Cannes: Another Jewelry Heist? $2.6M Necklace Missing After … 
‘Hangover III’ With Weak $11M Wed/Thurs Kicks … 
Hammond On Cannes: Leo DiCaprio’s Moon Trip Tops … 
Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘Before Midnight’, … 
2012-2013 Season Network Rankings: CBS Sweeps In Final … 
Full 2012-2013 TV Season Series Rankings 
TOLDJA! Paramount Pocketing $190M From Disney For Marvel … 
‘Good Morning America’ Hits 19-Year Viewership … 
MGM Buys ‘Modern Family’ Producer Ben … 
‘Fashion Police’ Writers Chant On Picket Lines: … 
Universal Makes Seven-Figure Deal For ‘The School For … 
Steven Soderbergh Will Interrupt Retirement To Direct And … 
Cannes: EOne Announces Itself As Player In U.S. … 
Will LIN TV Stations Go Dark On Time Warner Cable? 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Modern Family’, ‘Law … 
Hammond On Cannes: Paramount’s ‘Nebraska’ … 
Hot Trailer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Don … 
Hammond On Cannes: A New Day Comes To The Fest As HBO and … 
Cannes: Fleming Reflects And Finds Talented Trio A Breath … 
Hot Trailer: ‘Man Of Steel’ 
CBS Wins Season & Ties Sweep In Demo; ABC Tops Adults … 
FRIDAY PM/SATURDAY AM, 4TH UPDATE: Full analysis later this morning. But overall Thanksgiving holiday weekend moviegoing is looking like $230 million, which is still down -12% from last year. So the North American box office slump continues. Nevertheless, the Friday after T-Day is 
traditionally the biggest moviegoing day of the year, and this one didn’t disappoint. Parents and kids did come back into theaters Friday for some of the new family fare which didn’t speed out of the theatrical gate Wednesday or Thursday. It helped that critics bestowed good reviews and audiences gave great CinemaScores to Disney’s rebooted The Muppets which earned an ‘A’ and Sony Pictures’ Arthur Christmas an ‘A-’. But Summit Entertainment’s holdover Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1 is still the undisputed winner of the holiday weekend derby. Martin Scorsese’s 3D film Hugo scored 97% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoesis and is holding its own considering that it’s playing on 2,000 less screens than all the competition. But it also cost a fortune after going wildly over budget. Meanwhile, The Weinstein Co didn’t provide new numbers yet for platforming its Oscar-buzzed My Week With Marilyn which added 61 markets including Canada for 244 runs Friday. It made $156K Wednesday and $155K Thursday for a projected $2M for the 5-day holiday. The Weinstein Co’s other Academy Awards-touted film The Artist debuted in 4 locations in NY and LA Friday and the only gross reporting was NYC’s Angelika with $14,898. Here’s the Top 10:
1. Twilight Saga’s Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Summit) Week 2 [4,066 Theaters]
Wednesday $12.5M, Thursday $7.8M, Friday $17M (-76%)
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $41M, Est 5-Day Holiday $61.3M, Est Cume $220.3M
2. The Muppets (Disney) NEW [3,440 Theaters]
Wednesday $6.6M, Thursday $5.9M, Friday $13M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $31M, Est 5-Day Holiday $43.5M
3. Happy Feet Two 3D (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,606 Theaters]
Wednesday $3M, Thursday $2M, Friday $5.4M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $13M (-38%), Est 5-Day Holiday $18M, Est Cume $43.4M
4. Arthur Christmas 3D (Sony Pictures) NEW [3,376 Theaters]
Wednesday $2.8M, Thursday $1.8M, Friday $4.8M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $12.2M, Est 5-Day Holiday $16.5M
5. Hugo 3D (Paramount) NEW [1,277 Theaters]
Wednesday $1.6M, Thursday $2.3M, Friday $4.4M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $11M, Est 5-Day Holiday $15M
6. Jack & Jill (Sony) Week 3 [3,438 Theaters]
Wednesday $2.1M, Thursday $1.8M, Friday $4.1M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $10.2M, Est 5-Day Holiday $14M, Est Cume $57.3M
7. Immortals 3D (Relativity) Week 3 [3,120 Theaters]
Wednesday $2.2M, Thursday $1.9M, Friday $3.7M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $9.5M, Est 5-Day Holiday $13.3M, Est Cume $69.4M
8. Puss In Boots 3D (DreamWorks Animation/Par) Week 5 [3,005 Theaters]
Wednesday $2M, Thursday $1.3M, Friday $3.3M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $8.5M, Est 5-Day Holiday $11.5M, Est Cume $136.5M
9. Tower Heist (Universal) Week 4 [2,474 Theaters]
Wednesday $1.4M, Thursday $1.5M, Friday $2.9M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $7M, Est 5-Day Holiday $10M, Est $65.2M
10. The Descendants (Fox Searchlight) Week 2 [390 Theaters]
Wednesday $985K, Thursday $1M, Friday $2.7M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $7M, Est 5-Day Holiday $9M, Est Cume $10.5M
Loading ...
