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SUNDAY AM, 5TH UPDATE: This is traditionally such a terrible box 
office Friday through Sunday that Hollywood skeds only low-profile movies. It’s official: the fall film season started with a whimper. It’s the worst grossing weekend of the year and this is also the worst grossing weekend in years. It looks like the entire North American box office might barely add up to $70 million, which is down 13% from last year. The weekend of September 5, 2008 was the last time no films grossed over $10 million. Ouch!
2016 Obama’s America grossed $26.1M by end of today (give or 
take some bucks) and passed 4 of Michael Moore’s five political documentaries to become the #2 all-time biggest. Only Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, his highly critical examination of the first term of President George W Bush, retains the #1 position with $119.1M. It’s extremely unlikely that 2016 Obama’s America will make even half that. But it now has made more money (not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices) than Moore’s Sicko (2007 – $24.5M), Oscar-winner Bowling For Columbine (2002 – $21.5M), and Capitalism: A Love Story (2009 – $14.3M).
Related: Anti-Obama Pic Now Bigger Than 3 Michael Moore Movies
Related: Summer 2012 Ends Weak
Lionsgate has the #1 movie for the 4th weekend in a row – The Possession with an asterisk because its $9.3M grosses are so low.
Among wider release newcomers, CBS Films’ Sundance pickup The Words (2,801 theaters) came behind #2 Lawless from The Weinstein Co and #3 The Expendables 2 from Millenium/Lionsgate with only $4.7M for the weekend. That’s less than the studio’s very 
modest expectations and tracking for this drama masquerading as an art house pic. It cost only $6M to make (the whole production was shot in 25 days in Montreal), and CBS Films spent just $2M for U.S. only for this pic written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal. Meanwhile Hollywood has to start asking itself whether one-time People Sexiest Man Alive, Bradley Cooper, really is a draw for female moviegoers. (I think he does better in bromance movies like The Hangover and Limitless and The A Team. And he shows his acting chops in the upcoming The Place Beyond The Pines and Silver Linings Playbook.) CBS Films spent a very conservative amount to market The Words to only women, and particularly older women. The audience turned out be 58% female, with 78% aged 25+. The film received a ‘B’ Cinemascore. The classy but complex story-within-story-within-story was hard to boil down. But the TV ads focusing on Cooper and Jeremy Irons and barely Zoe Saldana made the storyline seem run-of-the-mill. Why pick this horrid release date? “Because we had limited competition for older females who, though distracted by back to school etc, have no movie targeted at them for several weeks.”
By the way, Warner Bros tells me that The Campaign has been helped to stay in the Top 10 by the recent Republican and Democratic nationa conventions. Clearly moviegoers are starved for comedy.
And the other newcomer, Summit Entertainment’s Bruce Willis-Henry Cavill kidnapping thriller The Cold Light Of Day (1,511 theaters) 
couldn’t even crack $2M or the Top 10. Not even studio execs expected it to do anything but tank. Talk about a minimal marketing effort: I don’t even recall seeing a single ad for what’s yet another Cavill underwhelmer leading up to Man Of Steel. Summit, now part of Lionsgate, moved around the release date after an initial international run in select territories where it also underperformed. Summit claims it had very limited exposure due to: a 50% equity partner, international licensing andpresale agreements, a comparatively low P&A spend, and Spanish production subsidies. Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri from an original script written by Scott Wiper and John Petro, it was produced by Intrepid Pictures’ Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans.
That 267-venue IMAX exclusive run of Paramount’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark was the #2 matinee Friday and made $1.6M by end of Sunday. Not bad for the re-release of a 30-year-old movie. It’s part of the promotional push for the September 18th Blu-ray release of Steven Spielberg’s and George Lucas’ Indiana Jones: The Complete Collection. (Ah, the rich get richer.) I’m surprised the idiocy of The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull‘s ending didn’t sour filmgoers on the entire Indiana Jones franchise.
