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Sorry for delays… circumstances out of my control.
SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM: Here are the Top 10 North American grosses for Friday, Saturday, weekend and cume:
1. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Fox) NEW [3,565 Runs]
Friday $7M, Saturday $7.6M, Weekend $19M
Is it possible to make a sequel 23 years later? Only if it’s an iconic original about a still relevant subject featuring a fascinating anti-hero made by a controversial director with a fine cast. The Hustler sequel Color Of Money had a 25 year span and did fine. And for weeks tracking had been strong for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I’ve been obsessed with this from development through casting into production because the 1987 movie was so seminal. After all, that den of thieves is as responsible for our current financial crisis as are the politicians. The question is whether filmgoers are ready to relive pain that hasn’t ended or rewind history skewed by the crazy Oliver Stone. That’s his best-ever opening not adjusted for inflation or theater counts or higher ticket prices, after his 2006 World Trade Center ($18.7M) and his 2004 Alexander ($13.6M).
Hollywood had expected more, and Fox hoped for $22M after lowering expectations for this PG-13 adult-themed economics lesson. (Many newspapers even assigned their business reporters to review it.) I hear the studio’s actual cost on the pic was $65M including a $5M tax rebate, reshoots, and additional editing post-Cannes Film Festival in May. But after a disastrous summer, Fox is relieved. After all, with Michael Douglas braving cancer, nobody was sure how much promo he could do. And with Oliver Stone putting his foot in his mouth (the part-Jewish filmmaker made several apologies after that July newspaper interview where he complained about Jewish influence in U.S. media and foreign policy and Holocaust remembrance), nobody was sure how much promo he should do.
I can’t help wondering how the movie would have differed with Javier Bardem, the first choice for the stock-shorting hedge fund villain played by Josh Brolin. The financial press says the character bears resemblance to JP Morgan head Jamie Dimon. Brolin’s firm is modeled on Goldman Sachs. Frank Langella’s persona according to the NYT is former Bear Stearns CEO Jimmy Cayne but others say it’s the firm’s ex-chairman Alan “Ace” Greenberg. Michael Douglas’ Gordon Gekko was partly Ivan Boesky and partly Michael Milken in the original, but now is a post-prison Nostradamus predicting doom and gloom. The real economist credited with forseeing the economic debacle is Nouriel Roubini who gets a cameo in the sequel. Charlie Sheen was supposed to be young insider trader Denise Levine. His successor Shia LaBeouf is playing Shia as always; when is this kid going to show range? Meanwhile, a long list of Wall Street types offered their help to make sure first Stephen Schiff’s and then 21 and Things We Lost In The Fire screenwriter Allan Loeb’s sequel was accurate, just as the previous generation had done for the great scripter Stanley Weiser and his film school pal Oliver both credited as writers of the original. I’m told theaters around the real Wall Street sold out Friday matinees. But Stone never got the satisfaction of seeing Wall Street 2 released “just when the market’s most volatile,” as he hoped it would be this week. That’s because Fox pushed off the April 23rd release date. Had that not happened, Douglas wouldn’t have been diagnosed yet, Stone wouldn’t have been mouthy about Jews yet, and the stock market wouldn’t have been ticking upward in turnaround yet. The later release does make the sequel more awards-friendly, especially for Michael Douglas in the Best Supporting category. I’m reminded that then Fox chief Barry Diller hated Wall Street and thought his big Oscar film that year was Broadcast News, which arrived with 7 nominations but left empty handed. Whereas Douglas won Best Actor.
2. Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls (Warner Bros) NEW [3,575 Runs]
Friday $4.5M, Saturday $6.9M, Weekend $16.3M
Warner Bros counter-programmed with 3D flying owl warriors and marketed it like a PG-13 Narnia flick. Wanna know why tracking has been lagging for this $100M budget-buster? The title Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole was convoluted, author Kathryn Lasky’s book series isn’t widely known, the voice cast was predominantly Aussie, and Zach Snyder who directed the very violent Watchmen was making his family fare debut. (Yikes, cover those kids’ eyes!) The TV ads never even mention the connection to Animal Logic, the animation studio behind the hit Happy Feet. Sometimes I think studios try to repel audiences. Of its 3,575 theaters, 2,479 were 3D locations, of which 193 are IMAX.
