Tuesday 15 February 2011

U.S Box Office Report - 29th - 31st May 2009

1. Up -  $68.2M - $68.2M
2. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - $25.5M - $105.3M
3. Drag Me to Hell - $16.6M - $16.6M
4. Terminator Salvation - $16.1M - $90.7M
5. Star Trek - $12.8M - $209.5M
6. Angels and Demons - $11.2M - $104.8M
7. Dance Flick -  $4.9M - $19.2M
8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $3.9M - $170.9M
9. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - $1.9M - $50M
10. Obsessed - $0.6M - $67.5M


Up is Pixar's tenth release, following up the $63M opening of Wall-E and was probably an even riskier proposition than the little robot that could movie. Based on the adventures of Carl Fredricksen, an eighty-something year old man who decides to attach helium-filled balloons to his house and see what the world has to offer, Up could have been a difficult sell for Pixar but as usual they played the pre-release hype perfectly - releasing just enough information at the right time, with some wonderfully pitched trailers followed by some of the best reviews of 2009. Up opened to a huge $68M, only The Incredibles and Finding Nemo opened to more box office but it has to be noted that the film was also shown in RealD in a number of locations and those tickets sell for at least $2 more than a standard screening - even so, no one can dispute that huge opening.

U.S Box Office Report - 22nd - 24th May 2009

1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - $53.5M - $53.5M
2. Terminator Salvation -  $43M - $56.3M
3. Star Trek - $21.9M - $183.5M
4. Angels and Demons - $21.4M - $81.5M
5. Dance Flick - $11.1M - $11.1M
6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $7.8MM - $163M
7. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -  $3.7M - $45.8M
8. Obsessed - $2M - $65.9M
9. Monsters vs. Aliens - $1.3M - $192.9M
10. 17 Again - $1.2M - $60.3M


In something of a surprise, Night at the Museum 2 manages to wangle the top spot from the expected-to-be-number-one Terminator Salvation. The sequel sees Ben Stiller's museum security guard Larry Daley return along with many of his co-stars from the first film (Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams etc) and travel to the illustrious Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C where he's joined by Enchanted's Amy Adams and does battle with Hank Azaria's Kahmunrah (amongst many others).

U.S Box Office Report - 15th - 17th May 2009

1. Angels & Demons - $48M - $48M
2. Star Trek - $43M - $147.6M
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $14.8M - $151.1M
4.Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - $6.8M - $40.1M
5.Obsessed - $4.5M - $62.6M
6. 17 Again - $3.4M - $58.4M
7. Monsters Vs. Aliens - $3M - $190.6M
8. The Soloist - $2.4M - $27.5M
9. Next Day Air - $2.2M - $7.6M
10. Earth - $1.6M - $29.1M


Tom Hanks' follow up to the hugely successful Da Vinci Code got off to a pretty rough start on Friday and things didn't exactly improve too much from there over the rest of the weekend. Making just over half of the what the Da Vinci Code made on its opening day ($28M), Angels & Demons must have fallen way short of Sony's expectations (To make matters worse, The Da Vinci Code made more money on Friday and Saturday than Angel & Demons did for the entire weekend).

U.S Box Office Report - 1st - 3rd May 2009

1. Star Trek - $76.5M - $76.5M
2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $27M - $129.6M
3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - $10.4M - $30.2M
4. Obsessed - $6.6M - $56.2M
5. 17 Again - $4.4M - $54.2M
6. Next Day Air - $4M - $4M
7. The Soloist - $3.6M - $23.5M
8. Monsters vs. Aliens - $3.3M - $186.9M
9. Earth - $2.4M - $26.1M
10. Hannah Montana The Movie - $2.4M - $74.1M


JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot got off to a fantastic start on Thursday night ($7M in sales) and carried on along that path through out the weekend. A risky proposition, not only a new Star Trek film but one that goes right back to the origins of the characters, but Abrams and Paramount played it perfectly, managing to attract the stalwart fans along with enough people curious to see what all the fuss was about.

U.S Box Office Report - 1st - 3rd May 2009

1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $87M - $87M
2. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - $15.3M - $15.3M
3. Obsessed - $12.2M - $47M
4. 17 Again - $6.3M - $48.4M
5. Monsters vs. Aliens - $5.8M - $182.4M
6. The Soloist - $5.6M - $18.1M
7. Earth - $4.1M - $21.8M
8. Fighting - $4.1M - $17.5M
9. Hannah Montana: The Movie - $4M - $70.8M
10. State of Play - $3.6M - $30M


Summer Blockbuster season is upon us! From now until mid-August the studios will be throwing all their weight behind what they hope will be big money makers. There's going to be successes, failures, sleeper hits and more than a few "what was that all about?"

U.S Box Office Report - 24th - 26th April 2009

1. Obsessed - $28.5M - $28.5M
2. 17 Again - $11.6M - $39.9M
3. Fighting - $11.4M - $11.4M
4. The Soloist - $9.7M - $9.7M
5. Earth - $8.5M - $14.2M
6. Monsters vs. Aliens - $8.5M - $174.8M
7. State of Play - $6.8M - $25.1M
8. Hannah Montana: The Movie - $6.3M - $65.5M
9. Fast and Furious - $6M - $145.2M
10. Crank: High Voltage - $2.4M - $11.5M


The last weekend of release in April is generally one of the worst of the year. Studios have their blockbusters hammering down the door and it's their last attempt to ditch any ill-fitting, little heard of flicks that it would otherwise have had to wait until late August to dump. This April isn't any different though Beyonce's Obsessed appears to have had some break out success (and scored the highest ever total for the last weekend in April). The remaining releases were left to fight it out amongst themselves and some of the older films hanging around the top ten.

U.S Box Office Report - 17th - 19th April 2009

1. 17 Again - $24.07M - $24.1M
2. State of Play - $14.10M - $14.1M
3. Monsters Vs Aliens - $12.90M - $162.7M
4. Hannah Montana The Movie - $12.67M - $56.1M
5. Fast And Furious - $12.29M - $136.7M
6. Crank: High Voltage - $6.51M - $6.5M
7. Observe and Report - $4.05M - $18.7M
8. Knowing -  $3.48M - $73.7M
9. I Love You, Man - $3.37M - $64.7M
10 The Haunting in Connecticut - $3.15M - $51.9M


Flued up, wife & daughter back from Australia means no chance of a report today, sorry about that folks.

Suffice to say, Zac Ephron reigned supreme while Crank 2 didn't achieve too great a start, though it is a hard R-rated action flick at the end of the Easter holidays. The film will clean up internationally and on DVD so a third movie will some how be assured.

U.S Box Office Report - 10th - 12th April 2009

1. Hannah Montana: The Movie - $34M - $34M
2. Fast & Furious - $28.7M - $118M
3. Monsters vs. Aliens - $22.6M - $141M
4. Observe and Report - $11.1M - $11.1M
5. Knowing - $6.6M - $68M
6. I Love You, Man - $6.4M - $58.9M
7. The Haunting in Connecticut - $5.7M - $46.3M
8. Dragonball Evolution - $4.6M - $4.6M
9. Adventureland - $3.4M - $11.4M
10. Duplicity - $2.9M - $36.8M


Hannah Montana returns a year after the success of her concert movie, which opened to a huge $31M from just 650+ locations. This time around Montana (Or Miley Cyrus) opens at over 4200 theatres and while it's performed well, it's obviously not translated into as big a success. Opening strong on Friday, the film was expected to be heavily front loaded and as the weekend wore on the numbers proved that, though Easter Sunday is usually down more than just an average Sunday.

U.S Box Office Report - 3rd - 5th April 2009

1. Fast and Furious - $72M - $72M
2. Monsters vs. Aliens - $33.4M - $105.7M
3. The Haunting in Connecticut - $9.5M - $37.2M
4. Knowing - $8.1M - $58.2M
5. I Love You, Man - $7.8M - $49.3M
6. Adventureland - $6M - $6M
7. Duplicity - $4.3M - $32.4M
8. Race to Witch Mountain - $3.3M - $58.4M
9. 12 Rounds - $2.3M - $9M
10. Sunshine Cleaning - $1.8M - $4.8M


With the cast of the original film returning Fast And Furious, the fourth film in the series, races to the top of the charts with a stunning weekend take. Getting off to an amazing start on Friday with a single day take of over $30M, the film continued to perform strong as the weekend progressed. In terms of the rest of the series, Fast and Furious has already surpassed the entire domestic gross of the third film, Tokyo Drift ($62M) and comfortably bests the weekend take of the first two films ($40M and $50M). So what went right?

U.S Box Office Report - 27th - 29th March 2009

1. Monsters vs. Aliens - $58.2M - $58.2M
2. The Haunting in Connecticut - $23M - $23M
3. Knowing - $14.7M - $46.2M
4. I Love You, Man - $12.6M - $37M
5. Duplicity - $7.5M - $25.6M
6. Race to Witch Mountain - $5.6M - $53.2M
7. 12 Rounds -  $5.3M - $5.3M
8. Watchmen - $2.7M - $103.2M
9. Taken - $2.7M - $137M
10. Last House on the Left - $2.6M - $28.4M


The latest CGI effort from Dreamworks takes the top spot with considerable ease this weekend. Monsters Vs Aliens features the voice of Reese Witherspoon as a 50ft girl who finds herself working against an alien invasion along side a blue blob and other assorted monsters. Dreamworks animation is riding high on the success of Kung Fu Panda last summer (which out grossed Pixar's Wall-E) and while M v A won't see those same dizzy heights, it proves again that CGI is no longer the sole successful domain of Pixar. M v A is out at a lot of locations, over 4,100, but that $58M weekend is the third best ever for a March release.

U.S Box Office Report - 20th - 22th March 2009

1. Knowing - $24.8M - $24.8M
2. I Love You, Man - $18M - $18M
3. Duplicity - $14.4M - $14.4
4. Race to Witch Mountain - $13.0M - $44.7M
5. Watchmen - $6.7M - $98M
6. Last House on the Left - $5.9M - $24M
7. Taken - $4.1M - $133.1M
8. Slumdog Millionaire - $2.7M - $137.2M
9. Madea Goes to Jail - $2.5M - $87.2M
10. Coraline - $2.1M - $72.8M


All of this weekend's openers performed well, with Nic Cage's end of the world flick 'Knowing' coming out on top. Going into the weekend it was expected that Knowing would win but the word of mouth for I Love You, Man might have caused a last minute upset. As it happens, the public just about preferred seeing planes, trains and possibly the planet blowing up instead.

U.S Box Office Report - 13th - 15th March 2009

1. Race to Witch Mountain - $25M - $25M
2. Watchmen - $18M - $86M
3. The Last House on the Left - $14.6M - $14.6M
4. Taken - $6.6M - $126.8M
5. Madea Goes to Jail - $5.1M - $83.2M
6. Slumdog Millionaire - $5M - $132.6M
7. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $3.1M - $137.7M
8. He's Just Not That Into You - $2.9M - $89M
9. Coraline - $2.6M - $69.1M
10. Miss March - $2.3M - $2.3M


Another week, another remake (or two). Race to Witch Mountain is semi-remake/reinvention of the beloved 1975 family film Escape to Witch Mountain. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson takes up the reigns and hopes to repeat some of the success he saw with The Game Plan. That film opened to $22M back in September 2007 and while this opened better, it'll be on the lower end of expectations after the wave of hype that preceded the film (including a costly Superbowl spot).

U.S Box Office Report - 6th - 8th March 2009

1. Watchmen - $55.6M - $55.6M
2. Madea Goes to Jail - $8.8M - $76.5M
3. Taken - $7.4M - $118M
4. Slumdog Millionaire - $6.9M - $125.4M
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $4.2M - $133.6M
6. He's Just Not That Into You - $4M - $84.6M
7. Coraline - $3.3M - $65.6M
8. Confessions of a Shopaholic - $3.1M - $38.3M
9. The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience - $2.7M - $16.7M
10. Fired Up - $2.6M - $13.3M


To cover the history of the production of Watchmen would taken a post three times the size of the average box office report. Suffice to say, it's been ongoing in one form or another since the release of the source material. Terry Gilliam was set to give it a shot, Paul Greengrass was said to have enter pre-production but it was Zack Snyder, coming off the success of 300, that finally took up the reigns and brought the much revered graphic novel to the big screen. Even then, with the film in the can, there was debate as to whether it would see the light of day after Fox launched a lawsuit claiming they still had the rights to produce a Watchmen film and not Warner Bros. Deals were made and Watchmen launched into 3,611 theatres (the widest ever opening for an R-rated movie).

