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SUNDAY AM: Halloween is always a lousy day for box office but especially when it falls on a weekend. So Friday’s grosses were way down compared to the norm. So Disney’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year was shockingly down 90% from its sensational opening a week ago to make $1.7 million Friday from 3,626 plays. (“Why is it high school kids who are always the victims on Halloween?” one rival studio bigwig emailed me.) But then Zac Efron and the gang staged a spectacular comeback (+400%) to grab No. 1 with $8.2 million Saturday for a $15M weekend (including Sunday’s estimate of $5.1 million) for a new cume of $61.8M. Overseas, HSM3 was the #1 film in 26 territories including the U.S. and Canada for an estimated gross its second week of $146.8M at the worldwide boxoffice.
Making $10.6M this weekend was Kevin Smith’s Weinstein Co comedy Zack And Miri Make A Porno starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. The raunchy comedy opened in 2,735 venues with just $2.2 million Friday and $4.8 million Saturday (+124%) and a Sunday estimate of $3.6 million for No. 2. Because of the pic’s provocative name and content, the same chain of Utah theaters that wouldn’t show Brokeback Mountain also refused to screen Zack And Miri, so Smith enjoyed lots of free publicity. It’s been tracking decently with males under and over age 25 — not exactly a shocker. It was Smith’s second best launch, but he still can’t generate big box office numbers of late especially since this film was costlier than his usual.
Twisted Picture/Lionsgate’s horrific holdover Saw V was the only movie not to scare off audiences on Halloween and sliced through the competition for No. 3 this weekend. Playing in 3,084 theaters, it took in $3.1 million Friday (a staggering drop of 78% over its debut a week ago) and $4.2 million Saturday and $2.7 million Sundy estimate for a $10.1M weekend and new cume of $45.8M.
After a limited run, Universal’s Oscar-touted Changeling directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie missed opening wider in the top spot and settled for No. 4 with a $9.4M weekend and new $10M cume. After expanding into 1,850 theaters, the adult drama took in $2.3 million Friday and $4.4 million Saturday for a $9.4M weekend, bigger than what the studio expected. Fresh exit polling from this weekend showed the audience was 32%/68% under 30 yrs of age/30 yrs and older, and 39%/61% male/female. Both “excellent” ratings and “definitely” recommend scores were well above average overall. The main reasons given for choosing to see Changeling were the story (65%), followed by Angelina Jolie (53%), director Clint Eastwood (43%), and its true story (42%). During its limited run a week ago, the exit polling showed that the grim but compelling pic nevetheless had strong commercial potential across a wide breadth of audiences. Which is why the studio thinks the film has legs, using Clint’s 2003 Mystic River as a comp; it took in $10.4 million from 1,467 theaters after a limited run and went on to do $90M.
UPDATED: *But this weekend’s big news was overseas: MGM/Sony’s Quantum Of Solace, the 22nd James Bond motion picture, had record-setting launches in the UK, France and Sweden this weekend. Total FSS take was $38.6 million on 2,123 prints, generating more than $18,000 per print. The pic expands into 57 additional markets next weekend. But Bond made box office history on its opening day in the UK, taking a staggering £4.9 million and making it the biggest Friday opening of all time. This shattered the previous record held by Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire, which took £4.0m. The latest 007 installment, which claims to be the longest running franchise in film history (if you don’t count Godzilla or Tarzan), also beat the opening day figure of £2.9m for Casino Royale, the first to star Daniel Craig. Quantum Of Solace did £15.4 million for its UK weekend launch and the biggest standard 3-day opening of all time there, passing Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire‘s £14.934 million. This is 35% bigger than the £11.4 million launch of Casino Royale and a massive 70% of the UK box office this weekend. France’s weekend estimate of €8.2 million beat Casino Royale‘s 5-day €7.0 by 16% for the biggest Bond launch ever there, and in just 3 days. MGM/Sony expect Quantum to have three great days ahead in France, with the All Saint’s holiday school break running through November 5th. And Sweden’s 18.1 million SEK 3-day weekend is that country’s 4th biggest FSS ever, behind only Lord of the Rings 3 (20.4), and 31% more than Casino Royale‘s 13.821 million SEK launch. The 22nd Bond will release in the U.S. on November 14th and its first choice tracking was almost double what it was for Daniel Craig’s debut as Bond in Casino Royale. But this is 007 without the established Bond cliches and stereotypes. Reviewers said the current Bond movie looked more like Bond-as-Bourne since it dropped Moneypenny, dropped Q, dropped the wit, dropped the gadgets, and dropped the line “The name is Bond, James Bond”.*
Finishing in 5th place, The Haunting Of Molly Hartley from Freestyle Releasing took advantage of the spooky holiday for a $1.7 million opening Friday and $2.3 million Saturday from 2,652 venues for just a $5.2M weekend.
