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‘The Tourist’ Tanks Despite Johnny Depp & Angelina Jolie; ‘Narnia 3D’ Opens Very Weak #1; ‘The Fighter’ & ‘Black Swan’ Strong

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday December 11, 2010 @ 10:21pm PSTTags: Angelina Jolie, Box Office, Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part 1, Johnny Depp, Movies, Tangled Box Office, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Fighter, The Tourist

SUNDAY PM/MONDAY AM - 7TH UPDATE: Did the Midwest blizzards depress box office? Well, not a single studio exec mentioned it to me, and usually they’ll hide behind any excuse… Here are the Top 10 North American movie grosses for Friday and Saturday and Sunday. Both Walden/Fox’s The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader and GK Films’ The Tourist really underperformed domestically. The bright spot were specialty films in an otherwise disappointing weekend. Fox Searchlight’s Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman easily cracked the Top 10 at #6 despite playing in only 90 locations. That $37,024 per screen gross average momentum should help its Oscar chances along with the $31,141 per screen gross average in 19 theaters for The King’s Speech from The Weinstein Co. Paramount/Relativity’s The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale platformed as a knockout this weekend – a big $320K from only 4 theaters – also helping its Academy Awards stock:

1. Chronicles Of Narnia/Voyage Of Dawn Teader 3D (Walden/Fox) NEW [3,555 Theaters]
Friday $8.2M, Saturday $9.5M, Sunday $5.9M, Weekend $23.6M

Fox management will be glad to see 2010 end. Narnia 3 didn’t get much of a Saturday kids matinee bounce domestically. A weekend opening of $40 million would have been a home run for the studio restarting this fantasy franchise. Instead, Fox has only the low end of what it wanted for a 3D film. But “the real story of this movie’s performance may well be the multiple off its opening and not the opening itself,” a Fox exec emailed me Friday. “Word of mouth about a great family film will serve us well as we move into the holidays.” And foreign could save it. Fox tells me Narnia 3 has already done $105M with international, “a very good start”. Its budget of under $150 million, with Walden still the co-financier, is nearly $100M below the second film. Plus Narnia 3 was shot in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK because of tax and currency conversion reasons.

Fox really pulled out all the stops, including a London Royal Premiere in London with the Queen herself. The studio dated this PG threequel the same opening time frame as the first blockbuster film, and Fox took great pains to reestablish ties with the faith-based communities who made the first film such a hit and were ignored by the 2nd film, which was released in summer and promoted with a  lot of battle imagery. To that end, Fox hired Christian PR consultancy Grace Hill Media to reach out to churches, religious radio, faith-based websites, and so on. ”The biggest hurdle was how to resurrect the franchise after the second film left the perception of a failed franchise,” a Fox insider tells me. The Walden franchise had been at Disney, then moved to Fox because of a relationship dating back some years: Elizabeth Gabler at Fox 2000 originally wanted the series and pitched Walden on it before it went to Disney. When it became available again, Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairmen Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos felt the franchise had a lot of life left in it, and Narnia just needed to be re-configured and re-launched.

2. The Tourist (GK Films/Sony) NEW [2,756 Theaters]
Friday $6M, Saturday $6.6M, Sunday $3.8M, Weekend $16.5M

When Angelina says to Johnny in the trailer, “I’m sorry I got you involved in this”, we now know what she meant… Who knew? Not the distributor Sony Pictures which saw a fun sexy PG-13 thriller starring what’s surely the world’s hottest pairing right now and decided it was a big commercial pic that was going to play great during the crowded holiday season. Oops! But The Tourist really struggled on tracking all the way up until Thursday when it saw a jump. “But I think that jump may be more a function of marketing support rather than genuine interest,” a rival studio exec told me Friday. Filmgoers who were predominantly female only gave it a “B” CinemaScore. Said Sony on Sunday, “While the opening was soft, we expect the film to play to a solid holiday multiple and perform substantially stronger overseas where the title rolls out thru the end of the first quarter in 2011.” Indeed, European distributor Studio Canal planned the biggest ever release across Europe because it’s a remake of its own 2005 film, Anthony Zimmer. And during its shoot, The Tourist paralyzed Venice and those parts of Italy where it was filming. (At one point, production was shut down because too many fans showed up trying to get pics.) Talent participated in a worldwide press junket in Paris and the cast and director are currently on a European tour.

