,485, 3,012 locations, $3,665 average, $125,374,607, three weeks.

5. "Les Miserables," Universal, $9,644,465, 2,927 locations, $3,295 average, $118,723,185, three weeks.

6. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," Warner Bros., $9,168,431, 3,012 locations, $3,044 average, $278,212,618, five weeks.

“Texas Chainsaw 3D” tops weekend box office

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 19:19:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It took Leatherface and his chainsaw to chase tiny hobbit Bilbo Baggins out of the top spot at the box office.

Lionsgate's horror sequel "Texas Chainsaw 3-D" debuted at No. 1 with $23 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie picks up where 1974's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" left off, with masked killer Leatherface on the loose again.

Quentin Tarantino's revenge saga "Django Unchained" held on at No. 2 for a second-straight weekend with $20.1 million. The Weinstein Co. release raised its domestic total to $106.4 million.

After three weekends at No. 1, part one of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" trilogy slipped to third with $17.5 million. That lifts the domestic haul to $263.8 million for "The Hobbit," the Warner Bros. blockbuster that also has topped $500 million overseas to raise its worldwide total to about $800 million.

Also passing the $100 million mark over the weekend was Universal's musical "Les Miserables," which finished at No. 4 with $16.1 million, pushing its domestic total to $103.6 million.

Like other horror franchises, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has had several other remakes or sequels, but the idea always seems ripe for a new wave of fright-flick fans. Nearly two-thirds of the audience was under 25, too young - or not even born - when earlier "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movies came out.

“Les Miserables”, “Django Unchained” set to beat box office expectations

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Although holiday spending has been sluggish this year, the turnout for movies is up--at least on Christmas Day. "Les Miserables" and "Django Unchained" debuted across America yesterday and, based on projections, are exceeding opening day expectations.

"Les Miserables," which opened in 2,808 theaters, is now the #1 advance ticket-seller among all Christmas Day releases. Universal was hoping to make at least $10 million its opening day, but according to Deadline, the Tim Hooper adaptation's projected earnings from yesterday will exceed that by about $8 million. However, sales could decline by Wednesday or Thursday, with one studio exec noting that “Christmas Day has very unique play patterns by genre, region of the country, ethnicity, and target demo. You won’t really know where films are headed until Friday. But that’s a fantastic number for Les Miz.”

“Hobbit” beats “Lord of the Rings” with $84.8 million opening

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:29:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" led the box office with a haul of $84.8 million, a record-setting opening better than the three previous "Lord of the Rings" films.

The Warner Bros. Middle Earth epic was the biggest December opening ever, surpassing Will Smith's "I Am Legend," which opened with $77.2 million in 2007, according to studio estimates Sunday. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" also passed the December opening of "Avatar," which opened with $77 million. Internationally, "The Hobbit" also added $138.2 million, for an impressive global debut of $223 million.

Despite weak reviews, the 3-D adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's first novel in the fantasy series was an even bigger draw than the last "Lord of the Rings" movie, "The Return of the King." That film opened with $72.6 million. "The Hobbit" is the first of another planned trilogy, with two more films to be squeezed out of Tolkien's book.

While Jackson's "Rings" movies drew many accolades - "The Return of the King" won best picture from the Academy Awards - the path for "The Hobbit" has been rockier. It received no Golden Globes nominations on Thursday, though all three "Rings" films were nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for best picture.

“Twilight” rakes in $141 million in debut weekend

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:53:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Twilight" didn't fade out.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" earned $141 million domestically over opening weekend, putting the final "Twilight" in the eighth position on the list of all-time domestic debuts, leaving the supernatural series with three of the top-10 openings, joining 2009's "New Moon" (No. 7 with $142.8 million) and last year's "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" (No. 9 with $138.1 million).

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," Summit, $141,067,634, 4,070 locations, $34,660 average, $141,067,634, one week.

2. "Skyfall," Sony, $41,104,513, 3,505 locations, $11,727 average, $160,941,621, two weeks.

3. "Lincoln," Disney, $21,049,406, 1,775 locations, $11,859 average, $22,468,242, two weeks.

4. "Wreck-It Ralph," Disney, $18,582,937, 3,622 locations, $5,131 average, $121,750,227, three weeks.

5. "Flight," Paramount, $8,802,881, 2,612 locations, $3,370 average, $61,523,691, three weeks.

Bond soars with record $87.8 million “Skyfall” debut

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:39:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- James Bond's "Skyfall" has extended its worldwide box-office rule to North America, hauling in a franchise-record $87.8 million in its first weekend at U.S. theaters.

Adding in $2.2 million from Thursday night previews at IMAX and other large-format theaters, "Skyfall" has taken in $90 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That lifts the worldwide total for "Skyfall" to $518.6 million since it began rolling out overseas in late October. Internationally, the 23rd Bond flick added $89 million this weekend to raise its overseas revenue to $428.6 million.

The third installment starring Daniel Craig as British super-spy Bond, "Skyfall" outdid the $67.5 million U.S. debut of 2008's "Quantum of Solace," the franchise's previous best opening. "Skyfall" more than doubled the $40.8 million debut of Craig's first Bond film, 2006's "Casino Royale."

"Skyfall" already has passed the $407.7 million overseas total for "Quantum of Solace" and by Monday, it will top the $432.2 million international haul for "Casino Royale."

The Craig era has reinvigorated one of Hollywood's most-enduring franchises, whose first big-screen Bond adventure, "Dr. No," debuted 50 years ago.

Can Wikipedia predict a box office hit?

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 15:54:00 +0000

Researchers at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics claim that activity on a not-yet-released movie's Wikipedia page may signal the future box office success of that movie. Physicist Taha Yasseri and his colleagues, Márton Mestyán and János Kertész, have built a mathematical model that analyzes the "activity level of editors and viewers" on a movie's Wikipedia page and, using data from a roster of 312 movies released in the U.S. in 2010, showed "that the popularity of a movie could be predicted" up to a month in advance.

The Daily Mail summed up their findings:

“Taken 2″ proves to be a box office hit

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:49:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Critics don't like "Taken 2," but Liam Neeson's action sequel has proved twice the hit among fans as the original movie was.

"Taken 2" led the box office with $50 million domestically over opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That's double the haul for Neeson's "Taken," which took in $24.7 million in its U.S. debut in early 2009.

"Taken" went on to become a $145 million smash for Neeson, the Academy Award-nominated star of "Schindler's List" who has become an unlikely action hero in his 50s.

In "Taken 2," Neeson returns as a retired CIA agent using his expert espionage and killing skills to take on a gang of thugs out for revenge against him and his family.

"He gives hope to aging men," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. "He's done the reverse of most actors, where you do the action stuff when you're younger then do the more introspective work when you're older. He's sort of turned it around. When he's 80, he'll probably be kicking even more butt."

"Taken 2," which began rolling out overseas a weekend earlier, added $55 million more in about 50 international markets to raise its worldwide total to $117 million.