U.S Box Office Report - 28th Feb - 1st March 2009

1. Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail - $16.5M - $64.8M
2. The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience - $12.7M - $12.7M
3. Slumdog Millionaire - $12.1M - $115.1M
4. Taken - $9.9M - $107.8M
5. He's Just Not That Into You -$5.8M - $78.5M
6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $5.6M - $128.1M
7. Coraline - $5.2M - $61.1M
8. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li - $4.6M - $4.6M
9. Confessions of a Shopaholic - $4.4M - $33.6M
10. Fired Up Screen Gems - $3.8M - $10.1M


Just a quick report this weekend, not long back from the airport. Tyler Perry managed two consecutive weekends at no.1, which is pretty rare for one of his movies. It was still off just under 60% for the weekend as a whole, which just goes to show how poorly the Jonas Brother movie performed. It was, before the weekend kicked off, expected to surpass the total made by the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus movie last year. Sadly their appeal doesn't seem to stretch as far and you can expect execs will be scratching their heads over what went wrong.

U.S Box Office Report - 20th - 22nd February 2009

1. Madea Goes to Jail - $41.4M - $41.1M
2. Taken - $11.4M - $95.2M
3. Coraline - $11M - $53.4M
4. He's Just Not That Into You - $8.5M - $70.1M
5. Slumdog Millionaire - $8M - $98M
6. Friday the 13th - $7.8M - $55M
7. Confessions of a Shopaholic - $7.5M - $7.5M
8. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $7M - $121.4M
9. Fired Up - $6M - $6M
10. The International - $4.4M - $17M


Oscar weekend can occasionly result in lower Sunday evening box office as people stay home to watch the awards. That said, a Tyler Perry movie will generally remain largely unaffected. Factor in the return of Madea, Perry's popular grandmother character (played by Perry himself) and you'll have something of a hit on your hands. The one man studio that is Tyler Perry returns again this week with Madea Goes To Jail. The character has remained largely unseen since 2006's Family Reunion but returns to headline this time around and the box office reflects that popularity - making this Perry's biggest theatrical opening of his career so far (and all from just 2075 locations).

U.S Box Office Report - 13th - 15th February 2009

1. Friday the 13th -  $42.2M - $42.2M
2. He's Just Not That Into You - $19.6M - $55M
3. Taken - $19.2M - $77.9M
4. Confessions of a Shopaholic - $15.4M - $15.4M
5. Coraline - $15M - $35.5M
6. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $11.7M - $110.5M
7. The International - $10M - $10M
8. The Pink Panther 2 -  $9M - $22.3M
9. Slumdog Millionaire - $7.1M - $86.5M
10. Push - $6.9M - $19.3M

We've hit the second four day weekend of the year with Presidents Day on Monday, therefore, expect some slightly higher totals.

U.S Box Office Report - 6th - 8th February 2009

1. He's Just Not That Into You - $27.4M - $27.4M
2. Taken - $20.3M - $53.3M
3. Coraline - $16.3M - $16.3M
4. The Pink Panther 2 - $12M - $12M
5. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $11M - $97M
6. Push - $10.2M - $10.2M
7. Slumdog Millionaire - $7.4M - $77.4M
8. Gran Torino - $7.2M - $120.2M
9. The Uninvited - $6.4M - $6.4M
10. Hotel For Dogs - $5.8M - $55.2M

Ensemble romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You scores the top spot this weekend and does so with ease. Featuring Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston and Scarlet Johansson, amongst many others, even against three other new films and one strong second weekend for Taken, it managed to win Friday with $10.5M and carried on well over the rest of the weekend.

U.S Box Office Report - 30th Jan - 1st Feb 2009

1. Taken - $24.6M - $24.6M
2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $14M - $83.3M
3. The Uninvited - $10.5M - $10.5M
4. Hotel for Dogs - $8.7M - $48.2M
5. Gran Torino - $8.6M - $110.5M
6. Slumdog Millionaire - $7.6M - $67.2M
7. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - $7.2M - $32.7M
8. New In Town - $6.7M - $6.7M
9. My Bloody Valentine 3-D - $4.2M - $44.6M
10. Inkheart - $3.7M - $12.7M


A forum favourite, Taken, finally gets its theatrical release in the US, having been delayed from last September. The Liam Neeson thriller got off to a strong start on Friday and continued apace into Saturday, before running foul of the Superbowl (practically every film in the top ten had a lower Sunday take than on a 'normal' Sunday). Taken features Neeson as an ex-secret service man whose daughter has been kidnapped by a sex slave gang - only the gang have no idea what he is capable of and the lengths he will go to, to get her back.

U.S Box Office Report - 23th - 25th January 2009

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $21.5M - $64.8M
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - $20.7M - $20.7M
3. Gran Torino - $15.9M - $97.5M
4. Hotel for Dogs - $12.3M - $36.9M
5. Slumdog Millionaire - $10.5M - $55.9M
6. My Bloody Valentine 3-D - $10M - $37.7M
7. Inkheart - $7.7M - $7.7M
8. Bride Wars - $7M - $48.7M
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $6M - $111M
10. Notorious - $5.7M - $31.7M


Paul Blart was a surprise success last weekend, becoming the second biggest opening for a January release. Blart was down an alright 43% from last Friday (but an amazing 32% for the weekend as a whole) and is still the no.1 choice for a family cinema visit. Better still, this one cost just $26M, a figure its doubled in less than 10 days on general release. Going into the weekend, Underworld 3 was in the top spot but by Saturday most of its audience had already seen the film allowing Blart to push ahead over Saturday afternoon and into Sunday. Paul Blart: Mall Cop should see at least one more decent weekend before the new releases start to push it down the chart.

U.S Box Office Report - 16th - 18th January 2009

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop - $33.8M - $33.8M
2. Gran Torino - $22.2M - $73.2M
3. My Bloody Valentine 3D -  $21.9M - $21.9M
4. Notorious - $21.5M - $21.5M
5. Hotel for Dogs - $17.7M - $17.7M
6. Bride Wars - $11.7M - $37.5M
7. The Unborn - $9.8M - $33M
8. Defiance - $9.2M - $9.5M
9. Marley & Me - $6.3M - $132.7M
10. Slumdog Millionaire - $5.9M - $42.7M



In the US it's the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday which means ticket sales should benefit from a slightly higher take than on a normal weekend. Hollywood looked at the holiday and figured they'd try to cover as many bases as possible and release four new films and expand a fifth.

U.S Box Office Report - 9th - 11th January 2009

1. Gran Torino - $29M - $40M
2. Bride Wars - $21.5M - $21.5M
3. The Unborn - $21M - $21M
4. Marley and Me - $11.3M - $123.7M
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $9.4M - $94.3M
6. Bedtime Stories - $8.5M - $97.1M
7. Valkyrie - $6.6M - $71.5M
8. Yes Man - $6.1M - $89.4M
9. Not Easily Broken -  $5.6M - $5.6M
10. Seven Pounds - $3.9M - $66.8M


After being in a limited release for a number of weeks Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino expanded in to 2808 locations and saw its box office rocket. It could have been assumed that while it was doing well in a limited release, Warner Bros had perhaps left it too long to expand the film meaning that anyone who wanted to see the film may well have already sought it out. Nothing could be further from the truth as Gran Torino took over $10M on Friday and continued to perform well over the rest of the weekend.

U.S Box Office Report - 2nd - 4th January 2009

1. Marley & Me - $24M - $106.5M
2. Bedtime Stories - $20.3M - $85.3M
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $18.4M - $79M
4. Valkyrie - $14M - $60.6M
5. Yes Man - $13.8M - $79.4M
6. Seven Pounds - $10M - $60.3M
7. The Tale of Despereaux - $7M - $43.7M
8. Doubt - $5M - $18.7M
9. The Day the Earth Stood Still - $4.8M - $74.2M
10. Slumdog Millionaire - $4.7M - $28.7M


Welcome to 2009!

Just a quick report this weekend, the End of Year 2008 Review took up a fair bit of box office time this week and usually replaces the final Sunday report. With no major releases until next weekend, the top seven remains the same as the last frame. Marley & Me was still the choice of the week and is down just 33% from its take last weekend. It's now cleared $100M in 10 ten days, the time frame normally reserved for summer fare to reach that figure. Bedtime Stories was actually down just 26% as families chose that movie over Marley & Me (which one presumes they all saw last weekend). The Adam Sandler film should hit $100M by next Friday and may become his biggest hit since Click's $137M.

U.S Box Office Report - Year End 2008

Another year done and dusted! 

1. The Dark Knight - $530.8M - $996M
2. Iron Man - $318.3M - $581M
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $317M - $786M
4. Hancock - $227.9M - $624M
5. WALL-E - $223.7M - $507M
6. Kung Fu Panda - $215.4M - $631M
7. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $174.2M - $460M*
8. Twilight - $16 4.1M - $239M*
9. Quantum of Solace - $163.4M - $537M*
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! - $154.5M - $296M


Above Numbers - Domestic Gross - Global Total Including US Gross
* Films still on general release

Another year done and dusted, with great success on some sides, and awful failure on others, not all of it deserved either. While 2007 seemed to be the year of the sequel, one sequel above all other stood out in 2008, and it wasn't the one we all expected it to be. In dark and gloomy times, the box office shone brightly as one of the few places where people were willing to spend money - and they needed to as production costs continued to climb. That said it seemed, at least on the surface, that budgets had been tied under $200M and studios were relying more and more on that opening weekend take - a pattern that will continue to dominate as we enter 2009.

U.S Box Office Report - Christmas 2008

1. Marley and Me - $37M - $51.6M
2. Bedtime Stories - $28M - $38.5M
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $27.2M - $39M
4. Valkyrie - $21.5M - $30M
5. Yes Man - $16.4M - $49.5M
6. Seven Pounds - $13.4M - $39M
7. The Tale of Despereaux - $9.3M - $27.9M
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still - $7.9M - $63.6M
9. The Spirit - $6.5M - $10.3M
10. Doubt - $5.6M - $8.8M


Numbers are inflated somewhat this weekend thanks to the five new releases opening on Christmas Day to some record breaking numbers. The holdovers faired much worse than expected over the festive days, especially The Tale of Despereaux, which tumbled from third to tenth during the Christmas eve/day period. The above numbers reflect the three day (Fri-Sun) take and the overall take since release.

U.S Box Office Report - 19th - 21st December 2008

1. Yes Man - $18.1M - $18.1M
2. Seven Pounds - $16M - $16M
3. The Tale of Despereaux - $10.5M - $10.5M
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still - $10.1M - $48.6M
5. Four Christmases - $7.7M - $100.1M
6. Twilight - $5.2M - $158.4M
7. Bolt - $4.2M - $95M
8. Slumdog Millionaire -  $3.1M - $12.1M
9. Australia -  $2.3M - $41.9M
10. Quantum of Solace - $2.1M - $161.3M


It's been a while since a live action Jim Carrey movie was at the top of the charts. More impressive still is that he's managed to see off arguably the world's biggest star and his new movie, leaving Will Smith to settle for second place. Yes Man is the new Jim Carrey comedy, his first live action comedy since Fun with Dick & Jane in 2005, which went on to take a good (though disappointing for the star) $110M.

