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MONDAY PM UPDATE: Sources tell me that Monday’s grosses of $18M for Summit Entertainment’s Eclipse and $13.5M for Pixar/Disney’s Toy Story 3 were “huge”, while the $11.7M for Paramount’s The Last Airbender moved it down to 3rd place for the first time since the M Night Shyamalan pic’s opening day. Sony Pictures’ Grown Ups took in $7.1M Monday, Fox’s Knight And Day $3.8M, and Sony’s Karate Kid $3.1M. (I’ll update all the numbers in the morning.)
MONDAY AM: Here’s the Top 10:
1. Newcomer The Twilight Saga: Eclipse looked like a record-breaker after opening to $68.5M Wednesday from 4,468 dates for a fast start. Then third pic in the franchise, and the best-reviewed, went on to make $24.2M Thursday, $28.6M Friday, $23.9M Saturday, $13.7 Sunday, and an estimated $16.4M Monday. 
So that’s a non-record-breaking $69M for the 3-day weekend, and $82.5M for the 4-day July Fourth Holiday, $162 for the first 5 days, and a total $175.3M for the full 6-day release. No, it didn’t beat New Moon‘s $179M over a Thanksgiving weekend. But don’t forget that Fourth Of July is a dramatically down day for movie attendance. Nor could Eclipse beat Spider-Man 2 which still holds the 6-day July 4th holiday record with $180M. Despite all that, Eclipse made gobs of money, so Summit is ecstatic – especially because the threequel made inroads with males (65% female/35% male) compared to the sequel (only 80%/20%). And it received an “A” Cinemascore. Overseas, comparing it to New Moon is again apples to oranges. New Moon opened day and date internationally, while Eclipse rolls out over the next two weeks because of the World Cup. Nevertheless Eclipse topped the foreign circuit this weekend with $104.6M from 6,951 screens in a relatively contained opening break of 42 territories. Major countries like the UK, France and Germany open in the coming weeks. Worldwide total: $279.6MM. Film’s budget: $68M.
2. Paramount keeps revising newcomer The Last Airbender‘s grosses upwards because of its better-than-expected performance at the domestic box office. M Night Shyamalan’s 3D epic opened to $16M Thursday from 3,169 theaters, including the $3 million from its midnight shows, and added another $16.6M Friday. But Saturday’s take went down to $14.5M and Sunday’s $9.3M because of the usual July 4th downturn. Still, helped by higher 3D ticket prices, the pic based on the Nickelodeon animated TV series debuted to $40.5M for the 3-day weekend, $53.1M for the 4-day holiday and a 5-day cume of $70.5M by end of Monday – much more than Paramount expected.
3. Starting its third week is Pixar/Disney’s Toy Story 3 with $10.5 Friday and $11.3M Saturday and $8.3M Sunday from 4,028 plays. That’s a 3D-aided $30.2M 3-day weekend and a $42.2M for the 4-day holiday weekend. The pic’s cume after 18 days is a whopping $301M, which is the fastest any animated film in history has reached that mark. Internationally, Toy Story 3 made $28.5M in 34 territories representing 37% of the overseas market. Its cume from abroad is $153.2M so the worldwide cume is now $454.3M.
4. Grown Ups (Sony) Week 2 [3,534 Theaters]
Friday $6.8M, Saturday $7.0M, Sunday $5.1M, 3-Day Weekend $19.1M
4-Day Holiday $26.5M, Cume $85M
An expected -53% hold given Adam Sandler’s reliablility at the box office and despite dismal reviews.
5. Knight and Day (Fox) Week 2 [3,104 Theaters]
Friday $3.3M, Saturday $3.9M, Sunday $3.1M, 3-Day Weekend $10.4M
4-Day holiday $14M, Cume $49.3M
A better-than-expected -49% hold demonstrating that this much media-maligned pic is finding an adult audience. But will Fox brass and Tom Cruise be relieved with its $10.2M second weekend out?
