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TUESDAY AM: These are 4-day numbers for what was the biggest Presidents Weekend in Hollywood history – $226 million and up 35% over last year… I don’t know which is worse: that moviegoers flocked to horrific Friday The 13th 2009 from New Line/Warner Bros because it’s Friday the 13th. Or that they also saw a machete-wielding psycho killer with a loved one on Valentines Day. It’s turning into the best-ever R-rated 4-day opening – amazing for a retread. Hollywood anticipated high $30sM for the 4-day holiday, but the film reach $43.7M from 3,105 theaters. On Friday, it opened to a huge $19.3 million, then expectedly fell 26% Saturday to $14.2M. With Sunday estimates, that’s a $40.7M three-day weekend. Sensing there was more mayhem in the murder franchise, Michael Bay asked New Line to give his production company a chance to revive it. Then he brought Paramount into the mix to handle international. The pic did well because of young females and young males, with older males not far behind.
New Line/Warner Bros had the weekend’s top two films. Holdover He’s Just Not That Into You grabbed 2nd place with $5 million (-50%) Friday and $9.4M Saturday (+91% thanks to a Valentines Day bump) for what was a $19.6M three-day weekend and a $22.4M four-day holiday. And 20th Century Fox’s thriller Taken was in 3rd place with $4.6M Friday and $9M Saturday (+95%) for a $19M three-day weekend and a $21.8M four-day holiday.
I’d been curious how Disney’s Confessions Of A Shopaholic would fare in this lousy economic times. Would females see the film as wish fulfillment or just wishful thinking? What looked to be a sure-fire hit when it was conceived some time ago now looks like a so-so performer. For one thing, it’s the 3rd female-skewed appeal movie released in the last 6 weeks, and it follows by just one week last weekend’s strong No. 1 film, He’s Just Not That Into You. But while that film had a marquee ensemble cast, Shopaholic stars relative unknown Isla Fisher but also director P.J. Hogan (from that hit, My Best Friend’s Wedding). Given the subject matter, this pic was hard to predict. On Friday, it opened only 4th among the Top 10 with $4.4 million from 2,507 dates then fell to 5th on Saturday with $6.4M. It finished the three-day weekend with $15.1M and ended the four-day holiday with $17.8M.
Focus Features’ animated Coraline continues to show the strength of 3-D by jumping into 5th place with $4M Friday and $6.6M Saturday for what was a $14.8M three-day weekend and an $18.8M four-day holiday. Sony’s low-cost runaway hit, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, went over $100M Friday and is in 6th place with an $11M three-day weekend and a $13.7M four-day holiday.
Movie analysts weren’t expecting much for The International from Columbia/Sony. They told me it was aptly named and would under-perform domestically because this Clive Owen thriller with banks as the bad guys had shown only weak interest among older males. So it wasn’t a surprise that The International opened to only $2.6 million Friday and $4.4M Saturday from 2,364 venues and dropped to 7th place. It reached just $9.4M for the three-day weekend and $10.7M four-day holiday.
Here’s the Top 10:
1. Friday the 13th (NL/WB) OPENER [3,105 Theaters] $40.7M Wkd, $43.7M 4-day Holiday
2. HJNTIY (NL/WB) Week 2 [3,175] $19.6M Wkd, $22.4M Hol, Cume $58M
3. Taken (Fox) Week 3 [3,109] $19M Wkd, $21.8M Hol, Cume $80.6MM
4. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Disney) OPENER [2,507] $15.1M Wkd, $17.8M Hol
5. Coraline 3-D (Focus) Week 2 [2,320] $14.8M Wkd, $18.8M Hol, Cume $39M
6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (Sony) Week 5 [2,965] $11M Wkd, $13.7M Hol, Cume $112.5M
7. The International (Sony) OPENER [2,364] $9.4M Wkd, $10.7M Hol
8. The Pink Panther 2 (Sony) Week 2 [3,245] $8.6M Wkd, $10.8M Hol, Cume $24M
9. Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) Week 14 [1,634] $7.3M Wkd, $8.8M Hol, Cume $88M
10. Push (Summit) Week 2 [2,313] $6.9M Wkd, $8M Hol, Cume $20.5M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Is it me or was it just three months or so ago there were articles in various publications tap dancing all over the supposed grave of horror films? How the genre had played itself out, how audiences were not interested in them anymore.
Then along comes UNBORN, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, UNDERWORLD 3 and FRIDAY. Even the least interesting horror title THE UNINVITED performed ok. It had a pretty good hold in it’s second weekend.