Here’s the Top Ten based on weekend estimates:
1. The Possession (Lionsgate) Week 2 [2,834 Runs] PG13
Friday $2.8M, Saturday $4.6M, Weekend $9.3M (-47%), Cume $33.1M
2. Lawless (Weinstein Co) Week 2 [3,138 Runs] R
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.7M, Weekend $5.9M (-40%), Cume $23.5M
3 The Expendables 2 (Lionsgate) Week 4 [3,260 Runs] R
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $4.9M, Cume $75.6M
2. The Words (CBS Films) New [2,801 Runs] PG13
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.7M
5. ParaNorman (Focus Features) Week 4 [2,856 Runs] PG
Friday $838K, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.2M, Cume $45.4M
6. The Bourne Legacy (Universal) Week 5 [2,766 Runs] PG13
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.0M, Cume $103.6M
7. Odd Life Of Timothy Green (Disney) Week 4 [2,717 Runs) PG
Friday $872K, Saturday $1.9M, Weekend $3.6M, Cume $43.0M
8. The Campaign (Warner Bros) Week 5 [2,542 Runs] R
Friday $990K, Saturday $1.7M, Weekend $3.3M, Cume $79.3M
9. 2016 Obama’s America (Rocky Mtn) Week 9 [2,017 Runs] PG
Friday $1.0M, Saturday $1.4M, Weekend $3.3M, Cume $26.1M
10. Dark Knight Rises (Legendary/WB) Week 8 [1,987 Runs] PG13
Friday $853K, Saturday $1.7M, Weekend $3.2M, Cume $437.7M
13. Cold Light Of Day (Summit/Lionsgate) NEW [1,511 Runs] PG13
Friday $637K, Saturday $825K, Weekend $1.8M
14. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (Paramount) NEW [267 IMAX] PG
Friday $434K, Saturday $770K, Weekend $1.6, Cume $246.3M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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I think Bradley Cooper is a star. I go to the movie all the time and never saw a trailer or ad for this. Just a poster. People don’t go see movies that aren’t marketed makes them smell a loser, I think. And good for RAIDERS. It’s one of the best movies ever and hope this encourages studios to do this more with these IMAX re-releases. Movies like this are meant to be seen with a crowd and on the big screen.
Bradley Cooper is neither an actor or a star. And The Words is AWFUL.
Amen. Cooper is awful. Entirely on the surface and not a movie star no matter how badly they try and shove him down our throats.
I saw that the writer/directors of THE WORDS got hired for a new project. Good luck, whoever made that call. Complete lack of talent.
I agree on the re-releases. I just saw it and it was great to see it on the screen again.
Instead of IMAX re releases, which dont even fill the entire IMAX screen (even the LieMAX ones.
The studios need to start re embracing traditional theatre wide re releases.
Their are audiences out here for the catalog titles in the studios vault, that would bring in a decent amount of money.
even in todays home video market, ppl still flock to revival house screenings and the few re releases that are done.
I go to the movies all the time too and I was so sick of seeing The Words trailer. I feel like I’ve been seeing it for 3 years now. I kept thinking when is this thing coming out. For the last two weeks, I’ve been seeing a bus with the poster on it every day. So glad it will be out, done and over with.
I think this proves once again that people only go to see the movies they are interested in and not for a particular star any more.
You don’t spend $20 million on tv, outdoor and saturate the media with a movie that you expect to do $5 mill – that’s pure spin. The poster promised a romance, the tv promised a thriller – the marketing was a disaster as the press machine does for cbs what it did for mgm
Just because “Skull” sucked doesn’t mean that the other movies in the franchise somehow suffered. Raiders is still a fantastic film, no matter how terrible the fourth installment in the series was.
A slow weekend to close out the summer is ok, neither of the new films cost much
“But I’m surprised that the sheer idiocy of The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull didn’t sour filmgoers on the entire Indiana Jones franchise.”
Amen sister!
Please, spare me the cynicism. Raiders is meant to be seen on the big screen. I’m delighted it’s doing well. I can only imagine how wonderful it must be for a father to bring his kid to see the remastered film for the first time. I wish more classics got re-released like this. Seeing Jaws in theaters again was a delight. Had it been playing anywhere near me, I would’ve seen Raiders too.