GK Films financed the film in association with Spyglass Entertainment and Sony Pictures handled marketing and distribution. It was produced by Graham King and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck who, so the production notes claim, presented his vision of The Tourist to King who took all of 30 minutes to decide to finance and produce the film. English screenwriter Julian Fellowes wrote the original screenplay while American screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie (Valkyrie) and Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor) did the rewrites. The production history of this movie was as convoluted as any thriller. Donnersmarck had previously dropped out of directing The Tourist. At that point Sam Worthington was going to play opposite Jolie. And Worthington only came on board after Tom Cruise dropped out. Cruise was originally going to star opposite Charlize Theron as the Interpol agent. Marketing was aimed at women, so the TV spots were bought during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Barbara Walters/Oprah interview, etc. 

3. Tangled 3D (Disney) Week 3 [3,565 Theaters]
Friday $3.4M, Saturday $6.8M, Sunday $4.2M, Weekend $14.4M, Cume $114.4M

4. Harry Potter/Deathly Hallows, Pt 1 (Warner Bros) Week 4 [3,577 Theaters]
Friday $2.4M, Saturday $3.7M, Sunday $2.3M, Weekend $8.4M, Cume $257.6M

5. Unstoppable (Fox) Week 5 [2,967 Theaters]
Friday $1.1M, Saturday $1.7M, Sunday $810K, Weekend $3.6M, Cume $74.2M

6. Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Week 2 [90 Theaters]
Friday $987K, Saturday $1.3M, Sunday $1M, Weekend $3.3M, Cume $5.5M

7. Burlesque (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 3
Friday $1M, Saturday $1.3M, Sunday $800K, Weekend $3.1M, Cume $32.5M

8. Love And Other Drugs (Fox) Week 3
Friday $1M, Saturday $1.2M, Sunday $720K, Weekend $2.9M, Estimated Cume $27.6M

9. Megamind 3D (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount) Week 7
Friday $554K, Saturday $1.2M, Sunday $780K, Weekend $2.5M, Estimated Cume $140.2M

10. Due Date (Warner Bros) Week 6
Friday $860K, Saturday $1.1M, Sunday $615K, Weekend $2.5M, Cume $94.9M
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The Fighter (Relativity/Paramount) NEW [4 Theaters] 
Weekend $320K

The Kings Speech (The Weinstein Co) Week 3 [19 Theaters]
Weekend $591K, Cume $1.5M

127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Week 6 [416 Theaters]
Weekend $985K, Cume $8.2M

The Tempest (Miramax/Touchstone) NEW [5 Theaters]
Weekend $45K

Waiting For ‘Superman’ (Paramount Vantage) Week 12 [55 Theaters]
Weekend $17K, Cume $6.3M

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Family Pic Feast On Thanksgiving Weekend: Hair No Match For ‘Harry Potter/Hallows’ But ‘Tangled’ Doubles Predictions; ‘Burlesque’, ‘Love/Other Drugs’, ‘Faster’ All Disappoint

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday November 28, 2010 @ 7:02am PSTTags: Box Office, Burlesque, Faster, Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows 1 Box Office, Love and Other Drugs, Movies, Tangled, Tangled 3D, Tangled Box Office, Thanksgiving Box Office, Unstopable, Walt Disney Studios

SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM UPDATE: Sources have given me these Top 10 results with Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday grosses for North America as well as estimated 3-day weekend, 5-day holiday, and cume numbers. The Thanksgiving break is adding up to an overall $255 million moviegoing weekend, the 2nd biggest Thanksgiving ever. (And only -6% down from last year’s record when Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Blind Side, and 2012 led the way.) Out of the gate Wednesday, four movies released — Disney’s Rapunzel retelling toon Tangled 3D, Sony/Screen Gems’ garish musical Burlesque, Fox’s R-rated adult dramedy Love And Other Drugs, and CBS Films’ actioner on the cheap Faster. But none were able to unseat holdover Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 from atop the box office. All three non-family openers started the holiday weekend very slow while Harry Potter and Tangled and DreamWorks Animation holdover Megamind 3D galloped into the lead. After Friday, the race was easily won by HP7A with Tangled surprisingly close behind. Fox’s Unstoppable showed strength three weeks in release after a mediocre start. The rest of the weekend was a humilitainment contest to see which newcomer faded fastest:

1. Harry Potter/Deathly Hallows, Pt 1 (Warner Bros) Week 2 [4,125 Runs]
Wednesday $14.4M, Thursday $11.5M, Friday $20.7M, Saturday $18.7M
3-Day Weekend $50.3M, 5-Day Holiday $78M, Cume $220M

This 7th Harry Potter in the franchise is the best performer on the single best moviegoing day of the year. The big Friday-to-Friday drop is due only to last week’s enormous midnight screenings number that was loaded into the whopping $125.1M opening weekend.

2. Tangled 3D (Disney) NEW [3,603 Runs]
Wednesday $11.8M, Thursday $8.1M, Friday $19.7M, Saturday $18.7M 
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $49.1M, 5-Day Holiday $69M

According to some media, this 50th animated Disney film is the kind of movie that the new regime doesn’t want to make anymore. Which is why a Magic Kingdom denizen warned me in advance “not to buy into that. The Los Angeles Times is beyond idiotic in its death toll on animation as you well know. Though this is not Toy Story and should not be compared to that.” Maybe so, but Tangled really overperformed by doubling Hollywood’s expectations for the 2nd best Thanksgiving weekend opener ever (not adjusted for higher 3D ticket prices). Add the international weekend tally of $13.8M, and that’s a global cume after 5 days of $82.8M. Then again, Disney has done well on previous Thanksgiving weekends (Enchanted, 101 Dalmations, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story), boasting five of the last top six #1 movies during this time slot. This renamed Rapunzel also benefitted most from the Warner Bros decision not to release HP/Deathly Hallows in 3D, allowing Tangled more breathing room on its 2,413 3D screens. And though I and many others took early swipes at new marketing czarina MT Carney, she ensured this “A+” CinemaScore toon wasn’t dismissed as just another Disney fairy tale princess story, taking pains to attract boys by emphasizing the toon’s male hero and making some surprising TV ads aimed at parents. (I especially liked the clever hair growth spot during a recent Saturday Night Live.) Mandy Moore voiced/performed all the songs opposite Zachary Levi and both promoted the heck out of the movie. This was the largest U.S. word-of-mouth screening program for a Disney animated film ever — 250 screenings in 50 U.S. markets over 5 weeks – and the first global junket held at Disneyland. Tangled is already positively impacting other lines of business. Rapunzel and Flynn Rider also made appearances at 17 NBA games, 4 NHL games, 4 NFL games, 1 NCAA football game, etc. Most important to the Disney money machine is that Tangled merchandise is selling very well in advance of the holiday season for the corporation’s Consumer Products division.

3. Megamind 3D (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount) Week 4 [3,401 Runs]
Wednesday $2.6M, Thursday $2M, Friday $5.3M, Saturday $4.9M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $12.8M, 5-Day Holiday $17.5M, Cume $130.4M

4. Burlesque (Screen Gems/Sony) NEW [3,037 Runs]
Wednesday $2.4M, Thursday $2.4M, Friday $4.5M, Saturday $4.6M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $11.8M, 5-Day Holiday $17.2M

Why anybody bothered to make Burlesque or give it such a wide release might be a mystery. Until it’s revealed that Screen Gems chief Clint Culpepper greenlighted his boyfriend’s $55+ million passion project. (Their on-set strife over budget, schedule, and creative decisions resulted in the most expensive film in Screen Gems history, and word is they’re now broken up after 20 years. Awkward.) But novice director Steven Antin deserves at least some credit for bringing back Cher to the big screen: they both dated David Geffen, and the mogul urged Cher to take the role. She hasn’t had a major film since 1999′s Tea With Mussolini and is a bonafide national treasure. But am I the only one who can’t stand Christina Aguilera’s hammy vocal stylings or Steven’s sister Robin Antin “Pussycat Dolls” slutty dance gyrations? No matter. The studio claims this is an event musical made “for women young and old and it offers pure moviegoing fun” for the holidays. Too bad no one showed up in theaters even if the soundtrack opened to #1 on iTunes and is currently #11 overall. Screen Gems did its best to market this clunker by arranging for live performances with Christina on the Dancing With The Stars season finale as well as on the American Music Awards. And for Cher to do her first major interviews in 10 years and have her hand and feet immortalized in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. The studio also did grassroots marketing in the gay community and sponsored pride parades in LA, NY, and San Francisco, as well as Burlesque-themed nights and “Cher-aoke” in gay bars across the country.