U.S Box Office Report - 12th - 14th December 2008

1. The Day The Earth Stood Still - $31M - $31M
2. Four Christmases - $13.2M - $87.9M
3. Twilight - $8M - $150.1M
4. Bolt - $7.5M - $88.8M
5. Australia - $4.2M - $37.8M
6. Quantum of Solace - $3.8M - $157.6
7. Nothing Like the Holidays - $3.5M - $3.5
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $3.2M - $170M
9. Milk - $2.6M - $7.6M
10. The Transporter 3 - $2.2M - $29.2M

 
The only good thing to say about The Day The Earth Stood Still is that it knocked the abysmal Four Christmases off the top spot. The big budget sci-fi remake comfortably takes the top spot but you can bet the studio were looking for something closer to $50M for opening weekend. Last year's I Am Legend which opened around the same time more than doubled Day's opening take and went on to earn over $200M at the domestic box office. With the original film being a 1950s produced science fiction classic, no one really wanted a Hollywood sheened remake and while it piqued enough interest to earn $31M, the majority of people battled the crowds and did their Christmas shopping instead.

U.S Box Office Report - 5th - 7th December 2008

1. Four Christmases - $18.1M - $70.8M
2. Twilight - $13.1M - $138.5M
3. Bolt - $9.6M - $79.2M
4. Australia - $7M - $30.8M
5. Quantum of Solace - $6.6M - $151.4M
6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $5.1M - $165.6M
7. The Transporter 3 - $4.5M - $25.3M
8. The Punisher: War Zone - $4M - $4M
9. Cadillac Records - $3.5M - $3.5M
10. Role Models - $2.6M - $61.6M


The weekend after thanksgiving is generally recognised as one of the worst of the year for the box office. This week brings just one wide opening release with another more limited film breaking into a lacklustre top ten. Four Christmases again retains the top spot, down 41% from its opening weekend. The Reese Witherspoon/Vince Vaughn comedy is still the family choice thanks in part to no serious competition. Even next weekend brings only one major release, the sci-fi thriller When The Earth Stood Still. Four Christmases needs that lack of competition too, it cost $80M to produce but should see that figure by the end of next weekend. Chances are the vast chunk of the budget went on the star's salaries as the film runs just 88 minutes with no special effects sequences.

U.S Box Office Report - 28th - 30th November 2008

1. Four Christmases -  $31.6M - $46.7M
2. Bolt - $26.5M - $66.8M
3. Twilight - $26.3M - $119.6M
4. Quantum of Solace - $19.5M - $142M
5. Australia - $14.8M - $20M
6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $14.5M - $159.5M
7. The Transporter 3 - $12.3M - $18.5M
8. Role Models - $5.2M - $57.8M
9. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas - $1.6M - $5.1M
10. Milk - $1.3M - $1.8M


With Thanksgiving upon us, five day numbers become a big deal for the new releases, along with some older releases who saw a 'Black Friday' boost that carried over into the weekend.

U.S Box Office Report - 21st - 23rd November 2008

1. Twilight - $70.6M - $70.6M
2. Quantum of Solace - $27.4M - $109.5M
3. Bolt - $27M - $27M
4. Madagascar: Back 2 Africa - $16M - $137.4M
5. Role Models - $7.2M - $48M
6. Changeling - $2.6M - $31.6M
7. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $2M - $86.8M
8. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - $1.7M - $29.4M
9. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas - $1.6M - $2.7M
10. The Secret Life of Bees - $1.2M - $35.6M


Twilight was expected to open huge and it hasn't disappointed on that front at least. Based on a series of successful books, Twilight is the first of the series and introduces us to the main protagonists, Bella and Edward, the former being the new girl in town and the later being a vampire. The film played massively to the teenage girl crowd (along with their mums), who helped the film score $7M just from Thursday midnight showings. Friday saw the film up to $35M and it's spent the rest of the weekend building on that. The issue now is of front-loading - the film has recouped its production budget of $37M but where will it go from here?

U.S Box Office Report - 14th - 16th November 2008

1. Quantum of Solace $70.4M - $70.4M
2. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $36.1M - $118M
3. Role Models $11.7M - $38.1M
4. High School Musical 3: Senior Year $5.8M - $84.3M
5. Changeling $4.2M - $27.6M
6. Zack and Miri Make a Porno $3.2M - $26.5M
7. Soul Men $2.42M - $9.4M
8. The Secret Life of Bees $2.4M - $33.6M
9. Saw V $1.7M - $55.4M
10. The Haunting of Molly Hartley $1.6M - $12.6M


Quantum of Solace gets off to an explosive start! The 22nd Bond film, the second with Daniel Craig, scored a whopping $27M on Friday, which is two thirds of what Casino Royale did for the entire first weekend of its release. Obviously the weekend total for Quantum comfortably eclipses that of Casino Royale (and in fact, is only around $25M short of Royale's nine day total!) and all other James Bond movies released so far. While Casino Royale had to face off against family comedy Happy Feet it also had to establish a new, darker James Bond, one without all the usual trappings of the super spy.

U.S Box Office Report - 7th - 9th November 2008

1. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - $63.5M - $63.5M
2. Role Models - $19.2M - $19.2M
3. High School Musical 3 - $9.2M - $75.7M
4. Changeling - $7.2M - $20.5M
5. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - $6.5M - $20.9M
6. Soul Men - $5.6M - $5.6M
7. Saw V - $4.1M - $52.3M
8. The Haunting of Molly Hartley - $3.4M - $10.2M
9. The Secret Life of Bees - $3.1M - $29.9M
10. Eagle Eye - $2.5M - $96.4M


After the pre-teens made HSM 3 a resounding success it was the turn of the preschoolers this weekend with the release of Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa. The sequel to the 2005 hit sees the same voice cast returning as the animal heroes find themselves in Africa. With little competition, especially for the family market, Madagascar 2 could clean up with ease and while it'll face some competition from Quantum of Solace next weekend, it's already well on track to be a $100M+ movie.

U.S Box Office Report - 31st Oct - 2nd Nov 2008

1. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $15M - $61.7M
2. Zack and Miri Make a Porno - $10.6M - $10.6M
3. Saw V - $10.1M - $45.8M
4. Changeling - $9.4M - $10M
5. The Haunting of Molly Hartley - $6M - $6M
6. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - $4.7M - $84M
7. The Secret Life of Bees - $4M - $25.2M
8. Max Payne - $3.7M $35.5M
9. Eagle Eye - $3.4M - $92.5M
10. Pride & Glory - $3.2M - $11.6M


Been away for the weekend so I haven't had chance to write the report yet. All being well I'll get it online tomorrow and update the subtopic to reflect that. Of note, HSM3 crashed on Friday, down 91% from the previous Friday but managed to recover over the rest of the weekend (Halloween Trick & Treating might having something to do with that low Friday).

U.S Box Office Report - 24th - 26th October 2008

1. High School Musical 3: Senior Year - $42M - $42M
2. Saw V - $30.5.1M - $30.5M
3. Max Payne - $7.6M - $29.6M
4. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - $6.9M - $78.1M
5. Pride and Glory - $6.3M - $6.3M
6. The Secret Life of Bees - $5.9M - $19.2M
7. W. - $5.3M - $18.7M
8. Eagle Eye - $5.1M - $87.9M
9. Body of Lies - $4M - $30.8M
10. Quarantine - $2.5M - $28.7M


Something of a first this weekend - a film that started as a TV movie/straight to DVD success finds it's second sequel getting a proper theatrical release. Usually this happens the other way around, something at which Disney are the masters. But after High School Musical 2 received the highest viewing figures ever for a basic cable TV Movie (Box Office Prophets report that had everyone who watched HSM2 being buying a ticket instead, the film would have opened with $100M), Disney wondered if they could get some of those viewers into a paying theatre. With that huge opening the answer one assumes is a resounding yes.

U.S Box Office Report - 17th - 19th October 2008

1. Max Payne - $18M - $18M
2. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - $11.2M - $69M
3. The Secret Life of Bees - $11M - $11M
4. W. - $10.5M - $10.5M
5. Eagle Eye - $7.3M - $81.3M
6. Body of Lies - $6.8M - $24.4M
7. Quarantine - $6.3M - $24.6M
8. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - $3.9M - $26.7M
9. Sex Drive - $3.5M - $3.5M
10. Nights in Rodanthe - $2.6M - $36.8M


Video game adaptation Max Payne blasts into the top spot. The Mark Wahlberg action-revenger has been in various stages of production since the release of the first game back in 2001 but everything fell into place earlier this year and the film was fast-tracked for an October release. With the game being something of a memory in the eyes of fans (and a relative unknown amongst the general public) the film had its work cut out for it. Early stills and trailer showed some promise but its PG-13 rating and a subsequent fantastical trailer may have harmed its appeal to the hardcore crowd while confusing the public. Opening well ahead of everything else on Friday the film continued to dominate over the weekend, but saw something of a dip in takings on Sunday.

U.S Box Office Report - 10th - 12th October 2008

1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - $17.5M - $52.5M
2. Quarantine - $14.2M - $14.2M
3. Body of Lies - $13.1M - $13.1M
4. Eagle Eye - $11M - $70M
5. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - $6.5M - $20.8M
6. The Express - $4.7M - $4.7M
7. Nights in Rodanthe - $4.6M - $32.6M
8. Appaloosa - $3.3M - $10.8M
9. The Duchess - $3.3M - $5.6M
10. City of Embers - $3.2M - $3.2M


With little competition on the family front (save for City of Embers, more on that later) BHC retains the top spot against at least one big hitter. Down 44% on a Friday to Friday basis, Chihuahua is either close to recouping its budget or already has (no budget details are available at the time of writing). The film is a mixture of live action and CGI, featuring the voices of Drew Barrymore and Cheech Marin, with Jamie Lee Curtis in a more three dimensional role. Next weekend brings another three major releases, none of which will be in direct competition with the family friendly film, though it's not expected to retain the top spot for a third time. (It wasn't expected to retain it a second time...).

U.S Box Office Report - 3rd - 5th October 2008

1. Beverly Hills Chihuahua - $29M - $29M
2. Eagle Eye - $17.7M - $54.6M
3. Nick and Nora's Infinite Play list-  $12M - $12M
4. Nights In Rodanthe - $7.3M - $25M
5. Appaloosa - $5M - $5.5M
6. Lakeview Terrace - $4.5M - 32.1M
7. Burn After Reading - $4M - $51.6M
8. Fireproof - $4M - $12.4M
9. An American Carol - $3.8M - $3.8M
10. Religulous - $3.5M - $3.5M


With precious little to entice the whole family to the cinema in recent weeks (Sorry Igor), Beverly Hills Chihuahua easily takes the top spot, knocking off last weekend's big opener Eagle Eye. BHC features the voices of Drew Barrymore and Andy Garcia, amongst others, and tells the tale of the titular dog winding up lost in Mexico while on vacation with her owners. BHC should make a quick profit for Disney and no doubt lead to a string of direct to DVD sequels.

U.S Box Office Report - 26th - 28th September 2008

1. Eagle Eye - $29.2M - $29.2M
2. Nights in Rodanthe - $13.5M - $13.5
3. Lakeview Terrace - $7.0M - $25.7M
4. Fireproof - $6.5M - $6.5M
5. Burn After Reading - $6.1M - $45.5M
6. Igor - $5.5M - $14.3M
7. Righteous Kill - $3.8M - $34.8M
8. My Best Friend's Girl - $3.8M - $14.5M
9. Miracle at St. Anna - $3.5M - $3.5M
10. Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys - $3.1M - $32.7M


Friday's takes were slightly lower than expected due to the live presidential debate (Estimated audience - 30 million) but recovered on Saturday. Hi-tech thriller Eagle Eye is our number one movie this weekend. The much hyped (in recent weeks) film is yet another number one opener for Shia LaBeouf who teams up with his Disturbia directer D.J Caruso, and stars along side Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thornton and Rosario Dawson. LaBeouf plays a guy who returns home one evening to a house full of chemical weapons and a phone call telling him the FBI are about to enter his house in 30 seconds. Miles away Monaghan is receiving similar treatment.