3. The Town (Warner Bros) Week 2 [2,885 Runs]
Friday $5M, Saturday $6.6M, Weekend $16M (-33%), Cume $49.1M
Ben Affleck’s adult crime thriller was in a photo finish for #2 as of late Saturday night because of its impressive hold. Now it’s a solid #3.
4. Easy A (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [2,856 Runs]
Friday $3.6M, Saturday $4.6M, Weekend $10.7M (-40%), Cume $32.8M
This $8M teen pleaser also held impressively.
5. You Again (Disney) NEW [2,548 Runs]
Friday $2.7M, Saturday $3.5M, Weekend $8.3M
Warning: this’ll make that weak opening weekend number “only if the Betty White crowd shows up Sunday for their senior matinee discount”, one studio exec snarked to me. Touchstone’s You Again had a “B+” CinemaScore and, not surprisingly, skewed heavily female (75%) and over age 25 (75%). It’s a moderately priced ($20M) leftover from the Dick Cook regime that was marketed to females with TV spots on summer finales, fall series premieres, and post-Emmy coverage along with sneak peeks on HGTV, TLC, and the CW. With no other fresh comedies in the market, Disney thought it would open given the well-known cast of Kristen Bell, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, and, of course, Betty. But the pic wound up on the low side of expectations.
6. Devil (Universal) Week 2 [2,811 Runs]
Friday $2.1M, Saturday $2.8M, Weekend $6.5M (-47%), Cume $21.7M
More bad news for Universal with no immediate relief in sight. The good news is NBCU chief Jeff Zucker was shitcanned. But is Ron Meyer next?
7. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 3 [2,642 Runs]
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.9M, Cume $52M
It’s now the largest grossing film of the series and holding well here and abroad so there’s room for more grosses. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D took in another $24M this weekend overseas. To date, the film has generated $150.7M internationally and $202M worldwide.
8. Alpha & Omega (Lionsgate) Week 2 [2,625 Runs]
Friday $1M (-53%), Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.7M (-48%), Cume $15.1M
Miniscule releases like this are not going to get shareholder activist/corporate raider Carl Icahn off Lionsgate’s ass.
9. Takers (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 5 [1,413 Runs]
Friday $485K, Saturday $780K, Weekend $1.6M, Cume $54.9M
10. Inception (Warner Bros) Week 11 [907 Runs]
Friday $375K, Saturday $575K, Weekend $1.2M, Cume $287M
It just keeps going and going… Definitely one of the 10 Best Picture nominations given its box office mojo.
For more estimates listed by title, see box office results here...Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Call me cynical… Michael Douglas’unfortunate battle with cancer was heavily cross-promoted with this film and it probably peaked curiosity. The original Wallstreet is a relic of the 1980s and based on recent performance, it certainly wasn’t Mr. Douglas’ or Oliver Stones box office draw. I predict a swift disappearing act.
So you really think the recent economic problems caused by shifty Wall Street people had nothing to do with the public perhaps being interested in seeing another movie about shifty Wall Street people? The original movie succeeded because it reflected its times, and this one found an audience because it attempted to do the same. Whether it has legs is dependent on whether the movie succeeds in its goal like the original, but its opening is based on the attempt to do so. That’s why it is doing better than recent Douglas or Stone pics.
Honestly, in all the many trailers I saw for this film, not once did I see them mention Douglas having cancer. I also doubt there’s that much of an audience that waits to find out which actors are ill and then base their decisions on that alone. That story was on the periphery of this release but it was by no means the driving force that got people in theatre seats. The more immediate real life story is the current economic climate, and that’s likely what piqued moviegoer interest.
The possibility that this could be Michael Douglas’s final film role definitely helped pique audience curiosity … it doesn’t have to be ‘the driving force that got people in theater seats’ to be a contributing factor. And suggesting it is a contributing factor isn’t the same as suggesting that ‘there’s much of an audience that waits to find out which actors are ill and then base their decisions on that alone’. Saying so makes you sound silly.
I thought Shia-in-a-suit added more curiosity factor than Douglas’ situation. His is a red-hot career and seeing him in a mature role such as this is definitely interesting. He is trending very high on twitter and yahoo as we speak.