As for the rest of the Top 10: No. 6 Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Disney) made $4.7M for a new cume of $84M; No. 7 The Secret Life Of Bees (Fox Searchlight) earned $4M for a new $25.2M cume; No. 8 Max Payne (20th Century Fox) took in $3.7M for a new $35.5M cume; No. 9 Eagle Eye (DreamWorks/Paramount) gained $3.4M for a new $92.5M cume; and No. 10 Pride And Glory (Warner Bros) received $3.2M for a new $11.6M cume.
In the 11th spot, QED International/Lionsgate’s $30M biopic W. took in $2.4M for a new $22.4M cume. Joel Silver’s Dark Castle-produced, Warner Bros-distributed RockNRolla made $1.7 million for the weekend as the Guy Ritchie-written and directed low-budgeter expanded into 826 theaters for a $2.3M cume.
This was the first “down” weekend after 5 “up” weekends in a row. Last year, when Halloween had the decency to fall on a Wednesday, total weekend box office was $133.9M. This weekend’s $85M was down 36.5%.
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Clerks II performed well, but Harvey (and Kevin) were hoping for a stronger opening.
This isn’t a career breaker for kevin smith, but if this doesn’t perform well (it should with a big star in rogen and healthy promotion) his career will go back to where it was after Mallrats. A guy whose movies make back their money on DVD, but just do not perform well in theaters.
Not another attempt at the Oscar Clint. Give us something that is of entertainment value. You expect us to pay for a movie you made for the Oscar committee?
We are the paying audiences, not those free-loaders. Enough with drama theme, do something that make your audiences want to watch not walk away.
Having a saint-wannabe Jolie is not going to help either.
The problem with watching Angelina Jolie movies is when you watch her on screen, its not a character, but Angelina Jolie you see.
Hear me out -
You can never just sit down, and watch one of her films without thinking to yourself ‘That’s Angelina Jolie’. You can never watch her and forget that she’s actor on the screen.
Actors and actresses that give the most interviews, that give the most of themselves away, that are most vulnerable in their public lives, are admired and loved by the public, who feel that they connect with the star on an emotional level (which is half the world for Jolie).
But, paradoxically, when you watch their films, you see them as the person first, and the character second; which brings you out of film that you are watching, and which disconnects you emotionally to whats going on onscreen.
Which is, in my opinion, why, despite her wonderful acting skills, she can no longer connect to an audience on the screen at an emotional level, which is why most of the recent dramas she have been in flop at the box office in comparison to her recent action films, despite her dramatic performances recieving critical acclaim.
You could possibly contribute her success in the action genre (i.e Wanted) to the opposite effect – People love Jolie and want to see her in films where they see the ‘Angelina Jolie’ they want to see, where the ambiguity between character and percieved persona becomes entertaining, endearing even. She doesn’t need to connect with them at the emotional level, so there’s no betrayal there, no deception.
Maybe, at a deeper level, we all just do not wish to be decieved by people we care about, even if our care is at best an abstract one.
My theatre was empty for ZM. Not good. It’s halloween! Kind of a shitty day for release don’t ya think?
Anonymous, you’re putting way to much thought into it.
Action movies generally make more than drama’s, so Jolie’s action movies will make more than her drama’s, just like 99% of other actors do.
That’s it.
Here’s the weekend for the last time Halloween was on a Friday. http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2003-10-31&p=.htm
Anonymous 8:54, what are you talking about? Angelina’s movie is not the only one that didn’t do well. NONE of the movies did well.
Jesus at that essay up there. Did you not even read the post? Changeling had good exit polls, which can mean decent legs. It made half a million in 15 theaters. Audiences liked the movie. There are people out there who don’t read gossip and GASP believe her when she’s acting.
I was pretty much begging anyone who would listen months ago — why release High school musical 3 on October 24th — when kids are in school and repeat business would be almost impossible and to top it off the following weekend would be halloween — which is a kid’s holiday. This movie should be doing gangbusters had it opened on Thanksgiving or Christmas or during the summer when kids are out of school. Big mistake on Disney’s part and I can’t believe that no one had the sense to think of this.
Anonymous- you need to see the movie first before your psycho analysis. The write up said the movie might be the #1 movie this weekend, that is a feat considering it is up against movies like HSM3, a comedy and SawV.
I have seen the movie and the audience connected because some were very vocal with their reactions while the movie was playing and applauded at the end, what more would you want from an actress.
Some of you, just like some critics are so caught up with tabloid nonsense that you can’t separate the lies and reality.
A Mighty Heart is the only movie Angelina has been in the last few years that have not done good box office numbers but then again none of the movies relating to Iraq or war did well, if anything, AMH did better than all of them including the Reese Witherspoon/Jake movie.