U.S Box Office Report - 19th - 21st September 2008

1. Lakeview Terrace - $15.6M - $15.6M
2. Burn After Reading - $11.2M - $36.4M
3. My Best Friend's Girl - $8.3M - $8.3M
4. Igor - $8M - $8M
5. Righteous Kill - $7.7M - $28.8M
6. Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys - $7.5M - $28.4M
7. The Women - $5.3M - $19.2M
8. Ghost Town - $5.2M - $5.2M
9. The Dark Knight - $2.9M - $521.9M
10. The House Bunny - $2.8M - $45.7M


The latest Samuel L Jackson vehicle, Lakeview Terrace, is our number one movie this week. Released with little hype or fanfare, the psychological thriller is the story of an inter-racial couple who move into the titular street, only to find themselves hounded by Jackson's LAPD cop. Jackson's record of late has been a bit hit and miss (The Cleaner went straight to DVD and does anyone remember Home of the Brave and Resurrecting The Champ?) so this is a bit of a return to form for him. Interestingly this is Neil Labute's follow up the diabolical Wicker Man remake. Obviously this has faired much better but you have to wonder why Labute is going mainstream given the critical success he's had in the past. The film will face direct competition from Eagle Eye next weekend but it's off to a decent start for now.

U.S Box Office Report - 12th - 14th September 2008

1. Burn After Reading -  $19.4M - $19.4M
2. The Family That Preys - $18M - $18M
3. Righteous Kill - $16.5M - $16.5M
4. The Women - $10M - $10M
5. The House Bunny -  $4.3M - $42.1M
6. Tropic Thunder - $4.1M - $102.9M
7. The Dark Knight - $4M - $517.6M
8. Bangkok Dangerous - $2.4M - $12.5M
9. Traitor - $2.1M - $20.7M
10. Death Race - $2M - $33.1M


After the critical and financial success of the dark and violent No Country for Old Men last year the Coen Brothers drop down a gear for Burn After Reading, a black comedy bordering on slapstick. A big name cast of Coen Brother's regulars along with some new faces including Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich star in the story of a missing disc containing a CIA agent's memoirs which falls into the hands of a couple of gym trainers (Pitt and Frances McDormand), whose not too bright thinking see it as a way to make some money. Except its just not that simple or easy....

U.S Box Office Report - 5th - 7th September 2008

1. Bangkok Dangerous - $7.8M - $7.8M
2. Tropic Thunder - $7.5M - $96.8M
3. The House Bunny - $5.9M - $37M
4. The Dark Knight - $5.7M - $512.2M
5. Traitor - $4.6M - $17.7M
6. Babylon A.D. - $4M - $17.2M
7. Death Race - $3.6M - $29.8M
8. Disaster Movie - $3.3M - $10.9M
9. Mamma Mia! -  $2.7M - $136.3
10. Pineapple Express - $2.4M - $84.2


A shorter report this weekend than usual as there's really not a great deal to write about. We've got just one new release and it's hardly made a ripple in the water. With summer officially over and August's doldrums out the way, this will be the last weekend of studio dumping. Thank goodness!

U.S Box Office Report - 29th - 31st August 2008

1. Tropic Thunder - $11.7M - $83.8M
2. Babylon A.D - $9.7M - $9.7M
3. The Dark Knight - $8.7M - $502.4M
4. The House Bunny - $8.3M - $27.8M
5. Traitor -  $7.9M - $9.4M
6. Death Race - $6.2M - $23M
7. Disaster Movie - $6.1M - $6.1M
8. Mamma Mia - $4.4M- $131.5M
9. Pineapple Express - $3.3M - $79.7
10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona - $3M - $12.7M


So with August coming to an end, the studios have reached the bottom of their barrel. And we thought last weekend was bad. Tropic Thunder takes the top spot simply because the competition is so awful. While Babylon A.D led as we went into this four day weekend, Tropic Thunder managed to pull ahead on Saturday and remain there for the remainder. The film should recoup its production budget by next weekend and will just about see $100M before leaving the top ten. The film has performed well, especially after a slowish start, but it won't go down as one of the bigger movies of the summer of 2008. Tropic Thunder should equal its domestic tally when it's released around the rest of the world.

U.S Box Office Report - 22nd - 24th August 2008

1. Tropic Thunder - $16.1M - $65.7M
2. The House Bunny - $15.1M - $15.1M
3. Death Race - $12.2M - $12.2M
4. The Dark Knight - $10M - $489.2M
5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - $5.6M - $25M
6. Pineapple Express - $5.6M - $73.9M
7. Mirrors - $4.8M - $20.1M
8. The Longshots - $4.3M - $4.3M
9. Mamma Mia! - $4.3M - $124.5M
10. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $4M - $93.7M


We are now truly in the doldrums of the August release schedule. The studios have run out of blockbusters and are happy to get off their hands all the trash they've been unsure what to do with for the past six months. Anything that should have gone straight to DVD but had a theatrical release clause written into its contract will see an airing this week and next. If you don't believe that August is a dumping ground remember that there's a Paul WS Anderson film released this week.

U.S Box Office Report - 15th - 17th August 2008

1. Tropic Thunder - $26M - $37M
2. The Dark Knight - $16.7M - $471.1M
3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - $15.5M - $15.5M
4. Mirrors - $11.1M - $11.1M
5. Pineapple Express - $10M - $62.9M
6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $8.6M - $86.6M
7. Mamma Mia! - $6.4M - $116.4M
8. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 - $5.9M - $32.1M
9. Step Brothers - $5M - $90.8M
10. Vicky Christina Barcelona - $3.7M - $3.7M


After four weeks in the top spot, The Dark Knight drops down a place but still manages to see off two wide opening new releases in the guise of Mirrors and The Clone Wars (more later). Our number one movie this weekend is the Ben Stiller directed comedy Tropic Thunder, about a group of highly strung actors who have to use their boot camp training when they find themselves in a real war zone. Robert Downey Jnr. adds another set of good reviews to the ones he scored with Iron Man earlier in the year and the film generally impressed critics.

U.S Box Office Report - 8th - 10th August 2008

1. The Dark Knight - $26M - $441.5M
2. Pineapple Express - $22.4M - $40.4M
3. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $16.1M - $70.6M
4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - $10.7M - $19.7M
5. Step Brothers - $8.9M - $80.9M
6. Mamma Mia! - $8M - $104M
7. Journey to the Center of the Earth - $4.8M - $81.7M
8. Hancock - $3.3M - $221.7M
9. Swing Vote - $3.1M - $12M
10. WALL-E - $3M - $210.1M


The Dark Knight just never stops giving. Not only does move up to fourth place on the all time domestic money makers chart but it's also the second biggest global release of 2008, with only Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls ahead of it (but only for a couple of weeks). While the film has slowed down somewhat (we are talking about a record breaking opening weekend and strong grosses in subsequent frames) it's still a force to be reckoned with. Even with the new releases next week the film won't go quietly into the night.

U.S Box Office Report - 1st - 3rd August 2008

1. The Dark Knight - $43.8M - $394.8M
2. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - $42.4M - $42.4M
3. Step Brothers - $16.3M - $62.9M
4. Mamma Mia! - $13.1M - $87.9M
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth - $6.8M - $73.1
6. Swing Vote - $6.3M - $6.3M
7. Hancock - $5.2M - $215.9M
8. WALL-E - $4.7M - $204.2M
9. The X-Files: I Want to Believe - $3.4M - $17M
10. Space Chimps - $2.8M - $22M


Third weekend at number one, a rare thing in these modern times. The Dark Knight fought off competition from The Mummy (more later) to retain the top spot and skirt dangerously close to the $400M mark, which it should now hit by Wednesday, more than halving the fastest to $400M record held by Shrek 2. There's only a slim chance it'll take out Titanic but every chance it'll slip into second spot on the all time takings chart (it's currently at no.8 and needs just $65M to secure it) by the end of its domestic run.

U.S Box Office Report - 25th - 27th July 2008

1. The Dark Knight - $75.6M - $314.2M
2. Step Brothers - $30M - $30M
3. Mamma Mia! - $17.8M - $52.7M
4. The X-Files: I Want To Believe - $10.2M - $10.2M
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth - $9.4M - $60.1M
6. Hancock - $8.2M - $206.3M
7. WALL-E - $6.3M - $195.2M
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - $4.9M - $65.8M
9. Space Chimps - $4.3M - $16M
10. Wanted - $2.7M - $128.6M


With a staggering first weekend, followed by record breaking weekdays, what had The Dark Knight got left to achieve in its second frame? How about the fastest film to $300M? Biggest second frame of any film? The Dark Knight got them both this weekend as it continues its fantastic run. Being down around 66% from Friday to Friday is perfectly fine given how huge its opening weekend was - Spiderman 3 dropped 71% in the same time period. Higher Friday drops are expected with films like these simply because of the large amount of Thursday midnight showings that are factored into Friday's takings, and given The Dark Knight had a record breaking midnight total, a big drop was inevitable. It's weekend take is nothing short of amazing - many major films don't open to that much money! In a total weekend to weekend drop, the film is off only 52%.

U.S Box Office Report - 18th - 20th July 2008

1. The Dark Knight - $155.2M - $155.3M
2. Mamma Mia! - $27.6M - $27.6M
3. Hancock - $14M - $191.5M
4. Journey to the Center of the Earth - $11.9M - $43M
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - $10M - $56.4M
6. WALL-E - $9.8M - $182.4M
7. Space Chimps - $7.3M - $7.3M
8. Wanted - $5M - $123.3M
9. Get Smart - $4M - $119.5M
10. Kung Fu Panda - $1.7M - $206.5M


For many, once Iron Man and Indiana Jones were out of the way, The Dark Knight was the one to wait for. All the main players were returning along with Heath Ledger as The Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Christopher Nolan would once again return to direct and continue the sterling work he had begun with Batman Begins, which reinvented and relaunched the character after the disaster that was Batman and Robin several years earlier. But the death of Heath Ledger during the film's post production cast a shadow onto everything Dark Knight related. Where would this leave the film and Ledger's Joker? Warner Bros stuck with Nolan's vision both within the film and the viral campaign surrounding it. In the end though, would it pay off for all concerned?

U.S Box Office Report - 11th - 13th July 2008

1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - $35.8M - $35.8
2. Hancock - $33.4M - $165M
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth - $20.5M - $20.5M
4. WALL-E - $18.5M - $162.7M
5. Wanted - $11.5M - $112M
6. Get Smart - $7.1M - $111.4M
7. Meet Dave - $5.3M - $5.3M
8. Kung Fu Panda - $4.3M - $202M
9. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl - $2.3M - $11M
10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $2.2M - $310M


Three new films opened wide this weekend, all going for a slightly different demographic but all sharing a number of the same fans, not to mention facing the one man blockbuster army that is Will Smith. Hellboy II narrowly took the top spot, with a much stronger performance than its prequel four years ago. The original movie didn't actually do all that well at the box office, finishing its domestic run with $59M, but went on to perform exceptionally well on DVD. Second time around and director Guillermo Del Toro has not only stepped up the visual FX and creature creation but the story as well, scoring the film some very impressive reviews.

U.S Box Office Report - 4th - 6th July 2008

1. Hancock - $66.0M - $107M
2. WALL-E - $33.4M - $128M
3. Wanted - $20.6M - $90.7M
4. Get Smart - $11.1M - $98.1
5. Kung Fu Panda - $7.5M - $193.3M
6. The Incredible Hulk - $4.9M - $124.9M
7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $3.9M - $306.5M
8. Kitt Kittredge: An American Girl - $3.6M - $6.1M
9. Sex and the City - $2.3M - $144.8M
10. You Don't Mess With The Zohan - $2M - $94.7M

 
The July 4th Holiday is something of an enigma in terms of US holidays and the cinema going experience. Most holidays tend to push people into cinemas in their droves and to a degree, the days on either side of the fourth do experience this. The fourth itself becomes something of a dead zone though, and in this case with the fourth being a Friday, we can see takes similar to those on a normal Sunday. On the flip side it means that the Saturday and Sunday totals will often be higher so things tend (but not always) to balance out ok. What it does mean is that Friday to Friday drops for the holdover films (Wall-E and Wanted in particular) will be much higher than they normally would.

