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MONDAY AM: Saturday’s Fourth Of July box office was even lower across the board than the studios expected. But the 5-day domestic holiday weekend blasted off with something for everyone: families, fanboys, and adults fed up there’s been almost nothing for them in movie theaters. Fox’s Ice Age 3-D: Dawn of the Dinosaurs opened very promisingly with $13.8 million Wednesday, $11.2M Thursday, $17.1M Friday, and $11.3M Saturday, and $13.1 Sunday from 4,099 venues for a $41.6M 3-day weekend – in a photo finish with Transformers 2. The battle was decided by Monday’s actuals. Rival studios claimed Ice Age 3-D wasn’t tracking well with young boys, and that’s why 20th sneaked it at 330 theaters recently. But Fox said it “added an additional marketing layer prior to the onslaught of TF2“. And the studio was right to pursue that strategy. With the public clearly not tiring of 3-D toons, the threequel should come out on top with a $67.5M 5-day holiday even though Saturday grosses were weak.
Internationally, Ice Age 3-D opened with a humongous $148M from 101 markets. Of a total of 11,652 screens, 3D represented 18% or 2,126 screens, contributing an estimated $51M, or 34% of the total opening. This made for the highest grossing animated film opening weekend ever, the highest grossing 3-D film ever, and the 6th highest grossing opening weekend of all time. The threequel still has not opened in China, Japan, Korea and Italy. With the estimated domestic cume of $67.5M, the global opening weekend gross is an estimated $215M.
The toon stayed neck and neck all weekend with the $42.5M July Fourth weekend and $65M five-day holiday for Paramount’s Tranformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen. The robot sequel took in $10.9 million Wednesday from its still gigantic release into 4,234 dates (-82% from its record-smashing opening day a week ago), and took back the No. 1 title with $11.5M Thursday and $17.9M Friday, only to lose it Saturday with $10.6M but gain it back Sunday with $13.6. So even though the pic has been panned, 
it’s clearly got strong legs. The actioner’s domestic cume is now a huge $300.5M for 12 days and just passed Up and Star Trek to become the highest-grossing pic of 2009. This weekend it scored $55M overseas so that’s over $300.5M from international, and a new worldwide total of a staggering $593.9M.
Despite strong tracking and positive reviews, Universal had been nervous about the debut of Public Enemies because so many adult-oriented pics have failed in recent weeks. (So were exhibitors. According to a report slipped to me by a rival studio, they were disappointed with the story, felt it lacked the promised action, and squirmed when it was too long.) But the well marketed combination of Michael Mann and Johnny Depp is luring adult filmgoers hungry for another original and artistic crime saga which is a rarity in this summer of remakes, reboots and reheated sequels. The expensive gangster pic opened to $8 million Wednesday, $6.7M Thursday, $10.1M Friday, and $6.8M Saturday from 3,334 runs. That’s $26.1M for the July Fourth weekend and $41M for the 5-day holiday (a little more than Uni had projected in order to lower expectations). But you won’t hear audible sighs coming from Black Tower unless Public Enemies shows legs and passes $100M domestic.
Disney’s The Proposal came in #4 with $12.7M this weekend from 3,099 plays and a new cume of $94.2M. In 5th place, Warner Bros’ The Hangover just keeps going on and on and for a $10.4 weekend from 3,070 venues for a new cume of $204.1M. Close for #6, Pixar/Disney’s Up made $6.5M this weekend from 2,656 theaters for a new cume of $264.8M. New Line/Warner Bros’ My Sisters Keeper came in No. 7 and took in $5.2M this weekend from 2,606 runs for a new cume of $25.9M.
Sony’s The Taking Of Pelham 123 was 8th with $2.5M this weekend from 1,908 theaters and cume of $58.4M. Sony’s bomb Year One came in #9 with $2.1M this weekend from 2,240 dates for a $38M cume. And, rounding out the Top 10, Fox’s Night at the Museum 2: Battle Of The Smithsonian earned $2.1M this weekend from 1,419 runs for new cume of $167.7M.
In Week 2 of its llimited release, Summit Entertainment’s well received The Hurt Locker earned received $126,000 this weekend from 9 theaters including NY & LA. It’s cume to date is $365K. The pic expands into 17 more markets on July 10th.
