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SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM: If there’s a Christmas-themed movie opening in November, then it’s the official start of the holiday box office. (Hey, no studio waits for Thanksgiving anymore…)
1. Disney’s A Christmas Carol. You know it as Charles Dickens’ novel, but Disney had a problem with title rights, so now it’s their pic. Hollywood predicted the 3-D family film to make at least $35M and possibly $40M this weekend because of its wide release into 3,683 theaters domestically, including 2,035 3-D locations and 181 IMAX screens). But the Jim Carrey starrer (he plays lotsa roles, including all 3 ghosts) directed by Robert Zemeckis (who used the same motion capture technology as Polar Express and Beowulf) made only $31M after opening with an underperforming $8.9 million Friday and a Saturday kiddie bump of $12.9M (+43%) despite the higher ticket prices. Nearly three fourths of the gross came from 3-D, while IMAX made 14.5% of the cume, or $4.5M. It was Bob Zemeckis’ biggest opening 3-day weekend ever. Exit polling showed the audience makeup was 51%/49% under/over age 25, 15% teens, and 47% male/53% female. “Poor reviews coupled with the ‘too dark for kids’ attitude may really be hurting the opening,” a rival studio exec told me Friday night. “Throw that in with the possibility that they just might be a bit too early with the Christmas theme, and you have the possibility of a really lackluster debut for an expensive movie. Mr. Iger will not be happy.”
Overseas, A Christmas Carol opened day-and-date in 18 territories and mostly in 3-D, including UK, Germany, Australia, Mexico, Brazil. Disney is reporting $12 million from the 2,750 international screens. 3D was 62% of the business from 37% of screens. It was No. 1 over the second weekend of Michael Jackson’s This Is It narrowly in the UK and Mexico. Next weekend the film opens in Spain, Japan and Colombia. Disney is comparing the overseas biz to 50% better than Polar Express but that only did $124M internationally total.
2. Michael Jackson’s This Is It has picked up considerable steam worldwide since it’s opening 12 days ago. Sony announced the concert rehearsal footage passed the $100 million mark overseas after just 9 days of screen time. The pic did another $29M overseas gross this weekend for an international cume of $128.6. Domestically, the film has taken in an additional $57.8 million for a worldwide total of $186.4 million after this weekend. Between the Jackson estate, concert promoter AEG, movie theaters, and Sony, that cume has to be split at least 4 ways. On Friday, the pic moved up to 2nd place with $4.1M Friday and $5.7M Saturday (+42%) from 3,481 plays for a domestic weekend of $14M (a better than expected drop of -40% from a week ago).
3. Disagree with me all you want, but I found the trailers for The Men Who Stare At Goats so godawful that they repelled me from seeing the movie which looked like one big inside joke for stars George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, and Jeff Bridges. And it was since it’s directed by Clooney’s producing partner Grant and produced by Clooney and Heslov’s Smokehous (along with BBC Films and Winchester Capital Partners). Lucky for them, it was acquired by Overture for just $5M because the R-rated pic made just $4.6M Friday and $5.4M Saturday (+16%) from 2,443 plays despite the well-known cast. (It might also be a case of bad timing given the Texas military massacre. This isn’t the best weekend to make fun of that institution.) Still, a weekend of $13.3M is disappointing in terms of ticket sales and Clooney’s popularity but looks like gravy on this goat. This is the first of two more holiday movies featuring Clooney: Fantastic Mr. Fox & Up In The Air.
4. Maybe there was an unsatiated appetite for Halloween horror after last weekend’s gazillion movies in the genre. But The Fourth Kind other-worldly thriller, produced by Gold Circle Films and acquired by Universal for distribution in the U.S., came in with $5M Friday from 2,529 runs and $4.8M Saturday (-4M%) for a $12.5M weekend. No one in the box office predicting biz thought much of this first-person verite experience. Like Paranormal Activity from Paramount pic, Uni also waged a big viral marketing campaign on the Internet.
But it performed better than expected, with exit polls showing the audience was 55% male/45% female and 61% under age 25/39% over 25.
5. Even going into its 7th week of release, Paramount’s low budget phenom Paranormal Activity keeps scaring up moviegoers. It made $2.8M Friday and $3.6M Saturday from a wider 2,558 theaters for an $8.6M weekend and a new cume of $97.4M.
6. Why Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, and Frank Langella would waste their star power on this stillborn mess The Box from Media Rights Capital and distributed by Warner Bros is anybody’s guess. Maybe its pedigree from cult favorite Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly? But how embarrassing for them that the horror pic opened to only $3M Friday and $3.2M Saturday from 2,635 dates for just a $7.8M weekend. Ouch!