I doubt the Douglas’ situation added market value. Its a double edged sword that may actually turn people off. For example, I love Douglas, and I’ve seen almost every movie of him especially in the 80s and 90s and would rather remember him that way rather than see what might possibly his “last film”, which itself is a depressing thought, not one that makes people go out to watch a movie.
God help us if this is Michael Douglas’ last film – this was one big hot mess. Shia LeBouef and Carrie Mulligan were so out of their league – should have been subtitled “Shut Up and Let the Big People Talk.” Are we really supposed to boo hoo over Shia’s character when he can only give $30K to his mom? Pedantic, preachy, and didactic, Oliver Stone in this one had all the subtletly of a very special afternoon special. high points were Douglas’ acting and the David Byrne/Brian Eno score. Woefully disappointed; hopefully this is not Michael Douglas’ last movie.
I agree I was shocked at how bad this movie was. Shia and Carrie had no chemistry and the latter frowned and scowled her way through the entire film. Michael Douglas looked old and creaky only Brolin had the luster of the original and the Charlie cameo is hilarious. other than that the film was a bore. Oliver you are losing it, man.
The original post definitely implies that the only reason anyone was curious about Wall Street 2 was because of Douglas’s cancer. He said the first one was “a relic of the 1980s,” meaning he saw no reason for Wall Street 2 to have current relevance. He said that the movie “heavily cross-promoted” Douglas’s cancer, and I’m curious what that refers to because I saw the trailers a hundred times but not once did the promotion make me aware of his cancer. I wasn’t even aware of it personally until just now, but I get that different people see and hear different things, which is what I was pointing out.
The movie succeeded because of its relevance to current events. I question whether the “final film role” element was even “a contributing factor,” considering that it didn’t help Dr. Parnassus among countless others, but the original post dismissed everything else as a contributing factor. I don’t look silly in pointing that out, just read the post.
Jeez and I thought this movie was finding an audience because Shia is a bankable actor and it’s a sequel to a very successful original. Anyway, the film is engaging until about the midpoint and begins to lose steam from there. Definitely falls pretty flat at the end.
@captain obvious – You could be right. At the very least I don’t doubt that those factored in far more than Douglas having cancer.
“So you really think the recent economic problems caused by shifty Wall Street people had nothing to do with the public perhaps being interested in seeing another movie about shifty Wall Street people?”
If they were so interested, they could’ve seen WS2 when it was called “Capitalism: A Love Story”.
The original wasn’t a documentary, so no. People want entertainment that reflects reality more than they want reality presented as entertainment. Otherwise we’d be seeing a documentary about the guy who created Facebook rather than a David Fincher film about him written by Aaron Sorkin. Interest in the subject is the same but the audience is more likely to go to one over another. Likewise, the audience will go see Wall Street 2 with Michael Douglas playing a Wall Street guy over a documentary of Michael Moore talking about Wall Street guys.
You expected them to mention Douglas’ cancer in the trailers?
I’m not the one who claimed they were using his illness to sell the movie, I was pointing out that I didn’t see any allusion to it whatsoever in the promotion of the film. My point had nothing to do with what I “expected,” it had to do with what was actually there.
One strong thing in favor of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”: It’s an honest-to-goodness sequel.
The story isn’t just a re-make of the first plotline, with the number ’2′ added to the title. A lot of folks enjoyed the first “Wall Street” movie. Even if Michael Douglas wasn’t facing his current challenges, I think a lot of people would be interested in seeing a continuation of the story.
The original Wall Street is an iconic, American film. Doesn’t matter why, or whether or not it was worthy to become so – it just is. Like it or not, its dialogue became part of our nomenclature – its characters (namely Gekko) household names. SO – people went to see the sequel on the promise that perhaps magic could strike again. It didn’t. The writing was terrible.
Wow. The writing is terrible? Say it ain’t so! Allan “The Switch” Loeb, Hollywood’s hit-master of the moment, strikes again. Is this guy some exec’s favorite nephew or something? He keeps falling UP.
Watched the original Wall Street on DVD last night, it still holds up as a classic film.
