Weekend Receipts: New Years Eve Rings In a Light Box Office
Nationwide audiences had New Years Eve and The Sitter to choose from this weekend, and so, they didn't. This weekend's box office tally is weak, and Breaking Dawn, Part I is still lingering in the top 3 like an undead slime. Time for some Dragon Tattoo upheaval, STAT. Bring on Christmas! Let's discuss the breakdown after the jump.
1. New Year's Eve
Gross: $13,705,000
Screens: 3,505 (PSA $3,910)
Weeks: 1
Apparently if you throw enough A-listers together for a holiday-themed cash grab, at least 29 people will be mesmerized into purchasing tickets. I wonder if the same works for C-listers. Let's try it: "ERIK VON DETTEN. SYLVIA MILES. TAMERA MOWRY. COLLEEN CAMP. BUNSEN HONEYDEW. JIM J. BULLOCK. ME'SHELL NDEGEOCELLO. THE RUGRATS." OK, I accidentally bought 30 tickets just now. Also: Me'Shell NdegeOcello rocks, so don't let this gag dissuade you.
2. The Sitter
Gross: $10,000,000
Screens: 2,750
Weeks: 1
Sort of sounds like The Sitter doesn't need to exist, and for an 81-minute foray into the throes of babysitting, it performed just as you expected: meekly. Though the film may win back its $25 million budget, The Sitter's poor reviews and cliched premise seem to spell out its destiny. Maybe your 7-year-old will watch it on DVD while his babysitter smokes out back.
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
Gross: $7,900,000 ($259,500,000)
Screens: 3,505 (PSA $2,192)
Weeks: 4 (Change: -52.2%)
Every generation deserves an odious blockbuster romance, and the jarringly amateurish Breaking Dawn, Part I is pretty much the Gen Y remake of Love Story. Unlike Love Story, I don't see Best Picture or Best Actress nods in its future (WTF), but I do see a sequel called Renesmee's Story hitting in 2018. In fact, let's sheohorn Ryan O'Neal in here somewhere.
4. The Muppets
Gross: $7,073,000 ($65,837,000)
Screens: 3,328 (PSA $2,125)
Weeks: 4 (Change: -36.2%)
So much for the extreme PR blitz of The Muppets: Though the film has generally garnered fine reviews, it just hasn't stuck at the box office. I can only imagine that Frank Oz is cackling to himself in glee using a hundred different character voices.
5. Arthur Christmas
Gross: $6,600,000 ($33,490,000)
Screens: 3,272 (PSA $2,017)
Weeks: 3 (Change: -10.8%)
I'm going to suggest that Arthur Christmas still has a chance at a holiday miracle: Its percentage drop from last week is pretty low, and the movie itself has garnered great reviews. If parents and kids are looking for yuletide cheer and think Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close looks, uh, cloying as hell, they may turn to Arthur. Here's hoping.
6. Hugo
Gross: $6,125,000 ($33,489,000)
Screens: 2,608 (PSA $2,349)
Weeks: 3 (Change: -19.0%)
I'm sure we can agree that Hugo is one of the choicest offerings of the past couple months -- particularly in wide release. I just wish it earned that extra box office push to secure it Oscar nods. Oh well. Onward! To the Dragon Tattoo lair, moviegoers!
Weekend Box Office [Box Office Mojo]
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Comments
Am I the only one overjoyed to see "New Year's Eve" fail? I don't mind the "Twilight" movies - they may not be my taste, but at least they are trying to be faithful to the books and the fans. But expanded episodes of "Love Boat" that aren't even as good as the original episodes of "Love Boat" just irritate me. There's no reason for the movie to exist other than to make money. And if I want to be entertained by soulless, shallow crap, I'd watch whatever Republican debate happens to be playing this half hour.
At least NYE was better than the time I was trapped in an elevator w/ Ashton Kutcher. #stillhaventrecovered
I'm a little disappointed by the poor showing, as I wanted to go out with some friends to the theater and watch New Year's Eve ON New Year's Eve. This acheives 2 things: Gives me something to do on New Year's Eve and it will show me who my friends really are, by those truly willing to suffer the indignity.
Alas, these low numbers don't bode well for this plan. Now I have to make a brie for someone's lame party instead of partaking in The Marshall.
This is why I just bring liquor to parties now. No effort involved except to drop into the liquor store and buy the bottle, then put a bow on it. No one has turned me down. In fact...I could probably do well at parties I'm not invited to w/ the same formula. Of course...more holiday parties? Blerg.
Actually, I do the same with Orange Fanta and Cool Ranch Doritos.
Never Fails.
Not sure how Frank Oz can be cackling since The Muppets did better than the last one that he gave his blessing to. Plus, it isn't done yet, it's made money prior to its DVD release, AND it put the Muppets back in the public eye, something Mr Oz certainly hasn't done for the past decade or so. Plus, almost every single kiddie movie this year underperformed, including Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Rio, Rango, etc. The only two that didn't were The Smurfs and Hop, and those are only considered strong performers because nobody expected them to even make their money back. I think everyone's at home rewatching the GOOD kid movies that were released last year!