Kevin Smith's Best Opening Weekend Yet: Weekend Box Office 02/26 - 02/28

[Matthew Chmiel]

From Nikki Finke:

FRIDAY PM: Here are today's numbers from my sources. It's a dull pre-Oscar weekend at the North American box office with only two new genre releases fighting each other for No. 2. There were better than expected grosses considering the East Coast was slapped with another harsh snowstorm. Otherwise, there's not much to say. Holdover Shutter Island, the Marty Scorsese/Leo DiCaprio psychological thriller from Paramount, will easily stay No. 1 again with just a 51% drop from a week ago. It made $6.7M Friday for what should be a $21M weekend and estimated cume of $75+M. Warner Bros' Bruce Willis/Tracy Morgan buddy comedy Cop Out (formerly entitled A Couple Of Dicks) opened Friday with $6.2M for an expected $18.5M weekend which shows audiences are starved for laughs. Gee, you don't think director Kevin Smith's nationally blown-out-of-proportion fat fight with Southwest Airlines was a PR grab by this publicity hog, do you? It's the first film he helmed but also didn't write. Overture's doomsday horror pic The Crazies co-financed by Participant Media and Imagenation Abu Dhabi debuted with $5.7M Friday and probably a $15M weekend due to heavy TV ad rotation. Fox's Avatar will be crossing $700M domestic. And Sony Pictures Classics is platforming the French language prisoner drama A Prophet in 9 NY and LA locations after it's won several awards and is Oscar nominated. Industry types tonight are emailing me from the theaters gushing how good this pic is.

For comparison's sake, Smith's best opening weekend was in 2001 with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back with $11 million (Clerks II along with Zack and Miri only had $10 million opening weekends).

I had a suspicion Shutter Island would take the number one spot this weekend. Saw an early Friday evening screening of Cop Out which was barely a quarter full, but Shutter Island seemed nearly sold out when both films got out at the same time.

[tylergfoster]

Well, if it makes $18m this weekend, and drops 50% next weekend, it'll make $9m, which would put it at $27m. So it looks like Kevin has finally broken that $30m roof. He didn't exactly smash it, but he broke it.

[Fist of Doom]

Good for Kevin, but do people really consider this a "Kevin Smith" film? It looks like your standard buddy cop movie that could have been directed by anybody in Hollywood, and it wasn't written by Smith.

[Mr. Cinema]

On the flip side, The Wolfman is estimated for about $3.8 million weekend, which puts its total at a less-than-stellar $57 million. Looks like it's going to barely get past $60 mil. A disaster, unfortunately.

The worldwide gross prior to the weekend was right at $99 mil. I don't expect to see a bigger loss happening this year.

Given the basic story, this looked like a film that could've been made for around $75 mil, but somehow ends up at $175 mil or more. I hope this doesn't cause Universal to put the brakes on the upcoming/still developing Creature From the Black Lagoon remake.

[Michael Corvin]

ee, you don't think director Kevin Smith's nationally blown-out-of-proportion fat fight with Southwest Airlines was a PR grab by this publicity hog, do you?

Worst publicity stunt ever?

[mhg83]

Originally Posted by resinrats

Until he got kicked off the plane, I never knew Cop Out was directed by Smith. Considering when the news talks about him getting kicked off the plane, they always mention Cop Out, I wouldn't be surprised if he is purposly blowing it out of proportion just for the publicity. He might have planned it by getting on earlier plane knowing he is too big for the seats & there wouldn't be 2 open seats for his tubby ass, therefor being told to get off. So he is screwing Southwest with bad publicity just to get a few more $$$ for his movie. Asshat.

I don't think it was a publicity stunt. He was asked by good morning america to do an interview and he refused. GMA even showed up at his house and was turned away by his kid. I dont think that's something a publicity whore would do.

[MrSmearkase]

The Southwest Airlines incident going public is far from a publicity stunt. He's even said that they only reason he has told the story now is to both hopefully impact change in their policies, and also to own the situation, and try to spin a negative into a positive.

Kevin Smith is very forthcoming when it comes to pimping his own shit, and if he ever meant for this to be a publicity grab for his new movie, he'd be pretty honest about that from minute one.

[Hokeyboy]

Originally Posted by resinrats

Until he got kicked off the plane, I never knew Cop Out was directed by Smith. Considering when the news talks about him getting kicked off the plane, they always mention Cop Out, I wouldn't be surprised if he is purposly blowing it out of proportion just for the publicity. He might have planned it by getting on earlier plane knowing he is too big for the seats & there wouldn't be 2 open seats for his tubby ass, therefor being told to get off. So he is screwing Southwest with bad publicity just to get a few more $$$ for his movie. Asshat.

Most ill-informed, near-retarded jump-to-a-conclusion I've read in weeks.