This weekend, total box office looks like $162M, slightly up 1.4% from last year and close to the 2004 record. But, again, the July Fourth drop-off experienced Saturday can’t be exaggerated.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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If only Mann would abandon this digital bulllshit. It worked for Collateral and that’s really about it. PE was a fine movie but, like VICE, looked like it was shot on an iPhone.
I am rooting for Public Enemies to perform well, I absolutely loved it. Although I felt like the film was choppy between the initial break out and the introduction of Marion Cotiallard, I loved it. In this world where movies like Paul Blart and Transformers are the ones that people flock to, I highly respect directors like Michael Mann are able to keep their artistic integrity.
On an unrelated note, I want to talk about James Russo who was the actor who died at the start of Public Enemies. I am not a publicist or anything, but I have followed James for thirty years and I feel that he has not gotten the respect that he has worked for. Give this man some work where it doesn’t involve him dying in the first five minutes.
PUBLIC ENEMIES is a solid film. Not great, but good to very good. I like Mann’s work for the most part (except for MIAMI VICE) but it is amazing what a critic’s darling he can be. Dargis and bloggers like Poland and Wells have all drunk the Kool-Aid. If Mann shot an episode of HOW I MET MY MOTHER, it would be right up there with CITIZEN KANE for those three.
They’re lucky to have Depp as Dillinger. Is there a more popular actor out there right now? Besides Will Smith, I mean. Bale and Cotillard are both fine.
And there’s plenty of good action sequences. People bitching about this seem to be waiting for Optimus Prime to show up.
But yeah, Mike, enough with the digital. It works OK most of the time, but there are those scenes that look like they were shot with my grandfather’s 8mm back in the 60s. Sheesh.
If you think Public Enemies was a bore, you forgot to check your brain at the door. C’mon it’s a summer movie. It’s a gangster movie, what did you expect Oscar material? Public Enemies kickdass LOLRTF. FUPTUDU to all you PE Haterz. PE Rulez the summa.
Wow at Transformers 2 what a great hold $18.1M the estimates are up on showbizdata.com! Its looking for a repeat #1 weekend around $50M for a total of $300M in only 11 days! Looks like word of mouth for this one is nowhere near as bad as some people thought it would be, at this rate $400M is becoming more and more likely!
Saw “Hurt Locker” yesterday and – having seen “Transformers 2″ AND “Public Enemies” – have to say, “HL” is better than both of them put together. Nice to see a tense, intimate, fucked up war film that never once gave us its Hollywood-ized, soap boxing opinion on Iraq itself (unlike “Stop-Loss,” “Valley of Elah,” “Home of the Brave,” etc. – even that snooze of an HBO show, “Generation Kill”), but just laid out a bad-ass, Oscar-worthy thriller. Jeremy Renner = Best Actor, 2009.
I’m glad to see others who don’t like Mann’s use of HD cams. I noticed it right away when I saw the first trailer and thought it looked horrible. What’s he tying to prove by making movies this way?
Oh yeah theres no question Alec that TF2 is on its
way to 400 mil. TF2 is not only performing on the
weekend but its also performing throughout the course
of the week.,14mil mon.,13mil tues.,11mil on wedns. and thursday as well. With TF2 looking strong here
in its second weekend it looks to take a second #1
weekend and if you want to look ahead for that matter
maybe a third weekend considering the lack of
upcoming competition. At this point i dont think 400mil is in question but rather how much over 400 mil
can TF2 make. Good to see a summer movie that was made
to entertain fun for all hasnt been affected by all the
negativity.
Saw Ice Age 3 IT SUCKED. Worse than Monsters v Aliens.
Now that 3D is here we are perverting it for a buck. No story no heart no movie. Only PIXAR keeps it real. From now on all animation must be supported by reviews or word of mouth for me to go.
I agree with “witchfinder” Hurt Locker is great and Renner should not be overlooked. Maybe the first Iraq movie that’s really about war and not some asshole’s personal agenda.
Seeing PE Tomorrow. Don’t let me down Mike!
“Moon” nuff said
PE sucked. So did Ice Age, Terminator Salvation, and most of the big Summer films. UP, Star Trek and Hangover are the only bright spots (of big studio releases).
Public Enemies SUCKED.
Marion C. and Depp had the chemistry of a Idaho potato and a head of lettuce.
So… how does Transformers going from a 201 Million first five days to the 65 Million it this 5 days mean that it has legs. That’s nearly a 70% slide.
And more and more people I talk to still want their money back.