U.S Box Office Report - 27th - 29th June 2008

1. WALL-E - $62.5M - $62.5M
2. Wanted - $51.1M - $51.1
3. Get Smart - $20M - $77.6M
4. Kung Fu Panda - $11.7M - $179.3M
5. The Incredible Hulk - $9.2M - $115.5
6. The Love Guru - $5.4M - $25.3M
7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $5M - $299.9M
8. The Happening - $3.8M - $59M
9. Sex and the City - $3.7M - $140M
10. You Don't Mess With the Zohan - $3.2M - $91.2M


Wall-E has been the one to watch ever since the first stills were shown. Since then the hype has built up, with each new short showing Wall-E to be the E.T for the current generation. Pixar initially built trailers from only the first thirty or so minutes of the film and kept interest heightened by releases a number of thirty second shorts featuring Wall-E but unrelated to the film as such.

U.S Box Office Report - 20th - 22nd June 2008

1. Get Smart - $39.1M - $39.1M
2. Kung Fu Panda - $21.7M - $155.6M
3. The Incredible Hulk - $21.5M - $96.4M
4. The Love Guru - $14M - $14M
5. The Happening - $10M - $50.2M
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $8.4M - $290M
7. You Don't Mess With the Zohan - $7.2M - $84M
8. Sex and the City - $6.4M - $132.3M
9. Iron Man - $4M - $304.7M
10. The Strangers - $1.9M - $48M


The decision to revive a successful 60s TV show with Steve Carrell and a modern updating seems to have paid off handsomely. Get Smart takes the top spot this weekend with a solid $39M take. Up against another comedy, holdovers from last weekend and some uninspiring trailers and reviews it appears the public went for Carrell rather than Mike Myers.

U.S Box Office Report - 13th - 15th June 2008

1. The Incredible Hulk - $54.5M - $54.5
2. Kung Fu Panda - $34.3M - $117.9M
3. The Happening - $30.5M - $30.5M
4. You Don't Mess With the Zohan - $16.4M - $68.7M
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $13.5M - $275.3M
6. Sex and the City - $10.1M - $119.9M
7. Iron Man - $5.1M - $297.4M
8. The Strangers - $4.0M - $45.3M
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $3M - $131.7M
10. What Happens in Vegas - $1.7M - $75.7M


The Incredible Hulk gets off to a good start considering what it was up against. Not only the stigma created by the first movie and the competition from The Happening, but also the fact that Ed Norton had decided not to publicise the movie over creative differences relating to the cut. Given all that the film has done damn well to reach $54M in its first weekend out. It's slightly off what The Hulk opened to a few years back but at that time the franchise was fresh and people were eager to see it.

U.S Box Office Report - 6th - 8th June 2008

1. Kung Fu Panda - $60M - $60M
2. You Don't Mess With the Zohan - $40M - $40M
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $22.8M - $253M
4. Sex and the City - $21.3M - $99.2M
5. The Strangers - $9.2M - $37.6M
6. Iron Man - $7.5M - $288.8M
7. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $5.5M - $125.8M
8. What Happens In Vegas - $3.4M - $72.2M
9. Baby Mama - $0.779M - $57.9M
10. Made of Honor - $0.555M - $44.6M

Kung Fu Panda hits the bigtime for Dreamworks animation. With it being June, some schools in the US have already finished for the summer giving the film a slightly higher Friday and a slightly lower Sunday. With Shrek The Third ruling last summer and Bee Movie doing well in November, Dreamworks needed something to jump in and out quick before Pixar unleashes Wall-E. They've got the Madagascar sequel lined up for November and Shrek aside, Kung Fu Panda is the biggest opening for a Dreamworks Animation production.

U.S Box Office Report - 30th May - 1st June 2008

1. Sex and the City - $55.7M - $55.7M
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $46M - $216.8M
3. The Strangers - $20.7M - $20.7M
4. Iron Man - $14M - $276.6M
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $13M - $115.6M
6. What Happens In Vegas - $6.8M - $66M
7. Baby Mama - $2.2M - $56.1M
8. Speed Racer - $2.1M - $40.5M
9. Made of Honor - $2M - $42.9M
10. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $1.0M - $60.4M


Last weekend there was speculation on how well Sex & The City would perform. Indiana Jones was safe, we thought, for another weekend at the top spot and Sex & The City was expected to slot nicely into second place with a decent weekend take of about $30M. Right about now the words of screenwriter William Goldman come floating over the Hollywood sign: Nobody Knows Anything. Sex & The City is our number one movie this weekend with a massive (given the movie and its fan base) $55M.

U.S Box Office Report - 23th - 25th May 2008

1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - $101.1M - $126M
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $23.3M - $91M
3. Iron Man - $20.1M - $252.3
4. What Happens In Vegas - $9M - $54.2M
5. Speed Racer - $4M - $36.2M
6. Made of Honor - $3.4M - $39M
7. Baby Mama - $3.3M - $52.1M
8. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $1.6M - $58.1M
9. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - $0.9M - $35.9M
10. The Visitor - $0.7M - $4.4M


Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the the Crystal Skull has been a long time coming. Has all the hype paid off? Opening on a few screens on Wednesday night and expanding into over 4000 locations on Thursday the film had a decent, if not record breaking first day tally of around $25M, the fourth biggest Thursday take ever (though a long way off the $50M scored by Revenge of the Sith, but that didn't open on a holiday weekend which Indiana Jones has - which may have prompted people to wait until Saturday or Sunday to visit the cinema knowing they had Monday off work) and would go on to score a further $31M on Friday (placing it at 15th biggest Friday - again, it's worth noting that a number of films above it opened on the Friday as opposed to the Thursday like Indiana Jones). Going into the weekend Indiana Jones was riding high on a $50M+ start so things weren't looking bad.

U.S Box Office Report - 16th - 18th May 2008

1. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - $56.5M - $56.5M
2. Iron Man - $31.2M - $222M
3. What Happens In Vegas - $13.8M - $40.3M
4. Speed Racer - $7.6M - $24.3M
5. Baby Mama - $4.59M - $47.2M
6. Made of Honor - $4.5M - $33.7M
7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $2.5M - $55M
8. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - $1.8M - $33.9M
9. Forbidden Kingdom - $1.0M - $50M
10. The Visitor - $0.6M - $3.4M


Prince Caspian is our number one movie and is already being called a disastrous release in some quarters. How does that logic work? The first movie opened to $65M in December 2005 and would go on to make $291M by the end of it domestic run. Prince Caspian has opened quite a bit behind that and unlike the first movie, this one faces an insane amount of competition in the coming weeks.

U.S Box Office Report - 9th - 11th May 2008

1. Iron Man - $50M - $177.1M
2. Speed Racer - $20.2M - $20.2M
3. What Happens In Vegas - $20M - $20M
4. Made of Honor - $7.6M - $26.2M
5. Baby Mama - $5.7M - $40.3M
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $3.7M - $50.7M
7. Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay - $3.1M - $30.7M
8. Forbidden Kingdom - $1.9M - $48.2M
9. Nim's Island - $1.3M - $44.2M
10. Redbelt - $1.1M - $1.2M
(11. Prom Night - $1M - $42.8M)


Iron Man retains the top spot and is off around 48%, which is a lot better than a lot of the big openers last years. With the hype machine in full swing it was inevitable that the film would be front loaded but strong word of mouth and repeat business helped it see off the two new releases comfortably. The film has already made over $275M in total box office sales and that's after just ten days of general release. Prince Caspian will knock it down a place next weekend but neither of this week's releases offered it any kind of serious competition. A rarity for summer movies, Iron Man received almost universally positive reviews, with Robert Downey Jnr coming in for particular praise. A sequel to Iron Man has already been announced and will be in theatres in 2010.

U.S Box Office Report - 2nd - 4th May 2008

1. Iron Man -  $104M - $104M
2. Made of Honor - $15.6M - $15.5M
3. Baby Mama - $10.3M - $32.3M
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $6.1M - $44.8M
5. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay -  $6M - $25.2M
6. Forbidden Kingdom - $4.2M - $45.1M
7. Nim's Island - $2.7M - $42.5M
8. Prom Night - $2.5M - $41.4M
9. 21 - $2.1M - $79M
10. 88 Minutes - $1.6M - $15.4M


Iron Man smashes into the top of the charts with an estimated $104M total for three days and a few hours of Thursday night ($3.5M roughly) and Summer has truly and finally arrived. Early estimates veered from $85M for the weekend all the way up to $110M. It had the trailers and the word of mouth but didn't have the cachet of something like a Spiderman. All that hype has obviously paid off handsomely both in the US and the rest of the world, where it's already racked up another $95M. Iron Man's global total since Thursday night stands at huge $201M from a budget of $140M. The film was a further success with critics scoring an impressive 96% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. A solid opening, ranking 10th in all time openings and 8th for a May release, not to mention Robert Downey Jnr's biggest ever movie by far.

U.S Box Office Report - 25th - 27th April 2008

1. Baby Mama - $18.3M - $18.3M
2. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - $14.6M - $14.6M
3. Forbidden Kingdom - $11.2M - $38.3M
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $11.1M - $35M
5. Nim's Island $4.5M - $38.9M
6. Prom Night $4.4M - $38.1M
7. 21 - $4M - $75.7M
8. 88 Minutes - $3.6M - $12.6M
9. Horton Hears A Who - $2.4M - $147M
10. Deception $2.2M - $2.2M


Sorry about the lack of report last weekend!

Our no.1 movie this weekend is the comedy Baby Mama, starring two Saturday Night Live stalwarts (at one time or another), Amy Poehler and Tiny Fey. The film features Fey as a successful business woman who finds out she is infertile and decides to ask Poehler, a south Philadelphia working class girl to be her surrogate after a chance meeting throws them together. The female demographic have had to little to shout about of late but Baby Mama seems to have fitted the bill perfectly. What's more it kept Harold & Kumar off the top spot - no mean task given most box office analysts had them easily winning the weekend. Baby Mama should have been made fairly cheaply and should see a good profit by the end of its run. It's worth noting that while both of the leads originate from SNL, the film in no way ties back to any characters they play on the show, unlike most SNL related films.

U.S Box Office Report - 18th - 20th April 2008

1. The Forbidden Kingdom - $20.8M - $20.8M
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - $17.3M New $17,3
3. Prom Night - $9.1M - $32.5M
4. 88 Minutes - $6.8M $6.8M
5. Nim's Island - $5.6M - $32.8M
6. 21 - $5.5M $69.9M
7. Street Kings - $4M - $19.8M
8. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears Who - $3.5M - $144.4M
9. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed - $3.1M - $3.1M
10. Leatherheads - $3M - $26.5M


Just returned from a weekend away so just the numbers this weekend. Must say I expected Sarah Marshall to win the weekend but the Jet Li & Jackie Chan partnership wins it comfortably.

U.S Box Office Report - 11th - 13th April 2008

1. Prom Night - $22.7M - $22.7
2. Street Kings - $12M - $12M
3. 21 - $11M - $62M
4. Nim's Island - $9M - $25.2M
5. Leatherheads - $6.2M - $21.9M
6. Horton Hears a Who - $6M - $139.6M
7. Smart People - $4.2M - $4.2M
8. The Ruins - $3.2M - $13.4M
9. Superhero Movie - $3.1M - $21.2M
10. Drillbit Taylor - $2M - $28.4M


Another week and another god awful remake - at least this one isn't an Asian movie update but rather a remake of the 80s slasher flick Prom Night. Utterly watered down and polished to a bright shine, Prom Night has somehow become the number one film in North America this weekend. With next to no known stars and a PG13 rating (How can a good horror movie be PG13?) it seems that the public saw something in Prom Night that they didn't see in the other new releases or existing movies in the top ten. It'll fall fast and be a distant memory within three weeks but a success like this just sends the message to Hollywood that the public prefer their horror with no scares, no gore and no new ideas. Given its lack of stars and production value, Prom Night is probably already in profit.