Holy Bombs
Hugo sucks,sucks,and sucks again. All 5 of us decided we would have rather watched a monkey hump a football. Shame you can’t get a refund.
For people who say “…monkey humping a football”, Hugo seems like an odd choice to go see. Maybe Tower Heist is more your speed.
You can, and I did. Went and saw the Muppets instead, like I should have to begin with.
What we knew all along, hopefully the public has finally figured out.
You clowns have been running a game for a long time on people with no talent. To your credit, you made millions, HOWEVER, hopefully, the world will finally see you for the losers that you are, and reject everything you do moving forward.
Memo To Studios: It’s over for Stiller/Sandler. Offer them nothing.
I don’t think Jack & Jill doing 80 instead of the usual hunny puts Sandler in “where are they now?” territory.
Yes, Yes, Yes!! I saw Hugo, and it was HORRIBLE!
Since you appear to be porn experts with similar tastes you should stick to the X rated National Geographic Channel. I understand that next week is Baboon Week, right up your alley.
The five of you should have gone to see Jack and Jill instead, which apparently appeals to those who’d rather watch monkeys hump footballs. Hugo is an exquisitely crafted work of art, that rewards patience, attention, and emotional investment with genuine cinematic magic. It may not be for everyone, but morons get 90% of what usually plays at the multiplex. Leave this one for the rest of us.
Could you be any more condescending? Film like most things in life is a matter of opinion. I went to “Hugo” expecting a film such as you described and instead found a cinematic experience much more in line with taking a sedative. “Casablanca” or “Citizen Kane” it wasn’t. If I began to suffer from chronic insomnia in the future, I will order the blu ray to help alleviate it.
Yeah, um – 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. You would be in the minority on that opinion. The audience I saw it with was ecstatic.
It’s so bad it has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes!
one of my kids liked it, the other didn’t. i myself didn’t. beautiful to look at, but it really dragged. i agree w/ critics who said it was more of a ‘love letter to cinema’ than a ‘kids movie.’ reminded me a bit of ‘Mr. Margoriam’s Wonder Emporium.’ somber, stately, well acted, beautiful to look at, but very little suspense, plot, or understanding of how actual kids see the world (or movies).
I see where you’re going with that, but MR. MAGORIUM’S WONDER EMPORIUM was a terrible, terrible movie. Just awful, and anyone who signed off on that project is suspect.
Hey, look, that feel-good kids’ movie from the director of “The Gangs of New York” isn’t doing too well. Who’d have thunk it?
I have no idea why the “Town” was buzzing about “Hugo”. I haven’t talked to a single person with and without kids that had this movie on their radar. The trailers for it looked soooooo boring. So, there’s plenty of people that aren’t surprised it’s going to flop. Why would any consumer want to spend money on this just because it’s in 3D and it’s from Martin S. Who cares? Waaaaayyy too many movies this year have been OVER-HYPED for no reason at all.
Anyone who cares about film (movies) cares. Martin Scorsese is a legendary filmmaker and anything he does has value despite varying commercial success. He has carried on the history of film and added to it for generations to come. Without filmmakers like him film would descend back to Nickelodeon status. Many would say that it already has.
Let’s not forget that St. Martin also brought us “The Departed,” a crummy remake of a 10-year-old Japanese shoot-em-up with more gore than was spilled in the last three wars. Gag me, with a spoon!
Wow, you’ve hit the trifecta of being a racist, an ignorant, and a moron. The Departed was based on a CHINESE crime drama, but I suppose all those slanty-eyes look the same to you, huh?
From the trailer, I have no idea what HUGO is about. It’s just a series of “It’s Great!” and “Go see it!” quotes from various critics…um, okay…I still have no idea what it’s about. And that’s partly because I’m not interested enough to check. It may be a wonderful movie, but I’ll never know.
this is how you know marketing has become more important than making good films. Now movies have to fit a sound byte and a tweet. So studios make movies for the lowest common denominator and now nobody wants to see the crap they are making. They dug themselves into this hole and its getting deeper. Just look at the comments here. People complain for years about the crap out there and then somebody makes a good movie and now people complain that the trailer and commercials don’t explain it enough?