All of these films performed well and as was especially the case with FRIDAY, VALENTINE and UNBORN, they featured AWESOME advertising campaigns.
Now it’s time for some hacks to dash of stories about how horror is big again. Until a couple bad films come out that underperform and then they will triumphantly write about the “Death of horror” again. And so the cycle continues.
Seriously folks. Audiences like their genre films. They just want good ones. If there is a quality product backed by solid advertising, it will find it’s audience. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea. May not even be the best example of the genre. But if it delivers and the awareness is high, people will go.
@ Jake:
Coraline boring? Granted, it’s not a little kids’ movie, and it’s not promoted as such. I thought it was brilliant. Maybe you should stick with Space Chimps.
think you’re in the minority on coraline, jake. it’s the best thing i’ve seen in ages. but by all means keep fishing to find a fellow hater…..
None of the movies out right now look like they’re worth seeing in the theater. I wanted to see The International before it got such horrible reviews. But we’re in a recession: I didn’t go to the movies AT ALL in January. I estimate that’s the longest I’ve gone without being in a theater for about 3 years. I’m going broke and need reviews to tell me whether it’s worth cutting into my grocery budget to see a movie.
The reason I am writing, however, is the Transformers 2 trailer. I think it’s important for Michael Bay, Spielberg and Paramount/Dreamworks to know that there’s no way I am going to shell out $12 to see their trailer in a theater so I just watched it on youtube: it was a bad, cell phone recorded upload. This is my first exposure to their multi-million dollar movie. I can’t say from what I saw that I know what’s going on. Seems like a jumble of images and no story. Rushed script?
In these tough economic times, I find it an insult to the fans who have supported these movies that studios want to inflate the opening weekend gross of a movie by attaching a hot trailer and withholding it from the Internet. These sorts of tricks aren’t going to fly right now. This kind of stuff is a slap in the face to the folks who helped make your movies a hit.
SHOPAHOLIC looks idiotic in trailers and marketing, but it got a long, respectful takeout in the NYT Friday… setting it up as a thoughtful treatise on women, commercial culture, and the current shame of debt overload and compaing it to Moll Flanders. So, go figure.
I personally am pleased to see PINK PAN 2 drop off the scope so fast. The first (Martin / Reno) one was physically painful to sit though, and I presume John Cleese’s divorce costs force him into this dreck.
Paul Blart makes $100,000,000. I have no words.
@ mileshigh:
The “Friday” remake was put into production before the MBV was, and the 2/13/09 date was set before filming even started. Lionsgate put MBV into production to get it out before “Friday,” not to mention banking on other half of the Supernatural duo (Jensen Ackles) in the lead role.
Even if Warners/NL pushed the “Friday” remake to March 13, they’d be going against “Watchmen” in its second weekend, plus “The Last House on the Left” remake opening on the same weekend. That’s three R-rated pics in a row — the release date of the “Friday” remake was well-timed IMO.
Wow, that’s huge, although horror films tend have a huge drop off after opening day. Still, it’s huge. It opened a lot bigger than I expected.
$20M 4-day for Shopaholic is pretty optimistic since it only opened at $4.3M.
Rupert P, unless you’re a little girl,UNDERWORLD 3 is not a horror film.
Friday the 13th did absolutely great this weekend. I talked to all 3 theaters today and they were all sold out for Friday the 13th. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, I think that this will not only cushion the drop for Friday the 13th, but it could also stay even or possibly increase a bit. If the latter happens, then we could be looking at a $50M+ 3-Day for Friday the 13th and a possible $58-60M 4-Day! I think that the film has a great shot at $100M+. but if it does pass it, it will probably just barely pass that mark. But Taken has done absolutely incredible. Who would’ve thought that this film would open to $24M (on the Super Bowl weekend, mind you), drop a mere 16% on its 2nd weekend, gross $20M on its 2nd and 3rd weekend gross well over $100M+ and have more than a 4x multiplier in the winter? And Paul Blart: Mall Cop has also done very well. You would’ve been laughed at if someone if you said that this would gross $125M and open to $32M in January of all months. 2009 has been a very exciting and surprising year. The President’s Day could reach $200M! If Friday the 13th can open with $50M+ in February, then I can only imagine what Watchmen, Fast and Furious, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra will open to. And I can only awe at what Summer of 2009 will be like since January and February of this year are this big.
i love that we live in a world where Paul Blart, Slumdog, Taken, and Friday the 13th can ALL make over $100,00,000 at the box office. Is this a great country or what?!?
Clive Owen needs to fire his agent. He’s a good actor but I’m surprised he continued to get work considering he’s never had a hit.