U.S Box Office Report - 4th - 6th April 2008

1. 21 - $15.1M - $45.5M
2. Leatherheads - $13.4M - $13.4M
3. Nim's Island - $13.3M - $13.3M
4. Horton Hears a Who - $9.1M - $131M
5. The Ruins - $7.8M - $7.8M
6. Superhero Movie - $5.4M - $16.8M
7. Meet the Browns - $3.5M - $37.7M
8. Drillbit Taylor - $3.4M - $25.4M
9. Shutter - $2.8M - $23.1M
10. 10,000 B.C. - $2.7M - $89.3M


In something of an upset, 21 retains the top spot in its second weekend of release. It was widely expected that George Clooney's Leatherheads would take the top spot but it was pretty evident on Friday night that the public hadn't taken to the throwback 1920s slapstick comedy. 21 is well on the way to $50M and should see it during the coming week, making Sony happy as the budget was just $35M.

U.S Box Office Report - 28th - 30th March 2008

1. 21 - $23.7M - $23.7M
2. Horton Hears a Who - $17.4M - $117.3M
3. Superhero Movie - $9.5M - $9.5M
4. Meet the Browns - $7.8M - $32.8M
5. Drillbit Taylor - $5.6M - $20.5M
6. Shutter - $5.6M - $19.1M
7. 10,000 B.C. - $4.8M - $84.9M
8. Stop-Loss - $4.5M - $4.5M
9. College Road Trip - $3.4M - $38.3M
10. The Bank Job - $2.8M - $24.1M


After a couple of weekends in the top spot, Horton has met his match in a group of MIT students. 21 is our number one movie this week and is based on the successful book Bringing Down the House (a title already taken by the Steve Martin vehicle) about a group of students who can 'count cards', enabling them to take a Las Vegas casino for millions of dollars. Kevin Spacey and Laurence Fishburne stars as the student's mentor and the Casino's head of security respectably, with the rest of the cast being rounded out by relative newcomers.

That opening take is pretty impressive for a mostly action free movie (one that's in just over 2,600 locations) and there's every chance that 21 skewed a slightly older demographic. With Horton in its third weekend and the other releases being of questionable quality, 21 was able to clean up handsomely. It's doubtful that the film cost more than $45M so will be well on the way to recouping its budget by Monday afternoon, when final numbers are issued.

U.S Box Office Report - 21st - 23th March 2008

1. Horton Hears a Who - $25.1M - $86.4M
2. Meet the Browns - $20M - $20M
3. Shutter - $10.7M - $10.7M
4. Drillbit Taylor - $10.2M - $10.2M
5. 10,000 B.C. - $8.6M - $76.1M
6. Never Back Down - $4.8M - $16.8M
7. College Road Trip - $4.6M - $32M
8. The Bank Job - $4.1M - $19.4
9. Vantage Point - $3.8M - $65.2M
10. Under The Same Moon - $2.6M - $3.3M


With it being Easter takings on Sunday will be much lower than on any normal Sunday. That said, Easter could benefit Horton and Meet The Browns as they're both family-centric films and the studios will be hoping that families think going to the cinema together is a very Eastery thing to do. Horton retains the top spot with its Friday take off just 22% from the same time last week. After a strong opening the film has powered towards recouping its $85M budget and crossed $100M globally (that includes its domestic take). With the family market being starved save for Spiderwicke, they've lapped up Horton and it should have no trouble surpassing the take of The Cat in the Hat. Two movies open wide next weekend but neither will affect Horton's market directly giving it a potential third decent weekend in a row.

U.S Box Office Report - 14th - 16th March 2008

1. Horton Hears a Who - $45.1M - $45.1M
2. 10,000 B.C. - $16.4M - $61.2M
3. Never Back Down - $8.6M - $8.6M
4. College Road Trip - $7.8M - $24.2M
5. Vantage Point - $5.4M - $59.2M
6. The Bank Job - $4.9M - $4.9M
7. Doomsday - $4.7M - $4.7M
8. Semi-Pro - $2.9M - $29.7M
9. The Other Boleyn Girl - $2.9M - $19.1M
10. The Spiderwick Chronicles - $2.3M - $65.4M


With the family market being pretty much restricted to Spiderwicke or Hannah Montana in the past few months, they've turned out in their droves to see Horton Hears A Who. Furthermore, with Horton being targetted at the younger crowd, it's managed to rope in more business. Previous Dr Seuss adaptations have been a mixed bag - The Grinch did some impressive business back in 2000 (a total of $260M) but the Cat in the Hat struggled to $100M (yet curiously, according to Box Office Prophets, if you factor in inflation, Horton opened to the same amount as The Cat in the Hat).

U.S Box Office Report - 7th - 9th March 2008

1. 10,000 B.C. - $35.7M - $35.7M
2. College Road Trip - $14M - $14M
3. Vantage Point - $7.5M - $51.6M
4. Semi-Pro - $5.7M - $24.6M
5. The Bank Job - $5.7M - $5.7M
6. The Spiderwick Chronicles - $4.8M - $61.7M
7. The Other Boleyn Girl - $4.0M - $14.6M
8. Jumper - $3.7M - $72.5M
9. Step Up 2 The Streets - $3M - $53M
10. Fool's Gold - $2.8M - $62.8M


The Roland Emmerich prehistoric epic 10,000BC is the top movie of the weekend. Expected to worry some March records, BC didn't really hit the high notes like last March's 300 did, but a weekend take of $35M isn't a bad place to start, providing it can stack it on during the week and into next weekend. 10,000BC was always going to be the weekend winner but I imagine the studio would have loved to have seen a take closer to $50M. Unlike 300, BC had very little hype behind it and only the very latest of trailer picqued any interest.

With no stars to lock onto, the film had to concentrate on spectacle, which it appears to have in buckets. Director Roland Emmerich is used to epic, he's destroyed New York three times (and will do again in 2009 with his high priced script/movie '2012') and 10,000 BC opens only as his 4th biggest movie. With a rumoured budget of $75M, 10,000BC shouldn't be a failure but isn't the 'blockbuster outside of the blockbuster' season that many were predicting. Next weekend brings the limited release of Doomsday and Horton Hears A Who (3000+ locations) so it'll be interesting to see how 10,000BC shapes up against them - with a good second weekend it could become the biggest movie of 2008 by the end of the month.

U.S Box Office Report - 29th Feb - 2nd March 2008

1. Semi-Pro - $15.3M - $15.3M
2. Vantage Point - $13M - $41M
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles - $8.8M - $55M
4. The Other Boleyn Girl - $8.3M - $8.3M
5. Jumper - $7.6M - $66.8
6. Step Up 2 The Streets -  $5.7M - $48.5M
7. Fool's Gold - $4.6M - $59M
8. Penelope - $4M - $4M
9. No Country For Old Men - $4M - $4M
10. Juno - $3.3M - $135M


Right about now Will Ferrell is wondering what he's done wrong. Semi-Pro was expected to open big just like Tallegda Nights and Blades of Glory had. It had all the right ingredients - Ferrell in a wacky sports comedy, with off the wall humour and some familiar faces in support. Early word pointed out nothing out of the ordinary and Ferrell was looking at a $30M+ weekend. Nights had opened to $47M while Blades did $33M at the end of March last year and even a straighter role, Stranger Than Fiction, gave him a $13M opening weekend.

U.S Box Office Report - 22nd - 24th February 2008

1. Vantage Point - $24M - $24M
2. Jumper - $12.6M - $56M
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles - $12.6M - $43.5M
4. Step Up 2 The Streets - $9.7M - $41.4M
5. Fool's Gold - $6.2M - $52.4M
6. Definitely, Maybe - $5.1M - $21.7M
7. Be Kind Rewind -  $4.1M - $4.1M
8. Juno - $4.1M - $130M
9. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins - $3.9M - $35.4M
10. There Will Be Blood - $2.5M - $34.9M

With the Oscars today, Sunday's takings may be a few dollars lower than expected, but that's not stopped studios giving us four new releases. Vantage Point, the multi-camera, multi perspective thriller opens with a strong $24M. Featuring Forest Whittaker, Dennis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver, Matthew Fox and William Hurt to name just a few, Vantage Point tells of an assassination attempt on the president of the United States, as seen from the perspective of agents, tourists, TV network people and the president himself.

U.S Box Office Report - 15th - 17th February 2008

1. Jumper - $27.2M - $33.8M
2. Step Up 2 The Streets -  $19.6M - $26.2
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles - $19M - $21.3M
4. Fool's Gold - $13M - $42M
5. Definitely, Maybe - $9.6M - $12.8M
6. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins - $8.8M - $29.1M
7. Juno - $4.6M - $124M
8. The Bucket List - $4.1M - $81M

9.  Hannah Montana - $3.2M - $58.4M
10. 27 Dresses - $3.1M - $69.9M


This weekend's numbers are a bit higher than normal thanks to a Thursday opening for four of the new releases and it being President's Day tomorrow (a Monday holiday usually results in higher than normal Sunday numbers). The Doug Liman action thriller Jumper is the number one movie with ease this weekend. Starring Hayden Christensen as a guy who can teleport anywhere in an instant, Jumper is Liman's third straight hit in a row after The Bourne Identity & Mr & Mrs Smith. It's also a good score for Christensen, who has struggled to shake off the Star Wars films.

U.S Box Office Report - 8th - 10th February 2008

1. Fool's Gold - $22M - $22M
2. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins - $17.1M - $17.1M
3. Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour - $10.5M - $53.3M
4. The Eye - $6.6M - $21.5M
5. Juno - $5.7M - $117.6M
6. 27 Dresses - $5.7M - $65.3M
7. The Bucket List - $5.3M - $75M
8. Rambo -  $4.1M - $36.5M
9. Meet the Spartans - $4M - $33.9M
10. There Will Be Blood - $4M - $26.7M


The latest teaming up of Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson crashes into the top spot with a pretty impressive figure for a run of the mill romantic comedy. Fool's Gold features McConaughey as a laid back treasure hunter and Hudson as his estranged wife who find themselves on the trail of what could be the big score he's always promised her. Fool's Gold marks Hudson second biggest opening movie since her last collaboration with McConaughey, How to Lose A Guy In Ten Days(back in 2003 to the tune of $23M). McConaughey himself scored higher with How To Lose A Guy and the surprise success of Failure to Launch in October 2006.

U.S Box Office Report - 1st - 3rd February 2008

1. Hannah Montana: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour - $29M - $29M
2. The Eye - $13M - $13M
3. 27 Dresses - $8.4M - $57M
4. Juno - $7.4M - $110M
5. Meet the Spartans - $7.1M - $28.3M
6. Rambo - $7M - $29.8M
7. The Bucket List - $6.8M - $67.6M
8. Untraceable - $5.4M - $19.4M
9. Cloverfield - $4.9M - $71M
10. There Will Be Blood - $4.7M - $21.1M


With it being Superbowl weekend, the studios have thrown out a pretty mixed bag to try and rope in anyone who's not watching the game. Hannah Montana is a very popular kid's TV show, featuring Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana. The Best of Both Worlds concert tour has been a sellout where ever its played and this concert movie, in 3D, opened in just 683 locations (the amount of screens capable of displaying the film correctly).

U.S Box Office Report - 25th - 27th January 2008

1 Meet the Spartans $18.7M - $18.7M
2 Rambo $18.1M - $18.1M
3 27 Dresses $13.6M - $45.3M
4 Cloverfield $12.7M - $64.2M
5 Untraceable $11.2M - $11.2M
6 Juno $10.3M - $100.1M
7 The Bucket List $10.2M - $57.6M
8 There Will Be Blood $4.8M - $14.7M
9 National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets $4.6M - $205.4M
10 Mad Money $4.6M - $15.2M


Will they never learn? The abysmal Meet The Spartans takes the top spot this weekend, opening in the same ballpark as last year's Epic Movie, of which this is an unofficial sequel. The film which spoofs 300 amongst others was expected to finish fourth this weekend but cinema goers looking for a comedy (!) obviously saw differently. Cost wise, this one was $30M, which it should just about recoup before performing well on unrated DVD. Expect another sequel of sorts next year. Who is seeing these films? The only saving grace is that this will fall fast next weekend and be a distant memory shortly after. Epic Movie took almost half its final box office tally in its opening weekend.