Saw Wall Street 2 today, what a disappointment, and what a tremendous waste of one of the best villains ever created. It had no real plot to speak of. No stakes to care about. And no resolution that was even remotely satisfying.
To quote the original iconic film, Wall Street 2 is just a dog with different fleas.
The Virginity Hit Sony- 700 theatres – $429 per screen- $300,000
So if Sony would have released this in 2,100 theatres it still would not have passed 1 million.
Ouch
Who the hell greenlit the owl movie? Worst preview for a mainstream film that I have seen in at least a decade. “Cute” CGI owls fighting owl-sized wars set to Christian rock. Who wants this?!!!?
While I agree the ads weren’t the greatest. 30 Seconds to Mars is HARDLY Christian rock… lol
30 Seconds to Mars is a Christian rock band?
Does Jared Leto know this?
1) The younger audience who has made this a very successful series of books wants this. I’m a teacher. I work with the target audience. They’re drooling with anticipation.
2) 30 Seconds to Mars isn’t Christian Rock. They have an admittedly small, but extremely fervent following, almost as if they were Christian Rock, but they’re not. It’s an easy mistake to make, but not if you did the slightest research before shooting your mouth off.
3) Personally, I thought the imagery was amazing. I had chills the first time I saw the movie and immediately put it on my own list of Must-See titles. But I’m a sucker for the monomyth, so sue me.
So, to sum up, the target, younger audience wants this. Perhaps fans of 30 Seconds to Mars want this, simply by proxy because of the use of that song. And older fans who like their Campbell want this.
Any more questions?
Legend of the Guardians is a “very successful series” ????
I worked in a B&N bookstore for 8 years, and I NEVER heard of this book once. True, I didn’t work in the kids department, but there were a few times I was asked to recommend “Harry Potter” like books for kids, and this thing NEVER came up on the “cheat sheet” they give us for such things.
My son has been bugging me to see it for two weeks; so I guess the person who greenlit it was thinking about him and not you.
wow, did i hate that trailer. kept seeing it everywhere and it just turned my family off. bit of a miscalculation as to who it was going for. was rooting for betty white as i saw some great trailers for her movie. was going to see it but the reviews made me go see wall street instead which was kinda blah.
Hollywood still seems to think that just because a kids’ book series sells decently, movie-going audiences are going to flock to the adaptation. After Golden Compass, Eragon, Inkheart, Cirque du Freak etc you’d think they’d learn. The only ones that succeed on the big screen (ie Potter, Twilight) are those that have had colossal attention from the MSM first.
On the other hand the visuals for this do look gorgeous. Even better than How To Train Your Dragon IMHO.
The song in the trailer was from 30 Seconds to Mars.
They are not Christian Rock.
The trailer was well done. The visuals looked good. Out of all the CGI Cartoon flicks released so far this year (that aren’t Toy Story 3 or How To Train Your Dragon) this film AT LEAST looked different. It’s getting to the point where all these flicks are looking the same. So at least they tried here.
Hey Warners people. Stop posting nonsense on the board and get back to work learning the movie business.
I love these posts trying to spin this nonsense. Glad to know Jared Leto’s pathetic band isn’t Christian rock. I was really concerned about that. And I’m also thrilled to know that 5 kids were “drolling in anticipation” for this one. They must have been some of the hundreds of kids that showed up for this turkey.
Here’s the things Warners people. The posters on this board saying the ad campaign was terrible and this movie shouldn’t have been greenlit because there wasn’t sufficient interest don’t have to spin. They have scoreboard. A little, 10 mil, underadvertised Disney flick will pull in 12-14 mil opening weekend because the family audience is solid and performs very consistently. That means if you spent 150 mil, advertised like crazy and only got 16 mil you blew it. It isn’t rocket science.
RANGO is going to change the way animated movies are made.
Agreed that Douglas added crazy pr value to wall street. Nice to see the Town hold in there. The owl movie should lose a fortune for WB given it’s production and massive mktg campaign and screen count. You Again will actually eek out a profit for Disney given how little they spent overall and their low screen count.
What’s really unsettling to me is the fact that each member of this peanut gallery takes so much palpable pride in their self-professed knowledge and groundbreaking insight into the film industry. Do you poor guys really spend your Friday nights in lonely silence, impatiently waiting for Nikki to throw us a few digits that are forgotten almost immediately.