5. Unstoppable (Fox) Week 3 [3,183 Runs]
Wednesday $1.9M, Thursday $2.5M, Friday $4.5M, Saturday $4.7M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $11.7M, 5-Day Holiday $16M, Cume $60.7M

At first, Fox film mogul Tom Rothman despaired that yet another of his studio’s movies was struggling this terrible year. But now, perhaps, he can stop bitching and moaning and burying his face in his hands. Though slow off the mark, this old-fashioned Tony Scott-directed thriller derided as “Speed-on-a-train” is testament to the importance of word of mouth and Denzel Washington’s impressive staying power as a box office star. Its opening weekend “A-” CinemaScore helps as well as solidly above-average exit polls across all demographics to give 20th Century Fox reason to still hope for a long run and decent multiple off of a meager $23.5M opening. Audiences have been very balanced by gender and are skewing older.

6. Love And Other Drugs (Fox) NEW [2,455 Runs]
Wednesday $2.1M, Thursday $1.9M, Friday $3.8M, Saturday $3.8M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $9.8M, 5-Day Holiday $14.5M

It’s been decades since Ed Zwick directed a romantic comedy-drama, and that was the now classic About Last Night based on the David Mamet play Sexual Perversity In Chicago. So it’s a shame that a quality adult pic like Love And Other Drugs is having difficulty meeting even modest mid-teens expectations for the 5-day holiday. Based on the non-fiction title Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman written by Jamie Reidy, this pic is underperforming even with the very appealing stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway. (But clearly, after Zodiak and Prince Of Persia, Jake can’t carry a major studio picture.) Though tracking best with women over 25, one roadblock could be its R rating because of a topless actress and a bottomless actor. Though reviewers were only lukewarm about the pic, Hathaway and Gyllenhaal should garner Golden Globe heat in the comedy/musical category (despite some killer dramatic scenes) because those Hollywood Foreign Press Association hacks care mostly about star wattage. But that will come too late to help box office.

7. Faster (CBS Films/Sony) NEW [2,454 Runs]
Wednesday $1.6M, Thursday $1.9M, Friday $3.2M, Saturday $3.4M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $8.7M, 5-Day Holiday $12.2M

Newcomer CBS Films struck out with its first two modestly budgeted films. Now its actioner costing $24 million split with Sony and featuring Dwayne Johnson is another swing and miss at bat after the studio hoped for $15+M. At least the movie division didn’t spend big marketing dollars because Faster was so targeted to the men who make up the CBS TV audience and promoted on shows like the rebooted Hawaii Five-O. Then there are the 29 TV stations, 2nd largest radio outfit, and largest billboard company to exploit as well. So shouldn’t this film have hit it out of the ballpark? ”The biggest problem, honestly, is that The Rock lost his credibility with action fans when he did those family films,” an insider emails me. “It’s hard to be a badass when you’ve put on a tutu in The Tooth Fairy.” Good thing Les Moonves has vowed to be patient.

8. Due Date (Warner Bros) Week 4 [2,455 Runs]
Wednesday $1.3M, Thursday $1.7M, Friday $2.8M, Saturday $2.9M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $7.3M, 5-Day Holiday $10.5M, Cume $85M

9. The Next Three Days (Lionsgate) Week 2 [2,564 Runs]
Wednesday $760K, Thursday $1M, Friday $1.8M, Saturday $2M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $4.8M, 5-Day Holiday $6.5M, Cume $14.5M

10. Morning Glory (Paramount) Week 3 [2,441 Runs]
Wednesday $610K, Thursday $840K, Friday $1.6M, Saturday $1.5M
Estimated 3-Day Weekend $4M, 5-Day Holiday $4.5M, Cume $26.4M

WEDNESDAY 8:45 PM, 2ND UPDATE: Disney sources now tell me Read More »

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