6. Karate Kid (Sony) Week 4 [3,109 Theaters]
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $3.1M, Sunday $2.2M, 3-Day Weekend $8.1M
4-Day Holiday $11.5M, Cume $155M
7. The A Team (Fox) Week 4 [2,153 Theaters]
Friday $1.0M, Saturday $1.1M, Sunday $905K, 3-Day Weekend $3.1M
4-Day Holiday $4.2M, Cume $70.3M
8. Get Him To The Greek (Universal) Week [884 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $470K, Sunday $342K, 3-Day Weekend $1.2M
4-Day Holiday $1.6M, Cume $57.9M
9. Shrek Forever After 3D (DWA/Par) Week 7 [957 Theaters]
Friday $273KM, Saturday $310K, Sunday $265K, 3-Day Weekend $847K
Est 4-Day Holiday $1.2M, Cume $232.6M
10. Cyrus (Fox Searchlight) Week 3 [77 Theaters]
Friday $240K, Saturday $314K, Sunday $225K, 3-Day Weekend $774K
4-Day Holiday $1.0M, Cume $1.7M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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M. Night peaked at “6th Sense”……its over
Considering “Airbender” is going to make twice what his last three movies did in their opening weekend, I’d highly doubt that.
Those last three movies weren’t padded with 3D ticket prices.
Sixth Sense was one of the best movies of the last 20 years. I thought Shyamalan was a genius. But his many subsequent movies have proven that he’s a guy who made one masterpiece, and a lot of pretentious junk. Oh well…
if AIRBENDER makes $60 million for the 5 day I’ll touch M. NIGHT in his dirty place.
Well, SB, the monstrously bad Last Airbender will gross over $60 million for the 5-day weekend. Now you have to find M. Night Shymalan’s “dirty place.” (Unless you make the lawyerly argument that it had to make exactly $60 million in order for you to be compelled to touch the out-of-touch director.)
I’m tired of people beating up Waterworld!
Airbender is a terrible name. That’s like giving a movie title like
worldervomit guy or Joe Dirt.
Bill looks like ur words are muted… it’s already made 31.5 M and it’s still missing Saturday Sunday and Monday….pretty sures it’s gonna make more than 40M.. hell at the pace it’s going, it might be able to catch up to Eclipse ( considering it’s falling fast…68 to 24 to 28… can anyone say frontloaded?)
Everyone keeps talking about a drop from 68 mil to 24 mil. That is so deceiving because of the 30 mil Eclipse did in midnight showings. In my opinion the real drop was from 38mil to 24mil. And there is no god damn way The Last Airbender is going to catch Eclipse.
Its not that bad of a movie. Have patience when u see a movie. Nice good ending. Its not a masterpiece but good fun summer movie.
I actually liked Airbender. I thought it was fun.
Eclipse was surprising, I knew David Slade 40 Days 40 Nights would make a better picture. I was surprised when (Spoiler) they showed Edward totally ripping off the neck of Victoria. He also got rid of the Vampires sparkeling. It was a good effort and I think he finally brought some life to the series.
Hate to disappoint you fanboy but Edward ripping off the head of Victoria was straight out of the books and Edward was still sparkling and making out with a 17-year old girl in the meadow the next day. And yes, he is still a vegetarian vampire. David Slade didn’t deviate from the books. If anything Slade didn’t show the true bloody scenes. Eclipse the book was bloodier and darker than the other 2 books. The other directors followed the books too.
Would people stop throwing the word “Fanboy” around. The property is not well known and the film was marketed as a kids movie. The real fans of the original are pissed as the film is nothing like the cartoon. But again, this isn’t a “Fanboy” movie. It is a total kid flick. That’s why it is still making money despite terrible reviews. Kids are still going to see it.
So nice to see “Grown Ups” not up there.
Knight and Day is doing horribly bad business. After this weekend, the movie is done. It cost 150 million when you add in the cost for marketing and isn’t even at 50 million in two weekends. Put a fork in it, it’s done.