None of you know anything about how the film industry really works. Neither do I, but that’s because I don’t really care to find out how the shallow-minded, coke-snorting and perpetually-unsatisfied icons of American sex and wealth justify their $200 million budgets. The only people who know Michael Douglas has cancer are those who watch too much E! News and read Us Weekly. I had no idea before I stumbled upon this farrow.
Yet here we are, with terminally-single keyboard economists and film buffs “informing” the rest of us that the marketing team should really be commended for capitalizing on it. That’s what you have to show for your years of addictive masturbation and obsessive number-crunching? That backward, nonsensical observation? I didn’t mind stuff like this back when people weren’t so pompously self-important, but the sardonic attitude of amateur trackers of both the DH and IMDb variety is what inspires disbelief.
The hilarious/tragic part of all this, however, is your inability to see through the smokescreen. Guardians will be passed over as a “disappointment” when it’s really cancer: $5m Friday, EVEN with tickets costing $12-$15? People piled flak on Polar Express for making so little compared to its budget, but times have changed: CEOs need to stay in power during these turbulent times, and the analysts are being told to spin something positive.
See if you can let this one stay, Nikki. I know you can do it!
Good soapbox speech. However I just talked to a girl who went with her husband to see Wall Street 2. She claimed that supporting Michael Douglas through his cancer was a deciding factor in choosing that movie over others. And yes, she does read People magazine.
“You Again” will eek out a profit? To quote Ochocinco “Child, Please”. I’m guessing it cost 30-35 plus at least 30 of P&A. It’s foreign will be zilch since its premise is US centric. It’ll be lucky to retain half it’s audience next weekend with “Social Network” neutron bombing the land scape. DH is studio shill free zone.
“I’m guessing it cost 30-35 plus at least 30 of P&A?. And you would be dead wrong. You Again had a 20$ million budget and there’s no way the P&A was 30$ million. This movie is exactly where analysts expected it to be. This movie will easily make it’s budget and P&A back in the theaters.
Nope, sorry. How much do you envision the film making? Even if the film only cost $20 million in P&A somehow, it would still need at least $45 million theatrically to break even on total revenue. It will be lucky to get to $25 million. For a loss of $15, but probably $25 million. And that’s a best case scenario.
Of course You Again isn’t going to be an epic disaster from a financial standpoint – it’s no “Pluto Nash” – HOWEVER, I have never seen such crushing, career ending reviews. They really went after the director, writer and star, Kristen Bell – the reviews were almost angry (not almost in most cases), probably because they recognize how badly the actors were used in the film. Kristen Bell seemed poised to be the next rom/com star, but after this and When in Rome, I think it’s back to the ensemble cast for her.
What I don’t understand is why no one in the development/pre-production phase didn’t question that the script made absolutely no sense, and illustrates how many filmmakers mistake “trailer moments” for actual story-telling.
Curtis, Weaver and White will probably emerge unscathed, but Fickman, Bell and Jelline are in trouble.
Well Said, 100% on the money. Trailer moments do not equal a film. At some point you still have to actually show the 90 minutes to an audience and if it blows, it blows. Fickman’s never met a subtle scene he couldn’t destroy.
Michael Douglas deserves another oscar for his Gekko role. He was so charismatic and he effortless slipped back into those shoes again. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
-RnsW
I have a feeling that If I go, I would be going solely for Michael.
The reviews I’ve read have been highly mixed; the only thing that’s consistent are high praise for Douglas and Josh Brolin…and the art direction.
I have been holding out because Oliver Stone is such a looney tunes these days (and that’s coming from someone who greatly admired JFK)
With what’s happening on the real Wallstreet and the 1st film now being a classic, this flick hit the theaters and just the right time. If this one is as good as the first and this year being a disapointing year overall for the film industry, the “OSCAR” buzz should start soon.
WALL STREET 2 Great flick, guys! In fact amazing job. Everything top notch. This movie will be huge. The fall quarter rakes in the most money this film will do huge business. I could go on..Stone’s knowledge(his father was in the banking industry) is exceptional….acting was great….top, top, top… really loved this film. Cancer had no play in Stone’s motives (see CBS Sunday morning) and Douglas’s “cross-promoting” was noble as he shared his battle. Wall Street was a great flick Wall Street 2 is a great flick…go see it!
