The highest-rated Academy Awards in years was perhaps all it took to remind the public of what it is they weren't missing, because aside from the mighty Alice in Wonderland, this weekend's box office came smothered in weak sauce. Even an 88% increase for Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker amounted to no more than $828k, or about half of what The Blind Side, the other Oscar winner to enjoy a post-awards bump, earned in the same frame. More results are on the next page.
1. Alice in Wonderland
Gross: $62,000,000 (cume: $208,625,000)
Screens: 3,728 (PSA: $16,631)
Weeks: 2 (change: -46.6%)
Sure the material is timeless and Tim Burton's take appealing, but this Alice's stupendous box office performance lies in its secret ingredient: a severely disfigured, rapey Crispin Glover. Surefire kiddie-nip!
2. Green Zone
Gross: $14,535,000 (new)
Screens: 3,003 (PSA: $4,840)
Weeks: 1
Paul Greengrass's attempt to turn the U.S.'s shock and awe campaign on Baghdad into a high-octane thriller sputtered for Universal, who, despite an aggressively apolitical marketing campaign that included Bourne-style TV spots and a line of Saddam's Inner Circle Happy Meal action figures, struggled to break free from the Iraq movie curse
3. She's Out of My League
Gross: $9,600,000 (new)
Screens: 2,956 (PSA: $3,248)
Weeks: 1
The second you introduce hard math into the dude-dating-comedy formula, you're taking a massive risk, assuming your target audience 1) can grasp the concept of ranking potential sex partners according to numerical value, 2) wants to expend the mental energy required to do so, and 5) knows what comes after 2. That said, it doesn't take a PhD in Applied Mathematics to know that 9,600,000 is what Hollywood bean-counters refer to as a "not-so-stinky opening."
4. Remember Me
Gross: $8,300,000 (new)
Screens: 2,212 (PSA: $3,752)
Weeks: 1
5. Shutter Island
Gross: $8,140,000 (cume: $108,008,000)
Screens: 3,356 (PSA: $2,426)
Weeks: 4 (change: -38.5%)
After this soft opening for their youth romance, perhaps Summit should take a cue from Shutter Island's campaign and pimp the surprise ending that will have "ALL OF AMERICA TALKING. You'll NEVER SEE IT COMING and by then it will BE TOO LATE to avoid a SHOCKING TWIST that will positively HIJACK YOUR EMOTIONS."
[All figures courtesy of Box Office Mojo]