U.S Box Office Report - 18th - 20th January 2008

1. Cloverfield - $41M - $41M
2. 27 Dresses - $22.4M - $22.4M
3. The Bucket List - $15.1M - $42.7M
4. Juno - $10.1M - $85.3M
5. National Treasure: Book of Secrets - $8.1M - $198M
6. First Sunday - $7.8M - $28.4M
7. Mad Money - $7.7M - $7.7
8. Alvin and the Chipmunks - $7M - $196M
9. I Am Legend - $5.1M - $247M
10. Atonement - $4.7M - $31.8M


This weekend the box office report falls over the Martin Luther King Holiday, so takings will be a little higher for the weekend, with a stronger than normal Monday to follow. These numbers are based on the three day estimates, as per usual.

U.S Box Office Report - 11th - 13th January 2008

1. The Bucket List - $19.5M - $20.9M
2. First Sunday - $19M - $19M
3. Juno - $14M - $71.2M
4. National Treasure: Book of Secrets - $11.4M - $187.2M
5. Alvin and the Chipmunks - $9.1M - $187.7M
6. I Am Legend - $8.1M - $240.2M
7. One Missed Call - $6.1M - $20.6M
8. P.S. I Love You - $5M - $47M
9. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie - $4.4M - $4.4M
10. Atonement - $4.2M - $25.2M


The Bucket List is our number one film this weekend. Starrring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, The Bucket List tells the tale of two terminal cancer patients who decide to create a list of all the things they want to do before they die. Two heavy weights in a potential comic and moving story could have been a shoe-in for awards but this was trashed pretty harshly by critics.

Friday 11 February 2011

U.S Box Office Report - 28th - 30th December 2007

Again, a really detailed and well thought out report. I've no idea how long it took LC and Charles to write their reports but I'd like to thank them both again for giving up their time to keep them going while I was away. A great read!

1 National Treasure: Book of Secrets $35.6M - $124M
2 Alvin and the Chipmunks $30M - $142.3M
3 I Am Legend $27.5M -  $194.5M
4 Charlie Wilson's War . $11.7M - $34.5M
5 Juno $10.3M - $25.6M
6 Alien Vs. Predator - Requiem $10M - $26.8M
7 The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep $9.2M - $16.8M
8 P.S. I Love You $9.1M - $23.3M
9 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street $8M - $26.7M
10 Enchanted $6.5M - $110. 6M
11 The Great Debaters  $6.3M -$13.5M
12 The Golden Compass NL $4,360,000 $58,869,000


This Weekend's Box Office may feel a little strange for a couple of reasons. Firstly is that a lot of the industry is still on holiday and so as I am sure many of you will have noticed news websites are being operated by a skeleton staff and so it is a quiet period for stats, box office figures and other information which might be interesting to go with the figures. Great for those people with homes and families to go to, bad if you are me and are trying to work out what has gone on this weekend...

U.S Box Office Report - 21st - 23rd December 2007

Another great report from Lord Cookie! As with Charles, I'm glad LC didn't do the report for too long as I'd have long since given up!

1. National Treasure: Book of Secrets $45.5M - $45.5M
2. I Am Legend $34.2M - $137.4M
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks $29M - $84.8M

4. Charlie Wilson's War $9.6M - $9.6M
5. Sweeney Todd $9.3M - $9.3M
6. PS: I Love You $6.5M - $6.5M
7. Enchanted $4.1M - $98.3M
8. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story $4.1M - $4.1M
9. The Golden Compass $3.9M - $48.4M
10. Juno $3.4M - $6.3M


After the barren winter weeks at the US box office we are now experiencing an upturn in fortunes. I Am Legend was a record breaker last week and the box office is remaining buoyant this weekend too as we see a 41% increase in revenue from this time last year. Nine new films were released this week or saw a wider release across the country. This sudden surge of movies flooding the market has altered the top 10 greatly as they all jostle for position going into the lucrative holiday period where families have some spare time and go to the cinema with loved ones and friends. Due to a weekend falling between Christmas and New Year this time around some analysts believe that whatever film was number one this week will stay number one right into January. Of course analysts are often wrong but it will be interesting to see if National Treasure can hold on to that top spot.

U.S Box Office Report - 13th - 15th December 2007

Another great RLLMUK poster/regular, Charles took over from Lord Cookie for the second week of my holidays. A brilliant report and reading it made me glad that Charles didn't do the report each week as I'd quickly have been forgotten! 
 
1. I Am Legend - $76.5M - $77.4M
2. Alvin And The Chipmunks - $45M - $45M
3. The Golden Compass -  $9M - $40.5M
4. Enchanted - $6M - $91.7M
5. No Country For Old Men - $3M - $33.3M
6. The Perfect Holiday - $2.9M - $46M
7. Fred Claus - $2.3M - $68.7M
8. This Christmas - $2.3M - $2.8M
9. Atonement - $1.8M - $2.9M

10. August Rush - $1.7M - $28M

We start off this weekend with Hollywood crucially needing a top draw hit. Last weekends Golden Compass which was positioning itself as the Christmas movie of 2007 failed to set the charts alight and according to Rotten Tomatoes it’s failed critically as well. Studio main man Bob Shaye seems to be placing the blame at anyone but himself with the flicks director Chris Weitz taking the main flack but also a couple of pot shots at New Line’s own President of Production Toby Emmerich. And you can see why. This was New Line’s big hope for the year and for a studio which has had as many misses recently as New Line has, to see the Golden Compass fail so solidly must be the deal breaker. Expect some changes in New Line staff in the New Year.

U.S Box Office Report - 7th - 9th December 2007

The fantastic RLLMUK poster Lord Cookie took over for the first week. LC's knowledge of films is second to none and I wish I had even half of the skill he has in writing about film. A real one-of-a-kind and a huge boost to RLLMUK's Film/TV section.

1. The Golden Compass $26.1M - $26.1M
2. Enchanted $10.7M - $83.8M
3. This Christmas $5M - $42.7M
4. Fred Claus $4.6M - $65.5M
5. Beowulf $4.4M - $75.9M
6. No Country for Old Men $4.2M -$28.8M
7. August Rush $3.5M - $25.1M
8. Hitman $3.4M - $35.8M
9. Awake $3.3M - $10.7M
10. Bee Movie $2.6M - $121M


It was hard to miss the big release of the week unless you have been living under a rock for the past fortnight but even though The Golden Compass has been extensively advertised and had many column inches written about it in the press it has failed to turn that buzz into box office gold. In fact the film has been a disaster.

U.S Box Office Report - 30th Nov - 2nd Dec 2007

As mentioned, this would be my last box office report of 2007. The break in reports was due to a trip with to see family in Australia and introduce them to our daughter.

1. Enchanted - $17M - $70M
2. This Christmas - $8.4M - $36.8M
3. Beowulf - $7.8M - $68.6M
4. Awake - $6M - $6M
5. Hitman - $5.8M - $30.2M
6. Fred Claus - $5.5M - $59.7M
7. August Rush - $5.1M - $20M
8. No Country For Old Men - $4.5M - $23M
9. Bee Movie - $4.4M - $117.6M
10. American Gangster - $4.2M - $121.7M


A short box office report this weekend as there's not really any big news. With only one minor new release (had anyone heard of Awake until a few weeks ago?) and just a bit of shuffling around, it's easy to see why the post-thanksgiving weekend is one of the quietest of the year. The big winner last weekend retains the top spot - Enchanted, which opened to nearly $50M and some great reviews continues to capitalize on that with some equally excellent word of mouth. The movie will recoup its production budget by next weekend so Disney are quids in from there on out. Enchanted should easily see $100M before christmas. Expect a sequel to be greenlit the moment the writers strike is over.

U.S Box Office Report - 23th - 25th November 2007

1. Enchanted - $35.3M - $50M
2. This Christmas - $18.6M - $27.1M
3. Beowulf - $16.2M - $56.3M
4. Hitman - $13M - $21M
5. Bee Movie - $12M - $112M
6. Fred Claus - $10.7M - $53M
7. August Rush - $9.4M - $13.3M
8. American Gangster - $9.2M - $115.7M
9. The Mist - $9M - $13M
10. No Country for Old Men - $8.1M - $16.6M


Thanksgiving weekend is always a bit of a mess - lots of new releases, some opening Wednesday, some Friday and always at least one upset. This Thanksgiving that award goes to The Mist, which we'll get to later on. Thanksgiving's winner by a country mile is Enchanted, the latest Disney family movie which is a mix of traditional animation and live actions as fairytale princess who falls through a rift and ends up in modern day New York. The key element here is family - which rules during Thanksgiving as whole families take a traditional visit to the cinema. Enchanted certainly struck a chord to the tune of $50M, which is higher than some big summer movies opened with, and certainly one of the highest opening takes of the last few months.

U.S Box Office Report - 16th - 18th November 2007

1. Beowulf - $28.1M - $28.1M
2. Bee Movie - $14.3M - $93.8M
3. American Gangster - $13.2M - $100.9M
4. Fred Claus - $12M - $35.7M
5. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium - $10M - $10M
6. Dan in Real Life -  $4.5M - $37M
7. No Country for Old Men - $3M - $4.9M
8. Lions for Lambs - $2.9M - $11.5M
9. Saw IV - $2.3M - $61.8M
10. Love in the Time of Cholera - $1.9M - $1.9M


Beowulf was always going to be a tough sell. A revolutionary film making technique combined with a poem that's as old as the hills. Huge number weren't estimated and Beowulf has gone on to open at pretty much where the pre-weekend estimates had it pegged. It needs all the money it can make too and the fantastic word of mouth in regards the Imax 3D version of the film could be what helps prop it up in the coming weekends. As openings go its not that great (even Eragon opened with $23M last year) but this is almost an experiment in film making, utilising the technique pioneered by Zemekis in The Polar Express (and to be seen next in A Christmas Carol) and moved closer to perfection here. As of writing, no specific Imax figures where available but it has the potential to set records in that arena.

U.S Box Office Report - 9th - 11th November 2007

1. Bee Movie - $26M - $72.2M
2. American Gangster - $24M - $80.6M
3. Fred Claus - $19.2M - $19.2M
4. Lions For Lambs - $6.7M - $6.7M
5. Dan in Real Life - $5.8M - $30.6M
6. Saw IV - $5M - $58M
7. The Game Plan - $2.4M - $85.4M
8. P2 - $2.2M - $2.2M
9. 30 Days of Night - $2.1M - $37.3M
10. Martian Child - $1.7M - $6M


Well this is a turn up indeed! After settling for second place last weekend Bee Movie moves into the top spot (an event that I don't recall ever happening before) with a loss of just 31% of business from last weekend. Some impressive word of mouth and perhaps a little apathy towards the new releases has really helped Bee Movie this last week, into the weekend. With Beowulf not being as family friendly next weekend, Bee Movie could easily have another strong weekend. Faced with Fred Clause and The Game Plan, Bee Movie easily triumphed and moves onwards now toward $80M.

U.S Box Office Report - 2nd - 4th November 2007

1. American Gangster -  $46.3M - $46.3M
2. Bee Movie - $39.1M - $39.1M
3. Saw IV - $11M - $51M
4. Dan In Real Life - $8.2M - $22.9M
5. 30 Days of Night - $4M - $34.1M
6. The Game Plan - $3.8M - $81.9M
7. Martian Child -  $3.6M - $3.6M
8. Michael Clayton - $2.9M - $33.1M
9. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? - $2.7M - $51.9M
10. Gone Baby Gone - $2.4M - $14.9M

The re teaming of Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe performs much better than Virtuosity did back in 1995. American Gangster, Ridley Scott's third film with Crowe opens in the top spot with ease, seeing off all comers, old and new. This marks Scott's biggest weekend haul since Hannibal back in 2001, while being both Washington's & Crowe's biggest weekend openings of their career. The R rating and the 2 hours 40 minutes run time could easily have worked against it and while not receiving stellar reviews across the board, American Gangster was given more than a few good words - combined with some decent trailers and some early oscar talk, and you see how successful the movie has become. It'll face competition next weekend from Lions for Lambs in the dramatic arena but for now, this is a return to form for Crowe & Scott who stumbled badly with last November's A Good Year.