THE TOWN Another great flick…go see it
My sleeper pick? You Again…I think this chick flick will grab an audience…although I haven’t seen it yet.
Owls gives off a familiar “Golden Compass” vibe. It just doesn’t have the appeal of a fantasy epic like Harry Potter, LOTR, or even Narnia.
Yeah, and this weekend could be the Second Coming of Christ, but I don’t believe it happens soon… Ga’Hoole costs are over 150 million $. You have to sell a lot of Blu-Rays to make it profitable.
I guess Betty White couldnt even save YOU AGAIN..its ashame because the previews actually look pretty funny..
Hold horses Steveo. Not so sure of “success” for You Again. Weak marketing presence should lead to uninspired numbers and fast fade. Secretariat next in line. Even worse marketing. Afraid that major malfunction once top notch Disney machine is moving marketing group one step closer to the gallows. Stay tuned for massive clean sweep and course correction by Disney top brass soon.
Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls cost $100 million to make, so don’t expect it to make back its budget. Who the hell greenlights crap like this anyways?
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps cost around $70 million to make, so it should make back its budget withink the next few weeks.
Easy A continues to be the winner, costing only $8 million to make. Yeah!!
You Again – $20 million to make, so it should make that money back.
From a storytelling POV, Easy A sucks cow balls. Just saying…
Cannot believe anyone would want to see Wall Street 2. I won’t be surprised if it falls to 2nd or 3rd.
Shia LeBouf makes the strongest impression among a collection of talented actors who all turn in fine performances in WS2. His work here probably won’t be enough for him to be immediately taken seriously as an actor, because much like Leo DiCaprio, it will take some time for his haters to come around. This looked like miscasting on paper, even though I’ve generally liked LeBouf in everything I’ve seen, but I’m telling you, he’s a revelation here. It’s not a great film, and for it to be salvaged, this role needed to be capably occupied, which it most assuredly was – and then some.
Unlike Leonardo Dicaprio, Shia has been horrible/annoying/cocky in everything he’s ever been in. It’s not ‘hating’ when someone isn’t a very enjoyable actor and/or has a limited range. The people who ‘hated’ Leo largely did so because of his SUCCESS in Titanic, even though his acting was actually superb in that film (just watched it again recently) and he has done an even more AMAZING job since then of taking more complex, adult, smart roles.
At age 24, Shia hasn’t been in a single memorable role (by memorable, I mean a stand out performance…not whether you can remember one of his movies). By that age Leo had been widely praised for his excellent acting in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, This Boy’s Life, Romeo and Juliet, Marvin’s Room, and Titanic (and what he’s done since is even more wonderful). I’ve NEVER heard anyone praise Shia for his acting. I’m sure his bank account is doing just fine, but to say that ‘people will come around as they did with Leo’ is just silly.
It’s all who you know in Hollywood, and since Shia became a pet project of Steven Speilberg, Shia has done well financially. But like Nikki says, he has no range (or at least hasn’t shown it yet).
Shia LaBouf is a funny guy, at least he was back when he was a kid. Even Stevens? His Freaks and Geeks episode? I’d love to see him work that range as an adult since the super intense thing has a shelf life.
38 bucks I spent last night on tickets for a party of 3 to see this piece of crap film. Screw that, calling it a film is too generous. This is Fox cookie cutter product to its very core. There is not one memorable exchange in the whole piece. Not one. The story is incredibly lame with shoehorned sub plots that reek with Hollywood cliche outcomes that you can see a mile away. Its pretty much Wall Street for dummies. Stone has truly gone soft. A cog in the machine of corporate filmmaking. With the exception of Michael Douglas no one registered. Everything felt forced and phony to the degree where it almost became insufferable to watch. Brolin. Lebouf. Carey Mulligan. Talented actors for sure, but Stone accomplishes the near difficult feat of making them all look like amateurs. Big let down. If you’re a hardcore fan of the original, do yourself a favor and save your money, wait for it on cable. This movie is guaranteed to ruin your day or night.