So get of your soap box and go and actually see changeling and then come back and tell us you did not make an emotional connection with Jolie’s Christine Collins.
It should be worth noting that the Zack & Miri team have been almost completely absent from the talk show circuit, save for a Leno appearance or two. My gut instinct knew the rollout plan was lacking. The same is true for next week’s Role Models (look at the talk circuit: NOTHING)
Why is Guy Ritchie still allowed to make movies? His films never make any money. I mean really people? Swept Away made 598K, Revolver made 84K, I’m not joking Revolver made 84 thousand dollars total in its run. If anyone else made a movie that grossed only 84 thousand dollars in its total run they would never be allowed to get near a film camera again, let alone be allowed to direct a major tentpole like Sherlock Holmes. What do people see in the guy? Everyone says Snatch and Lock, Stock. Come on, both films are highly overrated and neither of them made any money. The guy’s average gross is 7 million dollars per movie. And let’s look at this new magnum opus that he just made: RocknRolla. Just another bomb to add to his list of other bombs. He’s more famous for being madonna’s husband than for his filmmaking. He’s nothing more than a Hack. Hell, his producer Matthew Vaughn is way more talented that Ritchie will ever be.
So if anyone from Warner Bros. is reading this post. Please why did you guys hire Guy Ritchie to direct Sherlock Holmes? It’s obviously not because of his films because NO ONE SEES THEM.
A mighty heart took place in Pakistan…
Revolver, however, had a “widest release” of 18 screens…
Not bad for Changeling but horrible and embarassing for HSM3.
Angelina Jolie should never be used as a serious actress for any film. Use her in escapist entertainment like WANTED, that’s where she shines.
Didn’t Clint learn his lesson when Oliver Stone introduced us to Jolie’s Bela Lugosi-sounding-snake-wielding harlot in ALEXANDER?
So many great actresses out there – why pick Jolie.
Smith really needs to go to dirt basics again. Post MallRats he made his best film, Chasing Amy. Since then he’s become more of a talk show personality than a true writer director.
John – why are people talking about DVDs on this forum?
Filmmaker – Guy Ritchie doing Holmes might be good for him. I think the studio has him by the fat of his back and he’s obviously going through some issues right now. The “I can do Swept Away” Ritchie is dead. Yes his last movies have failed, but a lot of the failure is due in part to bad distribution. Snatch/Lock Stock made money during the DVD era and made even more during the TV deal and Anc. era. Both did well in merchandise / soundtrack too.
And as for Eastwood’s latest picture. It looks like a two hour long episode of Unsolved Mysteries. I don’t care if Jolie is the lead, it sounds horrible. (not to mention the plot twist that i expect is probably the same as Gone Baby Gone)
Zac & Miri was hilarious!
“Revolver made 84K, I’m not joking Revolver made 84 thousand dollars total in its run. If anyone else made a movie that grossed only 84 thousand dollars in its total run they would never be allowed to get near a film camera again”
Had it received a proper and fair release, your point would be valid.
Why did WB give Sherlock holmes to Guy Ritchie?
Two reasons…
Snatch… IMDB 160
Lock, Stock & 2 smoking barrels… IMDB 187
Studios like a director whose films look a lot more expensive than they cost. And SNATCH grossed 84 million dollars worldwide.
Comment by Anonymous — October 31, 2008 @ 8:54 pm
Well said. Her exploitations of the tabloid is doing her no good since we see not an actress but a tabloid folder artist
She is no Kidman nor Roberts. Just another face we all know from the magazines of her many broods and a husband snacther.
The reason Guy Ritchie is allowed to make movies is because some marketing guru thinks he’s Quentin Tarantino Jr. But to keep funding his films, they have to assume that 1) He really is the second coming of the Big Q, and 2) The Big Q can actually open a movie these days on name value alone. The first assumption is highly suspect, and Grindhouse has proven the second wrong.
Unfortunately for Ritchie, he’s just one of the late 90′s “next”s that were supposed to revitalize the industry: Shyamalan (the next Spielberg), P.T. Anderson (the next Altman), the Blair Witch guys, and so on. Only Anderson has managed to transcend his perpetual nextdom.
Alexander,
I’ll take SIGNS, UNBREAKABLE, LADY IN THE WATER and THE VILLAGE over INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, A.I., AMISTAD, WAR OF THE WORLDS and MINORITY REPORT.
Shyamalan is a true original, even when he cinematically stumbles.
But I agree however that Guy Ritchie is not the man to do a big-budget Robert Downey SHERLOCK HOLMES flick. I see stills of Downey in London in great looking sets and I just don’t think Richie can pull off a genre film like that.
“Zach and Miri” was surprisingly entertaining. It was the funniest film I’ve seen since “In Bruges” several months ago.