The rest of the Top 10 were holdovers:
7. Couples Retreat (Universal) Wkd $6.4M [2,857 runs] Cume $95.9M
8. Law Abiding Citizen (Overture) Wkd $6.1 [2,474] Cume $60.8M
9. Where The Wild Things Are (WB) Wkd $4.2M [2,756] Cume $69.2M
10. Astro Boy (Imagi/Summit) Wkd $2.5M [1,918] Cume $15M
Also opening Friday was the Oscar-buzzed Precious: Based On The Novel “Push” By Sapphire. Platforming in 18 theaters in 4 markets — NY, LA, Atlanta, and Chicago — consisting of arthouses and primarily African-American neighborhood venues. I’m told the debut numbers are outstanding because of all the advance publicity — $585K for Friday and $699K Saturday, with a per screen average of $32,500 Friday that was $100,000 after Sunday, for a $1.8M weekend. Starting with its attention-grabbing debut at the Sundance Film Festival last January, this powerful film adapted by Geoffrey Fletcher from a novel about an illiterate black Harlem teen whose father has raped and impregnated her twice was embraced by no less than Tyler Perry, which is why it landed with Lionsgate for distribution, and Oprah Winfrey. Both came on as executive producers, unusual because they had no hand in the actual production of Precious and will be donating all their proceeds to charity, because of their personal experiences with family abuse and dysfunction. The result is they personally brought the film to the Toronto Film Festival and its official premiere at AFI Fest 2009 last Sunday. Also pumping up the film’s profile are the presence of Mo’Nique, Sidibe, and Mariah Carey in the cast. And, covering all its political bases, Lionsgate arranged for George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara to host a Houston screening last Wednesday. Now comes an aggressive campaign for outspoken Lee Daniels’ Best Picture Oscar with Precious expanding to 5 markets next week and wider on November 20th.
Other openers on the specialty side include Hal Holbrook starrer That Evening Sun, which Freestyle opened in one theater in New York, La Danse: Le Ballet de L’Opera de Paris also debuting in a lone venue by Zipporah Films, and the South African thriller Endgame opened by Monterey Media in one New York venue. And Splinterheads opened to a $12,000 per screen average at the Regal Union Square theater in New York. The film will expand on November 13th to Austin and Portland.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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With GOATS bombing, will Clooney distance himself from partner Heslov like he did he former bus-partner Soderbergh? Inquiring minds WANT TO KNOW!!!
I would rather watch again this week’s amazing episode of “Mad Men” than see the shit that’s playing in theaters this weekend. Jesus who gives rat’s ass about goat staring and a 50 year old druggie singer named Michael Jackson. MJ faded away a long time ago people. Get over it.
Love it — Manager Jimmy Miller pushing client Jim Carrey into another dud, meanwhile the guy reps some of the hottest comedy directors in town (Apatow, Roach) and could easily make something happen for JC, but chooses not to.
Right, because when you’re a huge star like Jim Carrey, you get “pushed” into stuff. Mmmhmm.
If there’s still Halloween candy in people’s homes, it’s too early to put candy cane movies into the theaters.
I don’t understand the hate the the title or trailer for The Men Who Stare At Goats. One of my jobs is to gauge reactions for trailers, and that trailer has gotten a lot of laughs. And at least the title isn’t some bland, forgettable one. I don’t know, maybe you have to have a good sense of humour.
http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/happy-holidays-not-for-stars-jim-carreys-george-clooneys-movies-open-soft-friday/#comments
I shouldn’t even get started on another Clooney movie bombing at the box office…but why would anyone expect a George Clooney movie to do well at the box office? He hasn’t had a solo hit since “The Perfect Storm” in 2000. If Brad Pitt isn’t in the movie with Clooney his movies barely register at the box office. I’m really surprised that studios keep wasting money funding his films. If Nicole Kidman is box office poison, then what does that make Clooney? It’s not even like his movies do any better at foreign box offices. Aside from that – regardless of critical acclaim…he’s just playing himself in all of his movies anyway. That’s NOT acting.
Unfortunatley for the movie-going public Clooney’s got 2 more movies opening in the next month, one of which is animated, another is touted as Best Picture of the year by some critics. I don’t know which geniuses at the studios are responsible for scheduling 3 Clooney movies in the space of 6 weeks, but here’a word of advice for them – space them out, please. A little of Clooney goes a long, long way. A lot of Clooney in a short period of time is just WRONG.