Wall Street 2 is a terrible movie. Word of mouth will be awful. Charlie Sheen was the best part of the movie and he was in it for two minutes.
Nice to see Wall Street 2 do so well. Very good movie and deserves it
in the 90s a 20M opening weekend was considered a hit. why is this still true 20 years later?
Thank you for saying this.. I just don’t get it.. 20 million is now a hit. I heard that same crap when George Clooney’s The American made less. All I heard was it reached #1; making less then 20 million over 5 days. The the same with the Town less than 25 million and it is a hit. If I recall SALT made 37 million and some called it a failure because it didn’t knock Inception out of the top spot. That movie Easy A made about the same amount as Wall Street. So with names like; STONE, DOUGLAS, LEBOUF, MILLIGAN AND SHEEN PLUS ALL THE OTHER BIG NAMES… this film that was based on a huge hit could not make 30+ million with little competition.
NO people did not go see this because of Michael’s illness which is a sad thing, but his illness was talked about a lot by all the actors during the promotion. Michael has not had much BO success so not surprising that this film couldn’t break that 25 million mark. I don’t care what anyone says this is not a good opening. And the same for The Town and The American. These guys are not pulling in the BO money. The media and such can spin all they want. The women this Summer kicked ass.
your wall street estimate looks too high. it might not cross 20 after word of mouth gets out. is that 8 flops in a row for fox? ouch!
That’s a very impressive hold for The Town. I thought it would drop significantly with Wall Street opening this weekend and competing for a similar audience. But only a 38% decline and close to $50 million after two weeks; if you’re Warners you have to be pleased with those results. I expect The Town to be a strong factor in this year’s award season and I see a Best Picture nomination in it’s future. Strong reviews, good box office, pedigree cast and a studio with a good history of mounting strong campaigns for crime dramas. Good comeback for Affleck after years of mediocrity.
Movies have been so blah this year. Bring on the Oscar bait!
Inception FINALLY falls from the top 10 after over two months. Wow.
Don’t speak too soon my friend.
I spoke too soon!
You have a point. What about Saturday matinees? Could they turn this around?
Warners sure makes you people work late on Saturday.
I think by Saturday at 10PM we all knew the Owl movie was not going to be number one and by Monday when the real figures come out I believe it won’t even be number 2. The trailer was horrible, the posters more than pathetic and while I have not seen the film I think we can pretty much chalk this disaster up to two things already mentioned – 1. Terrible marketing 2. The idiotic idea that all semi-popular books translate to film box office – it’s pretty much the complete reverse with a couple of notable exceptions Potter and Twilight and those are outliers – and number 3. Zack Snyder’s name means pretty much nothing unless he does a panel at Comic Con.
Still think Wall Street 2 was held too long. Nice to see Douglas in form again though.
As for The Town – whoever at Warners is able to have their “studio notes” show up in the movies needs to let go of his fascination with Gladiator’s “In this world or the next.” line. It got rammed into Troy as I recall and now bookends The Town – which is otherwise a fine film minus the ending being a wee bit pat. Nice performances throughout though and well made.
That’s a pretty common historical phrase that’s repeated countless times in the bible, and has been in films (and novels) over and over long before Gladiator.
You can certainly argue it’s a trite, meaningless cliche at this point – but I don’t think it’s really a case of studio notes and Gladiator.
agreed that the new wall street is equally as relevant as its predecessor. the film stands on its own as a commentary on the economic times and is a confident sequel to a successful film. this summer has actually surprised with multiple adult films (like wall street 2 and the town) that don’t talk down to its audience.
The Virginity Hit finishes out of the Top 10, making $105k on 700 screens ($150 per screen). Do we acknowledge this as a massive flop, or pretend it doesn’t matter because the costs were likely very low?
I know I expected a lot better.
I don’t go to see movies that look like they cost less than seven figures in the theater. Virginity Hit, Catfish, Paranormal, etc… if it was shot for pennies, let me see it for pennies, not the same 11 bucks it costs to see a “big” movie (notice I didn’t say “real” movie).
Granted, I won’t see virginity hit at all, but until there’s a sliding scale for super cheap movies, they’re Netflix fodder for me.