People have really lost their sense of adventure and wonder going to the movies.
@Ari. Scorsese has done good work and is indispensable to film preservation, and under appreciated endeavor, but c’mon. Just because he’s done some unforgettable work in the 70s — decades ago — doesn’t mean everything he does is of value.
The Departed was merely an obligatory Oscar win; other than that, “Bringing out the Dead?” “Kundon?” The overrated “Shutter Island?” Or worse, the pedestrian “Aviator?”
Every time we lionize Scorsese, we think of GoodFellas and Raging Bull — those are over 20 YEARS AGO.
Hey, it opened in 1200 theaters and will pull $11 million, that’s a very good performance. Putz.
Really? With the amount of money spent on marketing it? Looking at the screen averages, Twilight is on track to do $13,526 per screen. At a $40M weekend, Muppets will do $11,627 per screen. At a $14M weekend, Hugo will do $10,963 per screen. Whichever way the cookie is cut, Hugo is in third place at best. What’s interesting is that although it is in third place for Thursday, the weekend forecast still puts it coming in seventh or eighth overall. That’s not good.
By your own figures, it’s per screen average is comparable to “The Muppets” and not that far from “Twilight”; if it maintained that while being in more theaters it would have made quite a bit more.
Off a $170M budget, that ain’t so hot.
Not for a movie that cost $170 million + to make!
Cant wait to see what Muppets word of mouth does for it
Wow, with that enormous marketing spend and endless publicity/press, it feels like Muppets is really under-performing. Arthur Christmas must have also spent a lot too.
Considering how hard Disney were pushing, this is a dissapointing open for the muppets. Three day is lower than Rio, Rango and even underpreformer Puss in Boots.
I’m assuming that means ‘Wednesday’
Although, the most interesting thing about this weekend’s new movies is how well reviewed they are. It feels like quality could propel them further at the box office – and they’ll all likely play through Christmas.
Maybe – but all three family films this weekend were marketed almost like homework. “See the Muppets, it’s good for you!”
What’s fun about Hugo again? That it’s a “love letter to cinema?” YUCK.
Major fail for Rich Ross this weekend.
Whereas Breaking Dawn is toploaded with vampire sex to lure in the kids–much more effective/simple.
the muppets *is* good for you! 40 is a solid open and the movie is actually pretty great – one i look forward to seeing again and again. in fact i sang a whole song about it this morning. pretty sure that’s what a disney movie is meant to be, so ross hit the nail on the head.
hugo on the other hand, i hear almost nothing but great things but could the trailers be more of a snooze? i’ll catch it in theater for the same reason i saw the crap avatar (crapatar?): it seems like one i’d want to check out the 3d on. but no compelling reason to see it right away.
what the heck is arthur christmas?
that said, it’s a shame these three very well-reviewed movies have to lose to such utter trash.
Don’t trust reviews, dude. I saw Jack & Jill and The Descendents last weekend – one that’s received lukewarm to poor reviews and the other glowing write ups. And you know what? I found Jack to be vastly more entertaining. What Adam and his crew does is grossly underrated and in addition to lsughter provides a look at what makes people tick. The Descendents felt like something I’ve seen ten times before. It’s not awful just “meh.” Jack broke new ground for me.
I haven’t seen Jack & Jill yet, but I have to agree with you on The Descendants. Pretty much a “meh” for me, too. Though Shailene Woodley’s a revelation.
Same reaction I had to a screening of THE ADVENTURES OF TITTIN I saw last week: “Meh”.
“Tittin”? Oh man, I so want to see that film…
It’s TinTin, not Tittin.
But maybe you were talking about a porn you saw
I agree. And it should be Adam Sandler getting the Oscar buzz, not George Clooney. Clooney only plays one character, but Sandler plays two! His performance as “Jill” is nothing short of remarkable.
Adam Sandler and his crew are great people, fathers and family members.
They also make garbage and will leave behind a legacy of shit.
Wow do you have bad taste. Note to self: whatever recommendations Restless Soul has in terms of food, music, clothing, and yes, movies, do the exact opposite.
You brain dead moron.
Took my oldest to see Muppets @ Midnight last night (AMC) Brilliant. The ending is perfect. It’s one of those that 20 years from now, you’ll be glad you own a copy of.
The editor in me is cringing right now.
Oh, a kid’s movie about film preservation, a Christmas movie in November, and a bunch of glorified toddler toys failed to beat breaking dawn? I wonder how that could happen.
Plenty of Christmas movies have opened in November and gone on to long playing time and big bucks. Both The Santa Clause and Elf were early November releases.