Sometimes I think people forget what seeing a truly great movie in a packed theater is like.
Cavill is a terrible actor and, so far, a big screen dud, with zero presence. Hopefully Zack Snyder can change all that.
Ha! I see what you did there. He was OK in the The Tudors. That counts right?
He was the worst actor on Tudors and generally acknowledged by all as such. He was generous in showing his bare ass though, so he gets bonus points for that.
He was terrible on The Tudors, but you’d be forgiven for not noticing that given Rhys Meyers masterclass in Blue Steel Acting throught the whole pitiful thing. He’s pretty and bland, which makes him perfect for Superman; well, at least a Superman directed by that hack Snyder.
Another bomb from Henry Cavill? I don’t think you can quite compare the box office for Immortals to the one for The Cold Light of Day. I’d call Immortals a modest hit.
Pretty sure ‘Immortals’ was a hit; making 227 million worldwide on a 75 mill budget.
Immortals wasn’t a bomb, no one expected it to top the box office. Cold light of day looked like a Taken rip-off and terrible, so I don’t fault Henry alone.
I want Superman to succeed so much. SO MUCH. Why did they have to pick tofu Cavill?!? This is almost as frustrating as whitebread nothing Finnick.
Re. Crystal Skull:
Almost $800M box office worldwide not including the initial Bluray release AND always high ratings when aired on cable? I’d say not too many people were THAT soured.
Like all the other Indy fans out there, I saw the movie on opening day with huge expectations – and it was TERRIBLE
Sure the movie made money – how could it not with that much pent up demand. But people HATED the movie. And for me it did taint the whole franchise.
Please grow up. A sequel 20 years after the fact isn’t going to retroactively ruin the previous 20 year of enjoying the first 3 movies. You guys are now getting as bad (i.e. pathetic) as the Star Wars nerds. It’s not all in or nothing. Your allowed to not like a film in a series. Just like I don’t like every episode of my favorite TV series or every James Bond movie. How utterly narrow-minded must you be to see Crystal Skull and say “well, now I don’t like Raiders anymore!”
Using your childish logic, I assume there’s not a single band/singer you like? Every band/singer has a few bad songs, so surely they must keep you from enjoying the good ones?
Saw it again on TV recently. Enjoyed it. Sorry.
No need to apologize.
Please, the franchise was tainted when “Temple of Doom” was released. “Crystal Skull” was merely mediocre. The original is the only film worth watching more than once.
There’s no doubting the box office success of CRYSTAL SKULL. But it could have made $50-200 million more if word of mouth had been good. Even if you parse out the fanboys still recovering from the sight of Shia LeBeouf playing Tarzan, there were still thousands of moviegoers who felt the whole thing was just plain “meh”.
And yet another idiot. “thousands” of fictitious moviegoers now agree with you. It made huge money in a time where that’s not an easy thing. Its the 4th film in the franchise. There will be a 5th.
When is making huge money ever easy?
Dude, Crystal Skull sucked. It’s just an awful movie.
This time of year is a good time to catch smaller independendent films. I do plan however on catching Raiders in IMAX which happens to be my all time favorite film. I saw it at least 8 times in the theater when it 1st opened in 1981 & home video hadn’t caught on yet.
When I glanced at the headline, I thought The Words somehow managed to gross $6.5m on Friday alone. CBS Films must be the only studio around to have never released a quality movie. I might see Indiana Jones sometime next week, but I’d rather save my money for some of the art-house films expanding to New Hampshire this month.
Oh, and I have no idea why I bothered, but I actually paid to see Premium Rush last night. I’m not sure I’ll be able to take Joseph Gordon-Levitt seriously in Looper.
Raiders is a classic. What Crystal Skull has to do with that is beyond me. There have been worse movies made and far worse series, so don’t get that particular piece of smack talk.