Also, if Clooney can’t open an animated movie like Fantastic Mr. Fox or a critical darling like “Up in the Air” by current boy-wonder Jason Reitman, then he needs to call it a day and retire to his Italian villa with his revolving door of working girls and ex-porn stars. Just do movie-goers a favor and spare us the chore of deciding NOT to go see his movies and the eye-rolling ridiculousness of his PR flack using People magazine to whitewash his current floozy’s past. Enough already. ‘kay George?
enough with this clooney bashing. granted, the demographics to which he appeals most aren’t the most likely to go out and buy movies tickets, but it isn’t him as an actor, it’s the projects he chooses. he produces pretty much everything he does, and when he made “good night and good luck” or “solaris” or “o brother” he probably didn’t think they would make $300 million.
he has his italian villa and his style to protect. he would rather be in movie that cements his status rather than pads some exec’s ego.
Perhaps Clooney is trying to make good movies, rather than hit movies. I’d love the rest of Hollywood to take his lead. And many of Clooney’s movies, now, are funded outside the studio system, who aren’t really that interested in making movies, but franchises to sell merchandise.
I’d just be happy if Clooney made entertaining movies…
You forgot about GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. He wasn’t the star, but that movie is his. Not some bloated special effects laden POS but a very well done and thoughtful film. It made money and got nominated. And he put his own money into it. Maybe you should watch more movies and put down the Enquirer.
Limeny Scrooge. Jim Carrey is the most desperate actor in the history of show business.
Fourth Kind is the worst piece of shit I have ever seen. I walked out in 20 minutes and watched the MIchael Jackson movie next door. I would tell you why it is so bad but I can’t bear to relive it. The whole set-up of the movie is inane and undercuts everything that comes after….
When I read this update the first thing I thought about was all the people hyping The Polar Express as a box office flop prematurely. Polar Express with the same style of animation opened to even less money, 23 million, its first weekend. That “slow” pace continued on for many more weeks until Polar Express grew to be a 180million dollar doestic hit, a 300 million dollar worldwide hit, and an instant classic that draws huge tv audiences every Christmas. I don’t think the writing is on the wall for this one yet. Thanksgiving weekend is still quite a few days away. This movie may already be over the 100 million dollar mark by the time the first official big weekend of Christmas box office arrives.
motion capture is creepy.
Always will be.
Let it go.
I actually quite liked “Goats” until the end, which I thought was a let down. There’s a lot of funny stuff in between, though, and Spacey and Clooney clowned it up pretty well. McGregor seems to have existed in the movie solely to act “shocked/befuddled” by the actions of the other characters in order to tell the audience when to laugh, but beyond that, the movie works better than most.
After Cameron Diaz announced the ‘twist’ of “The Box” at Comic Con, I have to say, I knew I’d never see it.
Years ago these movies would have done well but since some of these political actors have chosen to commit hara-kiri by mouthing off their political views, then they should not expect the unwashed masses to support their projects.
You don’t refer to people as stupid conservatives, flyover country, or religious rightwingers and expect them to see anything you put out. These so call actors will never make the connection.
George clooney is box office poison
A Christmas Carol that isn’t Dickens, a poli-sci comedy that isn’t funny, and a young woman’s story of brutal rape and molestation. Yep, sounds like Christmas in Hollywood. Let’s not forget that wonderful image for the animal lovers of goats lined up for slaughter from some douche’s military mind games. I’ll watch the original Miracle on 34th Street for the hundredth time, thank you.
Seriously, if you hate Hollywood so much, what are you doing here?
A “Christmas Carol” that isn’t Dickens?? Did you even see the film? I have a lifelong obsession with Dickens, and this movie, as others have mentioned, is probably the most faithful adaptation that’s ever been done. If you don’t like the movie, fine, but you can’t say it doesn’t have the stamp of Dickens all over it. Believe me, it does. (In fact, for those who say it’s dark and grim, guess what? So was the book! Dickens ain’t all sweetness and light, friends.)
Glad to see Goats disappoint. I’m so tired of Clooney and his politically-motivated trying to get people to think what he thinks garbage. He comes across as a smug, look-at-me I’m great a-hole, just like the trailer for Goats.
The 4th Kind should already be in profit based on how incredibly cheap the movie itself looks. Milla Jovovich should never have been cast as the lead psychologist. She’s not believable at all, mostly because Milla is one of the dumbest people in Hollywood, and that’s saying something.