Actual good movies opening this weekend with excellent reviews and freakin’ Breaking Dawn wipes the floor with them.
I hate you, humanity.
Ian: They put too many good movies in the same weekend. That’s why.
We have four kids’ movies opening at the same time, so how on earth is any one of them going to dominate? Nonetheless they’re holding down spots 2 through 5, and look for most of them to have long legs.
Humanity is fine…it’s just not willing to take the kids to more than one movie this week.
haha .. Twilight strikes again yea !
The Muppets is frankly a brilliant movie – super smart script that plays much more to adults than the kids. World of mouth is going to bump it higher than $50M – it will play for weeks with minimal drop off. Gen-X parents will be forcing their kids to tag along – see: LK3D. Franchise reborn for the Mouse House.
That’s the point Ian. Humanity needs some love and Breaking dawn is providing it.
Ms. Piggy should have put out a sex tape, or Kermit should have married a Kardashian for a week to get the box office numbers higher.
It’s gonna make its budget back in 5 days. The numbers are fine
But Disney clearly went full-out with the marketing.
For a non-CG kiddie movie to be able to hold its own against a hit vampire movie series, that is an accomplishment.
A “non 3D kiddie movie”? Let’s try “film with a built in fan base and brand”. The film did not open a success, stop kidding yourself. It’s the freaking MUPPETS.
Brett,
The last Muppet movie, Muppets from Space, grossed $16.6 million during its entire run. For the Muppets to open with this number is great.
Miss Piggy is far too classy to make a sex tape, and Kermit is much too smart to leave her for a Kardashian. They’re coming up to 40 years of fame but those money-grubbing vampires (and no, I’m not talking about Twilight) will be lucky if their ‘fame’ lasts 40 months.
I hope Hugo does better than that…
How do you spell disaster…H U G O
Ooof. What a soggy opening for The Muppets. Disney spent a ton on marketing and the film doesn’t open to $50 million in four days. Heads will roll. Don’t expect a sequel. And the buzz continues to curdle for the studio’s $350 million John Carter, a property even more out of touch with young viewers. Who’s even heard of John Carter? I know that my office was trying to remain optimistic about the box office’s downturn of late, but The Muppets’ poo opening really signifies that we’re in trouble. 2012 is going to be rough.
You are kidding, right? The Muppets have never been a smash at the BO. Just a good solid double and this film is more ike a solid triple. It finishes ahead of all films but a Twilight flick which is one of the highest grossing series of all time. It makes 50 mil OW on a budget of 45. How is that anything but a success.
COmpare it to Hugo, which has an announced budget of 120 mil, educated rumors saying it was closer to 150 to 170 mil and it doesn’t open at all. And don’t tell me about it is only on 1200 screens. Those numbers are terrible.
Plus the Muppets are looking at a wide open field over the next three weeks and an A Cinemascore. Fact is, if Disney didn’t have the Dreamworks albatross around it’s neck they’d have mostly successes this year. Would you rather be them or Universal?
The Help wasn’t a success?
And I thought the Fox News made shit up.
Remember how Disney works guys… it’s a consumer products company pretending to be a movie studio… every dime spent pushing THE MUPPETS is reviving a dead merchandizing machine as much as it’s pushing the movie. The MUPPET franchise is alive again and so are the worldwide licenses and toy deals. The relaunch of the brand through this movie has been brilliant. This isn’t easy to do, ask
Warner Bros who hasn’t gotten a kid to buy a Bugs Bunny toy in 15 years!
As far as I know, the Muppets have never been a solid franchise. This is actually a good result for it. In fact, I think it’s getting a bounce from the Oscar hosting thing. I didn’t really think Disney would have the guts to try making another Muppet movie
2012 is going to be great box office. The movie offerings are simply much better than we have had in 2011.
Domestic underperformers Tangled and Tron: Legacy are getting spin-offs next year, I guess for selling enough toys. Those Muppets online shorts should at least continue, if “Bohemian Rhapsody” wasn’t just a fluke.
TANGLED Really? It’s grossed over $200m domestically. But yes, that was an under performer, not an over performer, and it was due to the toys, you’re right…
Considering the last Muppet movie, Muppets from Space, gross $16.6 million during its entire run, this movie is doing just fine.
Now John Carter I agree with you. No way that movie will make back its budget.
Even Miss Piggy wouldn’t stoop so low…don’t I think. Okay she probably would. The only way you would find a Kardashian with Kermit for dinner would be if the Kardashian was eating frog legs! Maybe if Kermit was a vampire and Miss Piggy fell for him, and Fozzie Bear would be a werewolf who…aw…forget it!