You can’t judge actors’ box office based on grosses for a movie the studio decided to dump. Bruce Willis is in this, too. There’s been zero promotion aside from a trailer, which I liked. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Indy 4 is the best, just because it got no religion shit in it does not make it bad, or because it got aliens in it. You people are pathetic. Looking forward to Indy 5
I am huge fan of first 3 Indy movies and saw them many times, but I had to turn off Idny 4 DVD off in the middle. It was unwatchable.
You should watch the rest, the ending is awesome!
Oh my god — SO not true. Do you mean the part of the ending when shia swings through the trees with digital monkeys, or the ending where they all shuffle out of the church like a buncha 90 year old geezers?
No and no, the part when they are entering the temple by means of falling down the sand pit and the eerie noises from the tribe and then meeting the alien archeologist and then the whole place falling apart. The two huge wheels/axels colliding, the sound was so good. That sound effect used when the alien archeologist is awakened, damn awesomeness! Indy 4 rules! Bring on Indy 5.
You may not realize it, but the ending of Indy 4 is in fact a complete rip off of the ending of Predator 2. Check it out!
I say they are similar, Predator 2 is so damn underrated, and so is Predators, the third film. They are better than the first Predator.
Exactly why Indiana Jones 4 is my favorite. I like all 4 Indiana Jones movies, the second one is my least favorite. Indiana Jones 5, that I want to get made.
How can “The Words” tank when Hollywood tells us Bradley Cooper is “The Sexiest Man Alive” and THE NEXT BIG THING???
Score another one for the people.
Uh, you forgot Hit And Run. That one flopped big time.
Yeah, it made 6 x it’s budget – - huge flop – - and pretty much everyone who has seen it has liked it.
If he’s so terrible (and I agree) and a dud why would you want you want zack Snyder to be successful in turning him into a star?
It’s bad sign for Superman. Henry Cavill was such a horrible choice for that role. Man is pretty but has zero charisma and presence. I don’t care to read his interviews or see his pictures. He has no life in his eyes when you see him.
And then add that fact that Superman is the most boring superhero ever. He is indestructible. You can’t kill him or even pretend that he can die. He has no other choice for love except Lois Lane. He is stuck with love her in every movie. At least they got rid of Mary Jane in Spider Man. But they can’t throw away Lois. He is fighting Lex Lutor in every movie. I’m sure they will bring Lex somehow even if he wasn’t cast officially.
And we know how it will end. Superman will hide his true identity from Lois. Or she will know. Then he will fight some bad guys. Of course he will win because you can’t kill him. Of course bad guys will get Kryptonite and stuck it in his face. Of course Superman will fall to ground and lie there for like 30 seconds, suffering and all. Of course then he will stand up and defeat bad guy….
At least last movie had Brandon Routh who was very pretty and looked like young Christopher Reeve. But even he couldn’t save that movie from boringness. And now Henry Cavill… Well we have to see the trailer. Movie could get some money out of it’s name like Amazing Spider Man did. But with boring Henry Cavill it might tank.
you had a pretty good argument going until you got to “At least the last movie had Brandon Routh…”
basically, superman is a blank slate. so it doesn’t really matter who plays him. what matters is the story line. –just like batman. christian bale is good in the dark knight films, but the reality is that you only need to cast a dude with good lips and straight teeth.
i think the teaser trailer is great until you get to the bit with superman flying.
Yeah, i don’t really know what to say about “Man Of Steel” yet. I’m hoping it’s great and it does’nt dissapoint, we’ll see come next June.
“just like batman. christian bale is good in the dark knight films, but the reality is that you only need to cast a dude with good lips and straight teeth.”
Dude, or Dudette, you are so, so off. Yeah, there was a period in which the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Ben Affleck were considered for the role of Batman. If you don’t think the actor matters, then you probably deserve a Josh Hartnett superhero vehicle.
Although I don’t like to see movies tank (unless they suck) or HWood not making good $$ every week – the one silver lining I take out of this is that late August/early September is the absolute best time of year to go to movies. Yeah, some of the releases blow. But the movies usually get better by mid-September.