If he were a woman, he would have been toast long ago.
Just back from THE INTERNATIONAL, which was surprisingly enjoyable. Deecently made, if not top-drawer. Worth a look…maybe.
Can’t say the same about SHOPAHOLIC, which was mostly annoying. Jerry Bruckheimer and Chick Flicks do not go together. Isla Fisher is a cutie, but did she have a boob job? She wasn’t that top-heavy (as the NY Times’ Manohla Dargis put it) in WEDDING CRASHERS. And she didn’t seem pregnant. Inquiring minds want to know…
When the original Friday the 13th came out twenty nine years ago I didn’t go see it nor the series. I saw the revamped version. Did u know that Micheal Bey is going to revamp Nightmare of Elm Street with Billy Bob Thortan?
I’m surprised that this site can’t comprehend how a horror film did so well on Valentine’s Day. Every teenager knows that horror movies are a great excuse to play “clutch and grab”.
u are so funny guys. the same happened 30 years ago, f13 was destroyed by critics but became what it’s now, a classic. now the new friday is getting the same path. the movie is great i saw people scared and get some fun. 19$friday+14$saturday+11$sunday+6$monday 50$ its first week-end and it costed only 16$. wow this what i call a businness.
rise up Jason and live again!
Coraline may be all it’s said to be (I haven’t seen it yet) but I suspect there may be another reason for its “success”: it has absolutely no competition. Looking at the top 10 list, I see a couple of chick flicks, a couple of adult comedies, a couple of adult action movies, some adult dramas, and a slasher pic.
On a holiday weekend with families flocking to multiplexes, there is NOTHING ELSE to see but Coraline.
They waited too long to make Shopaholic. I found those books pretty fun (even if the main character, Becky, grated on my nerves at times), but that was then (what, 6 or 7 years ago?).
I would have seen in the movie in 2004 or even 2005, but I have no interest in seeing the movie at this point. And given the economy, I don’t see a lot of people finding it too amusing now. It’s too bad.
Although I’d still go see “Can You Keep A Secret?” if that made it to the big screen
@ Revenge of the Fallen:
You conveniently left out “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” — that’s destined to become one of summer’s biggest hits because of the delay to July and the timing (pushed to the same weekend TDK was the year before). “Wolverine” and TF-2 are the only serious competition for that flick.
And I can’t imagine how this summer will be if mid-winter to early-spring 2009 maintains the upswing in theater admissions.
I always liked horror, but only intelligent horror. I’ve never understood the appeal of slasher films. They sucked in the 80s and they suck today (with the occasional exception like HALLOWEEN). At least the Italian giallo films in the 70s (which slashers are based on) had a mystery plot thrown in.
I mean, I get it – people like sex and violence. But the films aren’t scary. At all. Never were. So I question the brains of people who are hardcore SAW and FRIDAY fans, and keep returning and spending $$$ to see the same dumb thing over and over and over.
Don’t you get bored?
You want a real horror film, watch CURE or something that actually has suspense. I don’t know, maybe I’m old fashioned.
If you just want to see people die, go on the internet and watch the real thing for free. Google “Russians vs. Chechens” watch some footage, THEN tell me you want to watch another slasher film or SAW.
Why no whining about people eating up generic retread Hollywood romantic comedy crap on Valentine’s Day? You bitch about F13 like you’re doing something original but have nothing negative to say about anything else. People enjoy that franchise and enjoy that killer. Nothing is going to change that. And newly-minted, 30-something parents of teens complaining about the Friday movies just like THEIR parents did is only going to help Jason at the box office and with its key demographic.
Point taken redmenace. The Underworld series is more action/fantasy with “horror elements.” Just like the Resident Evil series. I get that. However, how much you want to bet if the film made a total of 15 million dollars and the other films I listed underperformed you wouldn’t have seen articles grouping it in with other horror movies as part of “the death of horror.”
That was my point. Genre films that deliver when well marketed perform well.
is it weird that i had no idea that there was a movie called The International coming out this weekend? Clive Owen and Naomi Watts are good actors… was there no promotion for this film? Or are there just too many movies out right now?
Friday the 13th as a date movie for Valentine’s Day. I love it!
We caught The International last night and thought pretty good. Clive Owen was solid, as was the assassin (I can’t recall where I’ve seen him).
Re Friday 13th, keep in mind it’s Valentines Day weekend. I recall from my late teen days the tip to take your date to a scary flick (I think it was supposed to get the heart rate up and think it was because of you- never worked for me). I saw a lot of young dates in the Friday 13th line.