A few too many family films coming out on the same day, no? Since they are all good and don’t have competition until the Chipmunks on Dec 16th, I think they all still have some hope. Even at Christmas, Alvin and TinTin are the only family films, so I think these will be around for awhile.
More than bad release scheduling of family films, the studios dropped the ball on putting a well placed adult film out today. With so little adult competition, a Blind Side type film would have cleaned up right about now. Mission: Impossible likely would have done much better if released today than the overly crowded Christmas slate…
Those are very good numbers for the Muppets and it may go higher. Very fun movie that even grumpy critics are enjoying.
As for not taking down Twilight, did you really figure that would happen. I really don’t understand the hate for Twilight. It is a movie for tween girls and their Moms. It pleases it’s fan base and brings in money to the industry. What the heck is wrong with that?
My theater at 3:45 for “The Muppets” was over halfway filled. It was a wonderful movie (and I’m an adult with no kids). I hope it does well! Who would’ve thought that Jason Segel would provide a movie that constitutes and even promotes innocence? I sure hope he decides to do it again!
NOTHING could of beaten Breaking Dawn expect for worse shit like another Transformers, Fast & the Furious or Paranormal Activity movies.
it’s bad for “HUGO”. i hope in holiday end situation will be goodest.
Well, if Hollywood would make movies I want to see, I’d go see em.
1. USA vs Iran. Plot: The USA and Iran go head to head in an allout military conflict, with bloodyminded evil terrorists, too, and great Americans thwarting them. We’re 100% Good, they are 100% Evil. Just like World War II war movies. In the end, we kick their ass. Give me that movie. I’ll pay double. But no, Hollywood won’t give me that movie.
It wouldn’t play well overseas, you know. And Hollywood is so, INTERNATIONAL, you know. Well, OK, that’s their choice. But they should stop their whining, because it IS their choice.
Similarly, other movies I’d love to see, they’re just not making.
Make them yourself, then.
Here’s a movie I would go see. George W. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Palin, Gingrich, and Cain are all arressted for their crimes against humanity. While waiting three years for their trial, they are tortured and work twelve hours a day on a chain gang. Then, they have a one day trial, where they are swiftly convicted, and sentenced to the center of town square where all of the women, children, minorities, and gays whose lives have been destroyed by Republican policies get to take their shots at them. It would no doubt be a smash hit.
One of these movies is much more likely to be made than the other…
Thank you. That was much needed.
some of you goofuses need to remember finishing number 1 is not synonymous with being a hit… tangled preemed last year against harry potter and finished second but was a big hit for disney… it was also up against the twilight crap…
muppets preeming in the 40′s for the 5 day if it happens is awesome… it was a 45 million dollar budget… anything over 100 million is huge… not to mention overseas and most importantly marketing and bringing back a dead franchise…
and it’s ridiculously early to be predicting the whole weekend and this site of often very off it’s early numbers
Tangled was going against Harry Potter, the biggest franchise of all time, not “the twilight crap”.
$45m budget and close to double for P&A.
While I would agree with the Tangled comparison, Tangled also made nearly $12 million on its Wednesday debut. Muppets earned between $6.5-$7. That said, I imagine that, similar to Tangled, Muppets will debut in second place this weekend and then inch up to first next weekend since there are no new releases. That was what happened with Tangled and I imagine it will be the case here as well.
Word of mouth should be very solid on this one. Much like Tangled, I have no idea why Muppets is rated PG. It’s great entertainment for the whole family and quite simply, the most entertaining time I’ve had at a movie this year.
Theirs nothing worth watching this week so I’m not surprised Breaking Dawn pt.1 is going to be number 1 again. Who cares about the muppets even if its getting good reviews. I don’t know anyone of my friends who wants to see that. Hugo looked dumb from the trailers even if its Marty directing.
No, that’s great. Don’t give anything good like The Muppets a chance. Great way to live a life.
You need better friends, perhaps.
He needs better grammar too.
wow Arthur Christmas and Hugo did terrible. shame, they both look great.
Hugo was stunning.
And by Jan 2012, Nikki and her team will be reporting how much of a hit it was since it played well through word of mouth consistently throughout the entire holiday season…
Disagree. Filmmakers seem to like it, but regular civilians find it boring and overlong. Word of mouth from the general public is not great.
I’m not a filmmaker and I liked it. Please don’t speak for the entire population, thanks.
And you sir, are stunningly out of touch. No one cares and it cost $130 million!
Not to mention Scorsese burned through no less than three line producers on this debacle.
Which fired line producer were you…#1 or #2?