Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
#1
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Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Originally Posted by Nikki Finke's Wafflebot
FRIDAY PM/SATURDAY AM, 3RD UPDATE: Hang on tight, folks, because this is turning into a bumpy ride. North American box office is still unsettlingly weak just as it’s been since the beginning of August. This weekend’s total gross is running a bad -25% behind last year’s. ”The fear is that our total business is in the toilet,” one studio executive sighed to me tonight. Friday’s numbers were too ill-defined for me to declare hits and misses early on. But now, in a big surprise, DreamWorks Animation’s week-old 3D holdover Puss In Boots distributed by Paramount looks like it’s giving Universal’s 2D Tower Heist a run for #1 by Monday morning because of higher ticket prices and more theater bookings. One studio already is counting on the cat beating the cons. Remember, last weekend’s surprise East Coast snowstorm and power outage resulted in the toon’s mediocre debut. The tie depends on Saturday when strong family matinees may swamp nighttime adults at the multiplexes. (Uh-oh: is this another Smurfs beats Cowboys & Aliens situation in the works? But, unlike expensive C&A, the studio claims TH cost only $85M.) Universal was hoping for a late-night surge of African-American and Latino audiences that never materialized.
New Line/Warner Bros’ unabashed raunchfest A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas looks surprisingly at the low end of expectations despite the 3D surcharge. Yet it was tracking well for weeks. This opening is about the same result as the 2D sequel but I wonder if there weren’t enough cheaper theaters booked. After all, its 2,875 runs had 2,943 3D screens. ”Maybe Nikki Rocco and Dan Fellman should call off their blood feud,” one rival studio exec suggested to me tonight. “For the second time this year, Universal and Warner opened comedies on the same weekend. Last time was Your Highness and Arthur – and for the second time both pictures will underperform.” Full analysis coming. Top 10 films are:
1. Tower Heist (Universal) NEW [3,367 Theaters]
Friday $8.5M, Estimated Weekend $26M
2. Puss In Boots 3D (DreamWorks Anim/Paramount) Week 2 [3,963 Theaters]
Friday $7.2M (-25%), Estimated Weekend $26M, Estimated Weekend $66.5M
3. Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas (NL/Warner Bros) NEW [2,875 theaters]
Friday $5.5M, Estimated Weekend $15M
4. Paranormal Activity 3 (Paramount) Week 3 [3,286 Theaters]
Friday $2.7M, Estimated Weekend $7.5M, Estimated Cume $94M
5. In Time (Twentieth Century Fox) Week 2 [3,122 Theaters]
Friday $1.8M (-47%), Estimated Weekend $6M, Estimated Cume $21.7M
6. Footloose (Paramount) Week 4 [2,811 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M, Estimated Weekend $4.3M, Estimated Cume $44.5M
7. Real Steel (DreamWorks/Disney) Week 5 [2,438 Theaters]
Friday $850K, Estimated Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $78.3M
8. The Rum Diary (FilmDistrict) Week 2 [2,292 Theaters]
Friday $850K (-53%), Estimated Weekend $2.5M, Estimated Cume $9.9M
9. Ides Of March (Sony) Week 5 [1,391 Theaters]
Friday $550K, Estimated Weekend $1.8M, Estimated Cume $36.6M
10. Moneyball (Sony) Week 7 [1,278 Theaters]
Friday $475K, Estimated Weekend $1.7M, Estimated Cume $70.1M
New Line/Warner Bros’ unabashed raunchfest A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas looks surprisingly at the low end of expectations despite the 3D surcharge. Yet it was tracking well for weeks. This opening is about the same result as the 2D sequel but I wonder if there weren’t enough cheaper theaters booked. After all, its 2,875 runs had 2,943 3D screens. ”Maybe Nikki Rocco and Dan Fellman should call off their blood feud,” one rival studio exec suggested to me tonight. “For the second time this year, Universal and Warner opened comedies on the same weekend. Last time was Your Highness and Arthur – and for the second time both pictures will underperform.” Full analysis coming. Top 10 films are:
1. Tower Heist (Universal) NEW [3,367 Theaters]
Friday $8.5M, Estimated Weekend $26M
2. Puss In Boots 3D (DreamWorks Anim/Paramount) Week 2 [3,963 Theaters]
Friday $7.2M (-25%), Estimated Weekend $26M, Estimated Weekend $66.5M
3. Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas (NL/Warner Bros) NEW [2,875 theaters]
Friday $5.5M, Estimated Weekend $15M
4. Paranormal Activity 3 (Paramount) Week 3 [3,286 Theaters]
Friday $2.7M, Estimated Weekend $7.5M, Estimated Cume $94M
5. In Time (Twentieth Century Fox) Week 2 [3,122 Theaters]
Friday $1.8M (-47%), Estimated Weekend $6M, Estimated Cume $21.7M
6. Footloose (Paramount) Week 4 [2,811 Theaters]
Friday $1.4M, Estimated Weekend $4.3M, Estimated Cume $44.5M
7. Real Steel (DreamWorks/Disney) Week 5 [2,438 Theaters]
Friday $850K, Estimated Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $78.3M
8. The Rum Diary (FilmDistrict) Week 2 [2,292 Theaters]
Friday $850K (-53%), Estimated Weekend $2.5M, Estimated Cume $9.9M
9. Ides Of March (Sony) Week 5 [1,391 Theaters]
Friday $550K, Estimated Weekend $1.8M, Estimated Cume $36.6M
10. Moneyball (Sony) Week 7 [1,278 Theaters]
Friday $475K, Estimated Weekend $1.7M, Estimated Cume $70.1M
I hope Harold and Kumar preforms better during the weekend. The latest outing is a huge step up from the misfire known as Guantanamo Bay, but I can see people avoiding it for that reason alone.
