The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s latest venture as the perennially gruff superhero, appears to have redeemed the series in the eyes of the critics, but even though it took the weekend with an estimated $55 million, it fell behind both the prequel X-Men: First Class and only managed to do slightly better than the original X-Men released in 2000. Nevertheless, counting worldwide sales the film has made...[Read More]
The Conjuring is generating a lot of buzz…not only for its high reviews, but for its money-making potential. Budgeted at $20 million, the film (directed by James Wan, who previously found success in the world of horror with the Saw franchise) brought in an estimated $41.5 million, making it the second highest opening weekend ever for a supernatural horror film (beaten only by Paranormal Activity 3...[Read More]
Once again the box office has proven that keeping a film’s budget reasonable is a good idea, whether the movie is well-received or not. Despicable Me 2 held the top spot for a second week, making an estimated $44.8 million and holding off newcomers Grown-Ups 2 (estimated $42.5 million) and Pacific Rim (estimated $38.3 million). Grown-Ups 2 has been almost universally panned by critics, and still h...[Read More]
Sharing Tuesday openings, it seems strange to think one movie would take the weekend in such a lopsided victory, but it has. Despicable Me 2 opened against The Lone Ranger, and the CG animated family film made its competitor look absolutely flummoxed. While both films took the first and second box office spots respectively, Despicable Me 2’s estimated $82.5 million adds to a domestic total of $142...[Read More]
This week saw the release of a female buddy cop comedy and the second “White House Under Attack” themed movie of the year, but neither film could keep Monsters University from scoring the top spot at the box office once again. The Pixar film, which earned an estimated $46.2 million has reportedly been budgeted at $270 million, meaning it has a long, long ways to go in making its deficit up domesti...[Read More]
As the weekend draws to a close, it is pretty clear that, despite mixed critical reception, Superman still has some box-office power. Man of Steel, written by Christopher Nolan of The Dark Knight fame and directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen), has suffered at the hands of critics looking for more from the character, but the movie-going public rewarded the long-popular comic hero with a handsome estim...[Read More]
It may be receiving mixed to poor reviews, but it was not enough to stop The Purge from knocking Fast & Furious 6 from the top spot at the box office this week. For most other films on the list, an estimated $36.4 million might be considered a slow start, but with The Purge reporting a $3 million budget, it is far and away a success regardless of critical reception, and a second solid weekend ...[Read More]
Like the out of control vehicles in its previews, Fast & Furious 6 could not be stopped by two big new releases. Its estimated $34.5 million weekend take was enough for the box office smash to become domestically profitable, having earned $170.4 million in its two weeks at the box office. It is even closing the ranks on its predecessor, Fast Five, and is likely to surpass even that film in dom...[Read More]
A few big name releases brought in the numbers to the box office, and breaks a welcome streak; six of the films on the top ten made it into double digit earnings instead of just the top three. But the top draw made it all the way into the triple digits thanks to the Memorial Day weekend…Fast & Furious 6 showed the series can still draw a crowd with an estimated $120 million, making a massive d...[Read More]
When a four-day weekend expected to bring in $100 million only gives an estimated $84.1 ($70.6 million for the three-day), chances are an investor might be a little disappointed. But for most, an opening that big is a good thing, and critics and audiences alike are enjoying their forays to see Star Trek Into Darkness, the sequel to the J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the classic franchise. It was enough to...[Read More]
Director Baz Luhrmann may have had a solid weekend with his adaptation of The Great Gatsby, earning an estimated $51.1 million despite mixed reviews, but it failed to keep Iron Man 3 from taking the box office for a second straight week. The Marvel Studios franchise made a fine showing in its second weekend with an estimated $72.5 million, not only profiting on its $200 million budget, but making ...[Read More]
Tom Cruise may have been the best thing going for the science fiction action film Oblivion, which has only been getting lukewarm critical reception, but it still took the box office weekend easily. Costing $120 million, it made an excellent head start against its costs domestically with an estimated $38.2 million, though foreign box office has already made it a success with an additional $112 mill...[Read More]