47% drop on Knight & Day is better than expected? You friends with the director or something? That’s horrible. It won’t sniff 100 million. Or 90. Maybe 80. It’s a bomb.
So much for the Last Airbender is gonna flop rant(LOL). When are some people gonna realize internet WOM is NOT the equivalent of WOM on the street. I’ve already talked to two guys here at work that said it was AMAZING and definitely worth seeing in 3D. Silly ranters, tricks are for kids! And mainstream America(normal people) don’t listen to a word movie reviewers say anymore. They lie so much, they’re not worth the title of movie critics. Thus, movie reviewers is apt. If I werre Paramount Studios, I’d send the two major movie reviewers two pennies to let them know how much their opinion is worth in America these days.
Bullshit. It’s still gonna bomb. It’s just going to be rigged with a better-than-expected opening weekend.
Well if there’s one correct thing said in there, it’s that reviews don’t matter. Which they don’t unless it’s a drama and studios don’t make those anymore. That being said, anyone who thinks Airbender is “AMAZING” is either getting paid or should sterilize themselves immediately. And we wonder why the world is eating our lunch these days.
I don’t understand how Knight and Day with a 117 budget plus marketing, with 47m estimated in a holiday weekend is a relieved for Fox and Cruise?
How is $47 million and 5th place for a Tom Cruise movie in the second week a good thing? My grandmother could do $47 million total by the second week and she’s dead.
Well dig her up, then! I understand Hollywood is looking for a woman who can open a movie.
I really can’t believe The Last Airbender is doing so well. I saw it at a preview on Wednesday night. What deal with the devil did M. Night make? Looks like we’ll be getting those two other movies after all
Wait, this is not good news…
It`s an easy math, really. Airbender is a short movie so they play it more times than something that runs over 2 hours. Plus inflated 3D price. Plus goodwill from Karate Kid, another movie with martial arts kids (it helps to have a similar, well-received predecessor, just like crappy similar movie hinders the subsequent one – see the effect of The KIllers on Knight&Day and The Losers on A Team – similar movies conceptually, neither particulary good, neither successful). Plus target audience (kids) who really don`t need in-depth character psychology in between action sequences. It`s a bad movie but very straightforward and understandable to kids because of the exposition that bothers adults and teens. Kids love it that everything is explained to them. I see why it`s playing well with this target group and not with other.
According to armchair online economists, the attendance records set by classic films of old could never be broken today, but I don’t quite follow the logic… did people go see Jurassic Park because it had a Shakespearean screenplay or because the special effects were groundbreaking? That’s funny… didn’t we have the same idea when we spent $749M on Avatar tickets? Or when we watch “mindless action films” like Transformers?
There are more people in the world today than there were circa 1993, so why isn’t it easier to reach those attendance figures? We have better technology now than we did when Spielberg shot JP, so why isn’t it easier to lure them in? The problem is, it’s just way too expensive.
Studios need to stop worrying about what’s going to be said in the weekend briefing and start thinking about the long-term. If tickets were $6 for a matinee and $8 evening, I would definitely be going to the movies more often. It would definitely ease the pain of having to take a girl to Twilight!
Step two: Abolish 3-D. Nothing positive has resulted since its inception in the mainstream, and now we’re being forced to take it or leave it… my theater is only carrying the 3-D versions of Toy Story and Last Airbender. My girlfriend and I really want to see Despicable Me, but if there’s no 2-D version, we can’t afford it. The two of us don’t make a difference to Sony’s statement, but look at the bigger picture.
While you’re at it, would you mind cutting concession prices down to something reasonable? “The snack bar is the theater’s only way of making a profit!” A) That’s clearly a lie. B) No one believes it anyway. Wendy’s sells soda cheaper than it is at Wal-Mart, so what’s Regal’s problem? Find a better supplier than Boston Culinary Group and move on.