14.5m for Goats should be considered pretty good. People generally don’t go for political (particularily heavily slanted) movies at the boxoffice. Plus it’s been getting crumby reviews (59% RT) and playing in 100 less theatres than Clooneys critical darling Michael Clayton (which was horrible but got 90% RT) still had a better opening (14m vs 10m) so clearly the marketing department is doing something right.
In terms of DCC it’s opening was almost as early (Nov 10th on a wednesday) and it only took in 30m in its first 5 days and it ended up having a multiple of 6. So I’d say it will get at least 150m by the end of it’s run.
Clooney et. al’s political views have nothing to do with why Goats bombed. In fact, actors’/directors’/whoever’s political views never really have any effect on how a movie performs – if anything, the more controversial, the more people go to see it. Some people really really want to believe that “the country” is somehow punishing actors for political beliefs that don’t match with whatever inevitably extremist position the commentator personally holds, but it just isn’t the case. The fact of the matter is that every studio and/or star-backed Iraq/Afghanistan/Middle East war movie has bombed since 2003, probably because there’s so much bitterness on both sides that nobody wants to think about it anymore. The ones that have been successful are almost uniformly small/no stars. Maybe that makes them feel more real and therefore more acceptable. It’s just not funny to see a $20m movie star pretending to go to war when everybody in America is sick in their stomach over it for one reason or another.
re: The Christmas Carol, I honestly think Jim Carrey’s calendars must all read 1994. That’s the only possible reason – he still thinks it’s 15 years ago. The schtick is over. Time to come up with something new.
I haven’t seen The Fourth Kind and I’m guessing it’s not particularly good, but they’ve been promoting the hell out of it for the last few months. I think that’s the way to go with a no-stars genre picture (sorry Mila Jovovich) … grind it grind it grind it into genre fans so when it comes out they’re very aware that something that scratches their itch is coming out soon. It’s not that it’s horror or that it’s a thriller, it’s that it’s about ALIENS, and there are people who go in for that.
This is the best movie, it should be nominated across the board. THIS IS IT. Monique deserves and Oscar. So does the lead who starred in the movie. It should be nominated for directing and writing. IT IS THE BEST THING OUT.
Geez, can’t someone stage an intervention for Zemeckis already? His obsession with motion-capture is hollowing out his talent big time. (And did anyone who saw BEOWULF really like it? Does anyone who saw BEOWULF even remember it, outside of Angelina Jolie’s dishy avatar?) Back when RZ did ROGER RABBIT, I thought he was going to have the smarts that James Cameron did in realizing that it’s the script, not the FX, that makes the movie. Guess he didn’t.
George is from my hometown and nobody talks about him here at all except to comment on how he relied on his auntie Rosemary’s and daddy Nick’s connections to forge his career. He po-po-me-me-diaper-whines about how he scrambled his way up when all along he had the golden doors opened. Not a peep here about lil’ Georgie that I often wonder if he’s pullin’ a Rocancourt. I recently went to the movies here in fly-over country and the trailer for “Goat” ended with row of young girls giggling how Taylor Hicks looked mad hot.
The number of people who post on this site who are obsessed with actors’ political views is truly astounding.
I think we can thank the political site that now links up to this one.
I would like to thank Tyler Perry and Oprah for their Christmas gift to African Americans.
Oprah and Perry haven’t met a rape and abuse story they didn’t love. In all of Perry’s films lack women are beaten by dark-skinneed black men and saved by light skinned ones. In Color Purple and Beloved Oprah reveled in the “poerty” of women (again, dark women) who overcome abuse.
In Precious we see the same pathetic pattern. All the wretched women are fat, dark and sweaty (Mo’Nique and Sidibe) and their saviors light skinned angels (Mariah Carey, Paula Patton) And as in all Perry and Oprah film, black men are monsters.
The film uses stereotypes and guilt to create a story of triumph. A girl is raped twice by her father who has HIV and has two babies. But in the end, she “overcomes.”
Merry Christmas, America!
ps: I would also like to thank Sandra Bullock in advance for another White-people-adopt-a-magic-Negro movie, The Blind Side.
No Country,
The Blind Side is based on a true story.
Sorry the truth sometimes hurts (and by the way, the book on which it is based will just make you even more angry!)