“Moon” was good, but not great. A bit over-hyped. Really liked the first hour, but thought it just kind of ran out of steam. A great “Twilight Zone” episode that would’ve been better at an hour in length.
“The Cove” is another great one, but hard to recommend as it’s so hard to watch.
Marion’s acting is nothing special.
Why is Public Enemies even on the summer schedule? This is not a summer film.
C’mon you dumb-asses at Universal. I know somebody over there has some brains.
I have never been into the Ice Age franchise, but my kids liked the first two – but the third one got a big fat “Meh” from the kids. That’s the only review that matters to me.
Just a side note: two trailers before Ice Age 3 (G-Force and Alvin and the Chipmunks) feature “Sexy” female animals strutting their shapely stuff, as does Ice Age’s (annoying) b-story. I have to ask… Have the furries taken over Hollywood? What’s with the critter porn?
@jnw: what a nonsense. It’s quite obvious that there is a drop, the majority of people already watched Transformers in theaters. If everyone was so disgusted by it as you claim the movie wouldn’t be keep getting so high numbers. Do you work for FOX or WarnerBros, perhaps? Don’t spread lies, please. Only The Dark Knight was faster at reaching $250million in the US, Transformers2 is currently 2nd for that record.
TO:jnw
jnw_get_a_ grip_._._./
i agree that T2 is no indie-comfort-flick nor academy award material, but it is/was alot of fun, and this from someone who saw TDK 3X, Star Trek 2X and PE 1X (AND ENJOYED ALL OF THEM).
how about the big picture in T2 run so far: $591MIL in 10 days. ???
I repeat: $591MIL in 10 days. most movies take 1 to 2 months to even get near that figure.
BTW: Does this really bother you that much to see it do so well?
Why start seeing red cause of a flick? isnt life too short?
cheers and enjoy the summer
Your right JNW perhaps ‘legs’ was a poor choice of
words maybe i should have said ‘sprinting like a cheetah’ straight out the gate like a ‘bat out of hell’
. What difference does it make? Strong legs, weak legs,
legs that buckle under the pressure, its all about the
bottom line. The bottom line for TF2 is 293mil in 12
days. 593mil worldwide. After tomorrow the 6th it will
undoubtedly have 300mil in the bank. Do your friends
really want there money back because these are damn
outstanding numbers? Lets not forget also that the 4th
falling on a saturday hurt all three of these movies
so im sure the numbers would have been better if it
werent for the holiday.
Something kinda of interesting for the TF2 and TDK
movements out there. I was checking all-time box office
numbers..worldwide too and i was noticing that TDK
had only acume 533mil which just so happens to be its
domestic acume also. Correct me if im wrong but that
would mean TDK made ‘zero’ money internationally. Why
is that? Ummmm…if there is anyone out there that
can explain that to me im all ears. Did TDK not open
internationally? That brings me to my next point. If
TDK made only 533mil worldwide as well as domestic and
TF2 has already acume 593mil worldwide.,technically
speaking wouldnt that make TF2 the bigger box office
champ.
Saw Public enemies.
Mike let me down.
Jerky camera, film look popping in and out. It was like a bad reality show on a roller coaster.
NO CHEMISTRY between Depp and the French chick and the story well, I’m still waiting for it. either Dillinger was just a douchebag or they left the story out.
Really Witchfinder?
“Moon” was one of my favorite movies this year. I thought that it actually picked up steam as it progressed. Unlike most movies, I really couldn’t pinpoint where it was going (I went in with close to zero knowledge of the plot) and I thought it kept getting more intriguing, more interesting and more entertaining as it went on. The ending was a little abrupt though.
I love all the Transformers crying and bitching. Its just a movie. These are all JUST movies. The world will not end, If you don’t like it, Don’t see it. It’s not gonna change, The general audience likes it, they keep going back, over and over again to see it. I have seen it 4 times and EACH showing is packed and people LOVED it. There will be a 3rd and who knows, a 4th and if so…So what? We will have the dramatic boring “speak to me” dramas and we will have the dick and fart comedy’s and we will have the shitty Horror and the good horror and YES we will have the mindless over blown garbage, thats the way it has ALWAYS been, I think most people these days think themselves to be smarter than they are and forgot how silly Blockbusters have always been in the past! I’m 32 years old and I friggin LOVED Transformers 2…but you know what, I also Love movies like Heavenly Creatures and The Outsiders..All over the board. Just movies folks, just movies.