Need more proof that pre-release polling is totally useless? Heading into this weekend of '80s reboots, The Karate Kid and The A-Team were running neck and neck -- both pegged for around $30 million in ticket sales. Where are those "Dewey Defeats Truman" headlines when you need them? The Karate Kid almost doubled those expectations this weekend, easily defeating the exploding version of The A-Team in the process. Those stories of June Gloom in Hollywood can stop now. The cruel summer -- ahem -- is officially over. Cue up some Bananarama and click ahead for the weekend receipts.
1. The Karate Kid
Gross: $56,000,000 ($56,000,000)
Screens: 3,663 (PSA: $15,288)
Weeks: 1
Say hello to the eighth biggest opening in the history of June. There are a myriad of reasons why The Karate Kid worked -- the casting of Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, the familiar brand name, the kick-ass trailer, the blanket marketing campaign, Justin Bieber -- but it feels like the biggest is the fact that it was something both men and women (or boys and girls, as the case may be) were able to see. It's the first film since Iron Man 2 that can claim to be "for everyone." Toy Story 3 will take a large bite out next weekend, but there is no reason The Karate Kid can't be a certified smash. Just think of the Jackie Chan-led international numbers!
2. The A-Team
Gross: $26,000,000 (new)
Screens: 3,535 (PSA: $7,355)
Weeks: 1
In a world where Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time can open with $30 million, that The A-Team could only muster $26 million feels like a major disappointment. There is hope -- a B+-grade from Cinemascore could point to some solid word of mouth and there aren't any major action films hitting screens for some time -- but what's the best Twentieth Century Fox and Joe Carnahan can hope for? $100 million domestic and another $200 million overseas -- without any major international stars? Not likely. If only they could have found a twelfth writer, things could have been different!
3. Shrek Forever After
Gross: $15,800,000 ($210,052,000)
Screens: 3,860 (PSA: $4,035)
Weeks: 4 (change: -38%)
Shrek crossed the $200 million mark this weekend, which means there are many, many people who have seen this fourth film in the series. I haven't met a single one of them, but they're out there -- watching, waiting...
4. Get Him to the Greek
Gross: $10,100,000 ($36,500,000)
Screens: 2,702 (PSA: $3,738)
Weeks: 2 (change: -42.5%)
After two weeks Get Him to the Greek is running about $1.5 million ahead of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, this despite failing to top its weekend performance in either frame -- Sarah Marshall grossed $11 million in its second weekend. For that you can thank robust weeknight viewings, which probably can be attributed to Greek's June release date. Add in the moderately good hold and the fact that Dinner for Schmucks -- the next "big" comedy" -- doesn't hit until the end of July, and Get Him to the Greek could have a lengthy run, despite being not that great.
5. Killers
Gross: $8,170,000 ($30,670,000)
Screens: 2,859 (PSA: $2,858)
Weeks: 2 (change: -48.4%)
Admit it: You didn't think Killers would make this much money. The reported $75 million budget aside -- was this a Bialystock and Bloom-like gamble on behalf of Lionsgate? -- an eventual final gross of around $45 million for something like this should have been all that was expected. It also means Tom Cruise should start to worry about Knight and Day.
[Numbers via Box Office Mojo]