[Star Wars Guy]

Directed by Kevin Smith? --- Yes
A Kevin Smith movie --- No

I like his Askewniverse stuff, but haven't cared much for his deviations (Jersey Girl, Zack & Miri). He commented in the past that he'd have a hard time finding passion in directing someone else's stuff. And I know he really took it hard when both JG & Z&M bombed. Going to the well too much with his other characters? Maybe, but when you have a small budget and you can double and triple that with just a $35 million take, I'd say stick to that. I for one would like to see the next chapter with Dante & Randall, especially with Dante having a kid to deal with. He's got a built in fan base with his core characters and as long as the stories are good, he can do well with that. I also respect that he's trying to branch out and do other things, and he can do whatever it is he wants.

[PopcornTreeCt]

I saw Cop Out by Kevin Smith like Pineapple Express by David Gordon Green, two directors selling out to try and get back to doing projects they love. At least I hope that is the case.

[Jackskeleton]

Yeah. Seemed like they wanted to do something and not have their name be the main feature.

[bluetoast]

Sort of like Spike Lee and Inside Man?

[Matthew Chmiel]

Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt

I saw Cop Out by Kevin Smith like Pineapple Express by David Gordon Green, two directors selling out to try and get back to doing projects they love. At least I hope that is the case.

Except Pineapple Express is a good movie whereas Cop Out is not.

And the studio didn't hire Green. Green was hired by Apatow based off the recommendation of Danny McBride.

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel

Except Pineapple Express is a good movie whereas Cop Out is not.

Agreed.

[Jaymole]

In my local paper on Friday they had an interview with Kevin Smith and he said that he was trying to do just an average movie. He said he doesn't want to put his heart and soul into a movie again as it hurt so much to see Zack & Miri not do well.

He is a very honest guy but I'm not sure he reached the height of averageness with Cop Out though.

[bd...?]

Originally Posted by GenPion

Agreed.

I haven't seen cop out yet but pineapple express was just fucking horrible trash

[riotinmyskull]

Originally Posted by bd...?

I haven't seen cop out yet but pineapple express was just fucking horrible trash

hate to know what you find funny.

[Sean O'Hara]

Originally Posted by Fist of Doom

Good for Kevin, but do people really consider this a "Kevin Smith" film? It looks like your standard buddy cop movie that could have been directed by anybody in Hollywood, and it wasn't written by Smith.

Originally Posted by Star Wars Guy

Directed by Kevin Smith? --- Yes
A Kevin Smith movie --- No

Are The Fisher King and 12 Monkeys not Terry Gilliam films because he didn't write them? Is Touch of Evil not an Orson Welles film because he was brought on to direct at the last minute?

A good director will leave his mark on a film even when he's only acting as a hired gun. The fact that Smith can't just highlights that he's not a good director -- don't get me wrong, he's a great writer, but his directorial style is barely at the sit-com level.

[Star Wars Guy]

Originally Posted by Sean O'Hara

A good director will leave his mark on a film even when he's only acting as a hired gun. The fact that Smith can't just highlights that he's not a good director -- don't get me wrong, he's a great writer, but his directorial style is barely at the sit-com level.

I think that's a pretty acurate assessment. I guess my point was that when he directs the stuff he's written, he knows exactly how he intends for it to come off, and that's what he's best suited for.

[bd...?]

Originally Posted by riotinmyskull

hate to know what you find funny.

Well I thought The Hangover was damn funny so there ya go

and god forbid someone not have the same taste as you

[dan30oly]

Originally Posted by riotinmyskull

hate to know what you find funny.

Liked Cop Out well enough, but Pineapple Express doesn't hold up well at all - gets much, much worse after repeat viewings.

[milo bloom]

Originally Posted by Star Wars Guy

I for one would like to see the next chapter with Dante & Randall, especially with Dante having a kid to deal with.

Mega on that right there. He's got to have some great kid stories.

[auto]

I had a hard time getting through Pineapple Express and I love those kind of flicks.

[edstein]

I also didn't like PE. Superbad and Tropic Thunder were much better. I want to see Cop Out but I think I'll wait and rent it.

[Mr. Cinema]

Box Office Mojo weekend estimates:

1 1 Shutter Island Par. $22,200,000 -45.9% 3,003 +12 $7,393 $75,076,000 $80 2
2 N Cop Out WB $18,565,000 - 3,150 - $5,894 $18,565,000 $30 1
3 N The Crazies Over. $16,521,000 - 2,476 - $6,672 $16,521,000 $20 1
4 3 Avatar Fox $14,000,000 -13.8% 2,456 -125 $5,700 $706,904,000 - 11
5 4 Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief Fox $9,800,000 -35.8% 3,302 -94 $2,968 $71,214,000 $95 3
6 2 Valentine's Day WB $9,505,000 -43.0% 3,578 -87 $2,657 $100,358,000 $52 3
7 6 Dear John SGem $5,000,000 -29.9% 3,006 -56 $1,663 $72,624,000 $25 4
8 5 The Wolfman Uni. $4,123,000 -58.3% 3,043 -180 $1,355 $57,244,000 $150 3
9 7 Tooth Fairy Fox $3,450,000 -20.8% 2,249 -274 $1,534 $53,866,000 $48 6
10 8 Crazy Heart FoxS $2,540,000 -14.3% 1,148 +59 $2,213 $25,087,000 $7 11