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.
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Not once in 2009 did a movie lead the box office for three or more straight weeks. Here in 2010, though, that trick has been turned by Avatar, Alice in Wonderland and now Shrek Forever After -- the animated sequel easily held off newcomers Get Him to the Greek and Killers to retain the top spot for a third straight week. And while other new releases Marmaduke and Splice failed to crack the top-ten, the biggest loser of the weekend was -- once again -- MacGruber: The comedy shed over 2,300 screens and dropped 93.9 percent in its third week. Yikes squared. Say a prayer for Will Forte and click ahead for some weekend receipts.
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There must be something in the water over at Dreamworks Animation. As happened with the studio's How to Train Your Dragon in the spring, Shrek Forever After appears like it has legs and knows how to use them. Who -- besides David Poland -- woulda thunk it?! The big green ogre managed to beat the Four Ogres of the Apocalypse -- better known as the gals from Sex and the City 2 -- over the weekend, meaning Jeffrey Katzenberg is probably having a green-colored cosmopolitan right about now. Mix one up yourself and get ready for some weekend receipts.
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When is an animated movie that opens with $71 million -- thus making it one of the four best animated openings in history -- considered a humongous disappointment? When it's Shrek Forever After. The supposed final chapter in the Dreamworks Animation smash series easily topped the box office over the weekend, but wound up opening to $50 million less than Shrek The Third did just three years ago. Guess people really didn't like that one, huh? Dig up your most dated cultural reference and get ready for some weekend receipts.
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This weekend at the box office offered a wealth of options: overstuffed sequel or overlong prequel? Amanda Seyfried in Verona's court or Queen Latifah on the basketball court? It's enough to make you curl up with a bottle of expensive vodka and your cockatoo as company -- and wouldn't you know, that's what most moviegoers preferred to do. Here are the weekend receipts.
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Break up Universal! While the beleaguered studio's Robin Hood may not have been able to notch the No. 1 spot on Friday, It will gladly take a $13 million opening on the way to a likely $36 million weekend. (It will handily break $100 million worldwide). That's about $10 million off the pace of Iron Man 2, which suffered a Friday-to-Friday drop of more than 70 percent. Letters to Juliet and Just Wright opened at what you might call "modest" and "soft," respectively, while A Nightmare on Elm Street closed off the Top 5 for the last time in its lucrative, miserable run. Full figures after the jump.
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Hats off to Focus Features, whose Mother's Day release strategy for Babies paid off with a $2,157,309 weekend gross -- more than $1 million of which poured in on the holiday itself. (The distributor's original estimates were off by more than $500,000 as a result.) That was good enough to land the ovulatastic doc in the overall Top 10 on a mere 534 screens. Also worth noting: Sony Classics' adoption drama Mother and Child pulled in roughly $44,488 on four screens. Thanks, Mom. [indieWIRE]
I hate to say I told you so, but: Using the Price is Right rule book -- closest without going over -- the only Movieline staffer to accurately predict the opening weekend gross for Iron Man 2 was yours truly. High five! Anyway, as expected, the Marvel sequel got the summer box office season started in a big way, grossing more than the other films in the top-ten combined... 3.6 times over. So, ka-ching. Grab an Iron Man 2-approved Dr. Pepper and click ahead, it's time for some weekend receipts.
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By this time tomorrow the multiplexes of the United States will be sinking into their foundations, overstuffed with millions of swooning viewers soaking up Iron Man 2. Professional prognosticators and casual box-office observers alike take this as their cue to size up the opening weekend -- particularly the film's chance to topple The Dark Knight's record $158.4 million three-day from 2008. We're no different at Movieline, where I've rounded up my seasoned colleagues Kyle Buchanan, Mark Lisanti and Christopher Rosen for a brief bit of shot-calling.
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Always remember: If you're in need of a quick buck, find some decades old horror franchise to resuscitate, make it more violent and -- if you can -- put it in 3D. A Nightmare on Elm Street hit two of those three benchmarks (here's hoping the sequel is in 3D!) and, not surprisingly, cruised to an easy victory at the box office in this calm before the Iron Man 2 storm. Pop an Ambien and grab a blanket, it's time for some weekend receipts.
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For the first time in two weeks, the weekend box office results won't come down to the final figures on Monday. Take that, bean counters! Unfortunately for Jennifer Lopez and The Losers that means no shady numbers massaging -- cough, Lionsgate -- will allow them to sneak away with the top spot. Grab your best five-week old pop culture reference, hop on a dragon and get ready for some weekend receipts.
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After narrowly trailing How to Train Your Dragon is yesterday's weekend box-office estimates, actuals reveal that Kick-Ass did in fact beat the month-old family flick by a margin of $19.8 million to $19.6 million. Are you any less underwhelmed? I didn't think so. [The Wrap]
For a second straight weekend, the box office tea leaves won't be fully read until Monday when final figures are released, but for now: Bow to Dragon! In its fourth week, the animated hit jumped from third place to first to capture the weekend crown, besting assumed winner, Kick-Ass. Those who still think the R-rated comic book movie isn't a major disappointment, should probably stop now. Strap on a codpiece, drop a few c-bombs and enjoy some weekend receipts.
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Someone get famous horse racing announcer Dave Johnson on the phone. Because with the top three films at the box office separated by less than $2 million, this weekend's race is going to come down to the official box office numbers on Monday. And down the stretch they come! Fix yourself a Mint Julip, because it's time for some weekend receipts.
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Buoyed by three strong new releases (and one solid holdover), the box office this weekend was not only the biggest on record for the month of April, but also for the Easter holiday. Because nothing celebrates "Easter" like bringing the family to see Clash of the Titans. Unwrap a fresh box of Peeps and enjoy some weekend receipts.
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