Maybe then we could talk about hiring good writers and directors…
Actually concessions IS the only way a theatre makes money… Especially with the rise in piracy. Wendy’s isn’t the same as a movie theatre. The ticket prices are so high so Hollywood can pay the actors and actresses, a movie theatre makes ZERO dollars from box office and therefore pays it’s staff, maintenance, rent, and useless lawsuits like (I cut my finger in the lobby).
They have to make their money somewhere and as long as people are paying for the products they will continue to sell them at the prices they do. Besides no one will ever be happy with the concession prices 7 years ago I heard nothign but complaints about having to pay 10.36 for a lrg drink, lrg popcorn and a small candy. For that same combo now your looking at 16.78. Get over it, prices change with the dollar.
Its not a lie it’s actually true. Hollywood gets the millions that go to box office. Hard to believe? Look at the lifestyles of which they live.
Best ways to lower prices in the cinema is to stop taping films and pirating them, stop VANDALIZING the amount of money that goes to this is unbelievable, stop stealing product and stop suing over retarded reasons.
“Jurassic Park” is not exactly a “classic movie of old,” but the answer to your question doesn’t have to do with population; it has to do with movie distribution and marketing.
Movies used to have longer shelf-lives in the marketplace. Look at what percentage of the total gross is represented by the opening weekend. The smaller the number, the longer the movie’s legs. “JP” had a great opening weekend that represented only 13% of the final gross. In later years, those percentages would climb: 25% and even more. The opening weekend gross of “Iron Man 2″ was about 41% of the final gross. 41% of the movie’s $308 million-gross was earned in the first *three days.*
I think the consequence of this is sad: theaters burn through the movies so quickly, and as a consequence, so do our imaginations. They just don’t linger in the public consciousness in that fun way they used to. Is anyone even *thinking* about “Iron Man 2″ anymore? And it’s not like two months is *that* long.
I remember driving past the Sony lot, and seeing a giant piece of advertising for “Spider-Man 3.” I got excited, thinking “I have to see that!” Then I remembered: I already had. Five or six weeks earlier. And it was gone.
Can’t wait to see LAST AIRBENDER!!!!!
PS A-TEAM was tha shit! Make a sequel!!!!!
I second “The A-Team” love. It was a fun movie. Nothing more. Nothing less. The hate for it was utterly ridiculous.
On Friday afternoon, my two teenagers and I went to see Toy Story 3 (again!). We went to a 2D showing and the theater was packed with families and young children, as well as teens and adults. Lots of applause at the end.
Toy Story 3 is gonna hang on for quite a while.
Airbender was terrible. I’m watching the animated version right now and it’s a thousand times better.
I’m almost embarrassed to admit it but Eclipse was a much more enjoyable movie experience. At least it seemed to have a sense of humor about itself. Airbender was joyless and the “3D” was pointless and laughable.
To which “6-day holiday” are you referring? This is what we’re calling a holiday “weekend” now? Pretty soon it will be, “…the BIGGEST October release ever (which will include early box office from the last two weeks of September, plus the first week of November – because it fell on a weekend).
This is like 2011 model year cars coming out in March of 2010. Totally bogus BS-spun numbers.
The internet mob is completely out of control re: Airbender and since pop culture cannot exist without taking its cues from the internet anymore this one is set in prevailing wisdom stone. Too bad because the movie isn’t nearly that bad, even if it isn’t great.
How is Grown Ups making so much money? Except for Sandler and James, the rest of the talent are talentless.
Sigh. I want to go to the movies. Too bad there really isn’t anything worth seeing. I already saw Toy Story 3…
See it again, that’s what I did.
Well said, Jose….maybe I will.
“Fox brass and Tom Cruise will be relieved…” Yeah, they’re tied for the holiday weekend with “Karate Kid,” which has been out for four weeks. I’m sure that’s a tremendous relief for everyone involved.
M. Night’s last three movies: The Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender.
They all STUNK. Since this guy DOESN’T have to make any more movies, maybe he really SHOULDN’T.