I love going when nobody is in the theater. & I think nobody is in the theater for that 3-4 weeks because:
1) Many of the new releases suck
2) People have movie-going fatigue after going to the movies all summer (even if profits were down this summer)
3) Kids are back in school
It’s always been a great time of year to catch a matinee flick. Haven’t gone in weeks, so I have to get my azz out to the theater.
You should have stopped at your first point. Most of these new releases sucked for the past few weeks. If Avengers opened up this weekend instead of the summer it still would have done huge numbers.
The only movies over the past few weeks that had a good chance to make some big money were Bourne and The Expendables, but even they somewhat underperformed domestically.
However, in the next few weeks and beyond there are a bunch of movies were the quality of movies increases exponentially and people will flock to see them.
Just some of the better quality movies coming out soon
The Master
Taken 2
Wreck it Ralph
Argo
Cloud Atlas
Paranormal Activity 4
Looper (maybe)
Dredd 3D might just be another one of those upcoming quality films as well. I don’t know how good it’s going to be but reviews have been pretty strong so far.
Bradley Cooper is not Star Star. He can be successful in good and interesting for public movies like Limitless and Hangover. When he stars in boring movies then no one will come to see it only for Bradley. As everyone says – Movie Star is dead in Hollywood. Those times are gone when people would come to any movie just to see actor. Like it was with Stallone, Willis, Cruise, Schwarzenegger, Julia Roberts, Costner and other. Now people will come only if trailer and story looks interesting.
Bradley needs to choose his roles very carefully. Apart from Limitless he didn’t star in any interesting movie. He will kill his career as Leading Man if he will continue to star in small movies like Words or Hit and Run. And it’s not like those are the small budget critically accclaimed indies that will be in awards season. They are just B-list movies no one cares about.
THIS.
It’s not just Cooper. Movie stardom is dead. Even someone who seems to burn bright for a couple years (like Channing Tatum right now) can’t open just any movie. The movie itself has to have something that bring people in. Stardom has been diluted by reality tv and other crap.
I agree and I wonder how long it will take producers to get this? Why is it so difficult to understand – it’s not like the old days, where being a star meant being something special.
ANYONE can be a star now and be on the cover of magazines – look at Kim Kardashion. It’s changed the meaning of stardom. Being a ‘star’ is nothing now.
Producers are going to have to start handing over more power to creative people to tell good stories.
No stars means LESS power to creative people, since producers must now rely only on pre-sold properties. It’s all remakes, board games, cartoon adaptations and the occasional book series. When there were stars to sell movies, producers could take the chance on new material, because the STARS were the pre-sold properties. No stars means taking no chances on new material. So all the idiot creatives celebrating the death of stars just shot themselves in the head.
Shy, Whiz and Anon nailed it. Exactly what they said.
If this RAIDERS release is meant to promote the bluray release next week, then doesn’t that make it an ad? And they’re charging people full price to watch this ad?! With that kind of greed being exhibited by Hollywood, how can anyone not sympathize with pirates?
As far as I can tell no one is being forced to push their hard earned money through the box office window if they don’t want to.
Seriously? I love Raiders, own it on multiple formats and would still pay money to see it in a theater on a big screen. Temple of Doom is great too, and The Last Crusade (the last real Indy movie). Crystal Skull was just junk.
The marketing for The Words was schizophrenic. Originally it looked like a mystery/thriller (like a total rip off of the underseen Cuba Gooding Jr. Movie ‘ A Murder of Crowes ‘) and the next trailer makes it out to be ‘ The Notebook.’
that’s a shame about the cold light of day. the director made a gem of a film a few years ago with jean claude van dame (JCVD).
I didn’t see a single commercial for TCLOD. Summit didn’t even try.
Hey get out your houses and go see the greatest actor and new big thing, Tom Hardy in Lawless, it was a fantastic film.
HA HA HA HA. Lawless is overwrought rubbish that wastes Hardy. Its a Shia LeBouef movie. Now who wants to go?