@NoCountry : You are one of my favorite posters here in Nikki world and I do agree that Tyler Perry’s association with this movie makes one nauseous from jump street. I have heard that ‘Precious’ does follow the pattern you mentioned and m biggest problem is with Mo’Nique…
Mo’Nique, while perhaps a cool person, was abominable and hateful with her ni**a improvs in ‘Soul Plane’–so just because they glued hair on her pits and stained her prosthetic teeth for “Precious’ doesn’t make her a revelation, in my opinion. She sweated Oprah on a Friday’s Live Oprah show a while back, cried and said she’s from Baltimore where Oprah was a news host and Oprah likes her now. Gag!
But, I do have to say that ‘Beloved’ was an amazing movie based on an equally dark, horrifying book and I thought Oprah was very faithfil to Toni Morrison’s material.’The Color Purple’ wasn’t Oprah’s movie, of course, it was more Spielberg and Quincy Jones.
There’s a lot of truth to what you say, but come on, it’s nothing new. Neither Tyler nor Oprah introduced these negative stereotypes. It does bother me that neither one of these wealthy, powerful players has the sense to turn the tables on such character portrayals though. A beautiful, dark-skinned woman who saves an overweight high-yellow girl? When will it happen?
You are a jackass. Oprah and Tyler did not write this movie. It’s based on a book that has been around for a long time.
They are donating their money to rape/abuse charities.
And in Tyler’s case, let’s go over each film one by one to see how your ridiculous “Saved by a light skinned man” theory pans out.
In “Madea’s Family Reunion” Rochelle Aytes wasn’t saved by a light skinned man, she saved herself from Blair Underwood.
In “Daddy’s Little Girls”, I don’t recall Idris Elba (who is darkskinned) being saved by anyone.
In “Why Did I Get Married”, Jill Scott fell for Lamman Rucker who is NOT light skinned.
In “Meet The Browns”, Angela Basett and Rick Fox are damn near the same complexion.
In “Madea Goes To Jail”, Keisha Kight Pulliam gets with Derek Luke in the end and they are virtually the same color.
And finally, in “I Can Do Bad All By Myself”, Taraji Henson falls for a Latino, but he doesn’t save her. She saves herself.
Why the light skinned hate? It’s like an odd reverse form of racism.
Why hate on Tyler Perry? He’s built a brand out of nothing. Maybe if John Singleton stopped making crap like “Baby Boy” and he made a movie a year on a small budget that people wanted to see, there would be more black films to choose from. But all people like John and Spike do is whine and complain while making movies that people don’t want to see. When they were on top they should have used their clout to make their own studio and produce their own films. But no. Spike would rather be at every Knick Game while John is producing racist crap like “Illegal Tender”.
The Tyler Perry hate train is already cliche and tiresome. Don’t like it? Make something of your self the way he did and make your own damn movie.
Tyler, is that you?
Angela Bassett and Rick Fox are the same color? check the settings on your TV, boo.
While NoCountryforBlackMen and B made some strong points, I’m somewhere in the middle.
I just want to see ambition from african american filmmakers, or a different perspective on the black experience.
Not every african-american was born in the inner-city or the South. There are those who were exposed to diversity and would like to see films reflective of that by african american filmmakers.
I just feel we’re in a rut where we’re seeing black people at their worst on screen, (i.e. no good, cheating husbands; abusive mothers, incest, etc.), and that’s, unfortunately, what people pay to see or shower with praise and accolades.
Do we always have to “keep it real”? Where are the black Spielbergs, the ones who will take a flight of fancy and create a black Indiana Jones?
I just believe black filmmakers could stretch out a bit more. There’s an audience out there that’s under-served.
I know, I know, “make your own damn movie”.
How dare you mention Lee and Singleton in the same breath as that hack Tyler Perry? Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Rosewood Boyz In The Hood.
Are you kidding me?
When this assclown can make a film that doesn’t need a paragraph for the title, I’ll believe he’s learned something.
Oh, but I forgot. Tyler makes money. Stepnfetchit was a millionaire, too.
Hm, Nicki, what does Joe Drake have to do with Tyler Perry? Mike Pasernoek brought Tyler Perry to Lionsgate and guided his films to great success. Now Drake gets the credit for bringing Precious to LG? I don’t think so. I bet Tyler Perry doesn’t even know who Joe Drake is and if he does, I bet he doesn’t like him. Joe is a white frat boy of the most obnoxious kind.
i saw precious on friday at a sold out show at the arclight hollywood…days later, i am still replaying scenes…what a marvelous film. STOP talking about the crappy stuff that is out…go see precious.
Lee Daniels. Hands down. They should just wrap it up and give it to him now. HANDS DOWN. A masterpiece.