U.S Box Office Report - 26th - 28th October 2007

1. Saw IV -  $32.1M - $32.1M
2. Dan In Real Life - $12M - $12M
3. 30 Days of Night - $6.7M - $27.3M
4. The Game Plan - $6.2M - $77M
5. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? - $5.7M - $47.3M
6. Michael Clayton - $5M - $28.7M
7. Gone Baby Gone - $3.9M - $11.3M
8. The Comebacks -  $3.45M - $10M
9. We Own the Night - $3.4M - $25M
10. The Nightmare Before Christmas - $3.3M - $10M


After the sheer mass of new releases the past few weeks we ease into the calm that is the last weekend in October. Only two major releases join the top ten and the number one film was guaranteed the second it was announced. Saw IV takes the top spot with roughly the same take as Saw III did this weekend last year. Factoring in inflation doesn't really work with releases so close to one another but it does look like the Saw series has reached its ceiling point. The fans turned out this weekend and while the film will see a 55%+ drop next weekend, it had probably recouped its production budget by the end of Friday night. Saw III finished up with over $80M by the end of its theatrical run and this one should perform roughly the same. It also seemed that the Saw series was impervious to the downturn of interest in the 'torture porn' genre that saw The Hills Have Eyes 2, Hostel 2 & Turistas all flop in the last year. Saw V & VI are being shot back to back and will see a release in October 2009.

U.S Box Office Report - 21st - 23rd October 2007

1. 30 Days of Night -  $16M - $16M
2. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? - $12.1M - $38.6M
3. The Game Plan - $8.1M - $69.1
4. Michael Clayton -  $7.1M - $21.9M
5. Gone Baby Gone - $6M - $6M
6. The Comebacks -  $5.8M - $5.8M
7. We Own the Night - $5.6M - $19.7M
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D - $5.1M - $5.1M
9. Rendition - $4.1M - $4.1M
10. The Heartbreak Kid - $3.9M - $32.1M


Another big release week sees at least seven new films hitting screens, at least half of which are opening on 1100 screens or more. Seven releases on one weekend has happened just twice before - once during Christmas of 1995 and again in Christmas of 1982.

U.S Box Office Report - 12th - 14th October 2007

1. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married - $21.5M - $21.5M
2. The Game Plan - $11.5M - $59.4M
3. Michael Clayton - $11M - $12M
4. We Own the Night - $11M - $11M
5. The Heartbreak Kid - $7.4M - $26M
6. Elizabeth: The Golden Age -  $6.1M - $6.1M
7. The Kingdom - $4.5M - $39.9M
8. Across the Universe - $4.0M - $12.9M
9. Resident Evil: Extinction - $2.6M - $48M
10. The Seeker - $2.1M - $7.1M

A movie very few people outside the US will have ever heard of takes the top spot this week. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married performs better than Perry's previous movie, Daddy's Little Girl, released in Feb 2007. That movie opened to $11M and went on to gross over $30M. Tyler Perry and his alter-ego Madea (Perry in a female fat suit - who doesn't always feature) should never be underestimated. He first struck movie success when Diary of a Mad Black Woman made $50M from a budget of just $5.5M. A year later Madea's Family Reunion took $63M from a budget of just $6M.

U.S Box Office Report - 5th - 7th October 2007

1. The Game Plan - $16.2M - $42.8M
2. The Heartbreak Kid - $14M - $14M
3. The Kingdom - $9.3M - $31M
4. Resident Evil: Extinction - $4.3M - $43.4M
5. Seeker: The Dark is Rising - $3.7M - $3.7M
6. Good Luck Chuck - $3.5M - $29M
7. Feel the Noise - $3.4M - $3.4M
8. 3:10 To Yuma -  $3M - $48.5M
9. Mr. Woodcock - $2.2M - $34.3M
10. The Brave One - $2M - $22.3M


Bit of a quick report this weekend - only just got back from a weekend away and I'm shattered. Also, the numbers seem to be getting later and later each week. During the summer Box Office Mojo posted the estimates around 5:15pm UK time. The last few weeks its been getting on for 6:30-7PM before they're online.

U.S Box Office Report - 28th - 30th September 2007

1. The Game Plan - $22.6M - $22.6M
2. The Kingdom - $17.6M - $17.6
3. Resident Evil: Extinction - $8M - $36M
4. Good Luck Chuck - $6.3M - $23.5M
5. 3:10 To Yuma - $4.1M - $43.9M
6. The Brave One -  $3.73M - $30.8M
7.Mr. Woodcock - $3M - $19.1M
8. Eastern Promises - $2.8M - $11.2M
9. Sydney White - $2.6M - $8.5M
10. Across the Universe - $2M - $5.5M


A minor upset this weekend sees The Game Plan taking the top spot instead of the expected 'The Kingdom'. With The Game Plan being the only real family friendly film in the top ten (in fact, there's not been a family friendly film since Mr Bean's Holiday) it should have been inevitable that it'd get the top spot, regardless of how awful it looked in the trailers. In a starring capacity, this film marks the best opening for a Rock movie since 2002 Scorpion King. After the disappointment of Gridiron Gang and Doom, the Rock needed a bit of success, and this comedy about a football player who discovers he has a daughter looks to be the right movie at the right time.

U.S Box Office Report - 21st - 23rd September 2007

1. Resident Evil: Extinction - $24M - $24M
2. Good Luck Chuck - $14M - $14M
3. The Brave One -  $7.4M - $25M
4. 3:10 To Yuma - $6.3M - $37.9M
5. Eastern Promises -  $5.7M - $6.5M
6. Sydney White - $5.3M - $5.3M
7. Mr. Woodcock - $4.9M - $14.9M
8. Superbad - $3.1M - $116M
9. The Bourne Ultimatum - $2.8 - $M
10. Dragon Wars - $2.5M - $8.5M


This week sees three new releases in addition to a couple of movies that were in limited release expanding into more locations. This weekend also sees just two long standing releases in the charts - The Bourne Ultimatum and Superbad are the last two movies of the summer blockbusters - and both movies certainly live up to that moniker.

U.S Box Office Report - 14th - 16th September 2007

1. The Brave One - $14M - $14M
2. 3:10 to Yuma - $9.1M - $28.5M
3. Mr. Woodcock - $9.1M - $9.1M
4. Dragon Wars -  $5.3M - $5.3M
5. Superbad - $5.2M - $111.3M
6. Halloween - $5M - $51.2M
7. The Bourne Ultimatum -  $4.1M - $216.1M
8. Balls of Fury -  $3.3M - $28.8M
9. Rush Hour 3 -  $3.3M - $133.1M
10. Mr. Bean's Holiday - $2.6M - $28,4M


The Jodie Foster thriller 'The Brave One' opens in the top spot with an average $14M. Foster has always been a bankable star, with recent success with The Panic Room, Flightplan and her co-starring role in The Inside Man but reviews for the Brave One have been disappointing and on any other other week the film might not have even reached the relatively low $14M. Like we've seen with some recent hits, only a lack of new releases will keep this in the charts - where it release in June, the film would have been a memory in a fortnights time.

U.S Box Office Report - 7th - 9th September 2007

1. 3:10 To Yuma - $14.1M -$14.1M
2. Halloween - $10M - $44.2M
3. Superbad - $8M - $103M
4. Balls of Fury - $5.6M - $24.2M
5. The Bourne Ultimatum - $5.4M - $210M
6. Shoot 'Em Up - $5.4M - $5.4M
7. Rush Hour 3 - $5.3M - $129M
8. Mr. Bean's Holiday - $3.3M - $25M
9. The Nanny Diaries - $3.3M - $21M
10. Hairspray - $1.9M - $114M


Bit of an odd weekend for releases - the two major releases are aimed squarely at men, but in the US this weekend also marks the start of the NFL season meaning that Sunday takings may well be lower than on any other weekend. The Bale/Crowe remake 3:10 to Yuma opens in the top spot with a decent $14.1M. The film had somewhat limited appeal given it was a drama, a western one at that, and wasn't strictly action orientated. While Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are big names, neither of them are big enough to open a movie on their name alone (it could be argued that Batman opened Batman Begins, not Bale) so that opening weekend isn't too bad of a start. The film was very well reviewed and may well dig its heals into the top ten, if not the top spot, for a few weeks to come. It's worth noting that the film was only in 2,600 locations so that weekend total is pretty much what was expected of the movie.

U.S Box Office Report - 31st Aug - 1st Sept 2007

1. Halloween -  $26.5M - $26.5M
2. Superbad -  $12.2M - $89M
3. Balls of Fury - $11.6M - $11.6M
4. The Bourne Ultimatum - $10.1M - $199M
5. Rush Hour 3 - $8.2M - $120M
6. Mr. Bean's Holiday -  $5.9M - $19M
7. The Nanny Diaries - $5.1M - $15M
8. Death Sentence - $4.1M - $4.1M
9. War - $3.6M - $16.4M
10. Stardust - $3M - $30M

Labour Day weekend and the Rob Zombie remake of Halloween sets a record for a new release of this holiday period (The Sixth Sense actually took more but that wasn't in its opening weekend). The much criticized (before and after its release) horror movie is also a record for director Rob Zombie, whose House of a 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects both performed much better on DVD than during their theatrical run. Playing on knowledge of the original movie while roping in a whole new generation of horror fans, the film has probably already recouped its production budget (no figures are available as yet) and may well have already greenlit a sequel come Tuesday morning. This should be a very profitable movie for MGM and Weinstein company, the latter being in dire need of a hit. It won't be number one next weekend but could easily see $55-60M.

Superbad is off 32% in its third weekend on the charts as it edges closer to the $100M barrier. The film has practically every other foreign market awaiting its release and the good word of mouth should propel it to some impressive box office outside of the US (same with the similarly produced Knocked Up). Next up for co-star Seth Rogen is drug comedy The Pineapple Express.

The Bourne Ultimatum will see $200M by the end of the labour day weekend. It's already the most successful of the franchise and could still finish its domestic run with a box office total around $235M. A critical and financial success, the film is one of the few threquels of the summer of 2007 not to disappoint. The film is still awaiting release in a number of major foreign markets.

Our second new release is the comedy Balls of Fury, starring Dan Fogler and Christopher Walken. Walken plays a crime lord who organises a deadly table tennis tournament, with Fogler playing a fallen champion charged with infiltrating and bringing down the organisation. The box office for this one disappoints, more so when you consider the film opened on Wednesday. Most people gave this a wide berth and went to see Halloween or Superbad (again). This will vanish quickly and be on DVD before November.

Rush Hour 3 hasn't impressed in the foreign market and is still struggling to recoup its production budget with its US takings. It will see a slight improvement with the extra days holiday this weekend but is certainly in free fall now and won't even reach the $141M taken by the original Rush Hour movie back in 1998.

Mr Bean's Holiday has crossed $200M in total box office this weekend and is off around 40% in its second weekend of release in the US. It's opening weekend wasn't too bad considering its relatively low location count (just 1765) and its had to share this weekend with three wide new releases. Atkinson has stated this will be the last outing for the Mr Bean character and with that box office take, its a hell of a swansong.

The Nanny Diaries didn't do much business last weekend and it hasn't picked up any additional business in its second frame. The move from the middle of summer to the August had already done enough damage before the film was even released. It might just make another weekend on the charts but it's already been forgotten by most.

Our final new release is the Kevin Bacon revenge thriller Death Sentence. This garnered mostly average reviews but was expected to perform a bit better than it has. Directed by James Wan, who'd already had one release in cinemas this year (horror flop Dead Silence), Death Sentence was something of a throwback to 70s vigilantes flicks, particularly the Death Wish series. This will almost certainly be its only week on the charts.

War drops from fifth to ninth in only its second weekend and would have probably done better had it gone straight to DVD. Next for Statham is the Uwe Boll directed Dungeon Siege movie, The Bank Job and Death Race while Li has Warlords and The Forbidden Kingdom in post-production and had just begun work on The Mummy 3.

Stardust crosses the $30M mark this weekend, having never really made much impact on the box office since its release. Up next for director Matthew Vaughn is the comic book adaptation Thor.

3:10 To Yuma opened in a limited capacity this weekend and will expand into 2500 locations next weekend.