Paranormal Activity 3 will break the $100 million mark next weekend.
... and nothing else to see here.
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Did anyone actually think TH would open over $30m? I mean, people who aren't studio execs.
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
I thought TH would open a little better. It has been advertised to death, and Ben Stiller is still a draw, isn't he? At least it didn't match the b.o. for Meet Dave, so Murphy should be happy.
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Stiller isn't an automatic draw, he has about as much crap as success I would guess (stuff like Envy and Duplex and Along Came Polly). Now, if this was called "Tower Heist, Get Focker'd", it may have opened a bit better.
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
BEN STILLER HITS
Little Fockers: $100 million budget; $311 million worldwide gross
Night at the Museum 2: $150 million budget; $414 million worldwide gross
Tropic Thunder: $92 million budget; $188 million worldwide gross
The Heartbreak Kid: $60 million budget; $128 million worldwide gross
Night at the Museum: $110 million budget; $575 million worldwide gross
Meet the Fockers: $80 million budget; $517 million worldwide gross
Dodgeball: $20 million budget; $168 million worldwide gross
Starsky and Hutch: $60 million budget; $170 million worldwide gross
Along Came Polly: $42 million budget; $172 million worldwide gross
The Royal Tenebaums: $21 million budget; $72 million worldwide gross
Zoolander: $28 million budget; $61 million worldwide gross
BEN STILLER FLOPS
Greenberg: No budget information available; $6 million worldwide gross
The Marc Pease Experience: No budget information available; $391,000 worldwide gross
Envy: $40 million budget; $15 million worldwide gross
Duplex: $40 million budget; $19 million worldwide gross
I didn't include the Madagascar films in the equation, but Stiller has had more success than flops. The Heartbreak Kid was the only film that flopped in the states, but was a success elsewhere in the world. It's pretty easy to see how the man commanded $15 million (plus profits) for Tower Heist. However, the film has an uninteresting premise made by an awful director who can't elevate the material. So I can see why it's underperforming. I'm sure it'll do better overseas...
#7
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
I'm sure you'll be able to add Tower Heist to that list too when it's said and done. I just don't look at most of those and think people are flocking to them because it's a Stiller flick, and it's not especially surprising to see Tower Heist not open with more than it has.
You are right that he's had more success than stinkers.
You are right that he's had more success than stinkers.
#8
Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
If they recall Murphy fondly at all, older moviegoers remember him mainly from 48 HRS, TRADING PLACES and BEVERLY HILLS COP, all 1982-84--almost 30 years ago. What do younger moviegoers in the 18-25 demographic know him from? The SHREK films and maybe the DR. DOLITTLE/NUTTY PROFESSOR remakes. So the fact that he's doing an action comedy again doesn't resonate with them. They don't know him or care about him in that kind of role and they can tell from the ads that TOWER HEIST is not like SHREK/DOLITTLE/KLUMPS.
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
I know this is too much to hope for..but I'd like to see Murphy go back to stand up. Or you know...make a good movie. Mostly the stand up though.
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Tower Heist was about half-full at the 6 p.m. showing Saturday night, which was more than I expected (but I don't go to a lot of movies in the theaters). I expected it to be dumb but it was solid popcorn fare.
#12
Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
#13
Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Weekend estimates, from boxoffice.com:
1. Puss in Boots $33,035,000 -3% $75,508,038 Paramount / DreamWorks
2. Tower Heist $25,100,000 Universal
3. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas $13,065,000 Warner Bros. / New Line
4. Paranormal Activity 3 $8,525,000 - 53% $95,308,054 Paramount
5. In Time $7,700,000 -36 $24,208,645 Fox
6. Footloose $4,550,000 -17% $44,799,620 Paramount
7. Real Steel $3,400,000 -29% $78,743,242 Disney / DreamWorks
8. The Rum Diary $2,987,478 -42% $10,423,212 FilmDistrict
9. The Ides of March $2,000,000 -29% $36,800,285 Sony / Columbia
10. Moneyball $1,900,000 -20% $70,327,390 Sony / Columbia
That is a fantastic hold for Puss in Boots.
1. Puss in Boots $33,035,000 -3% $75,508,038 Paramount / DreamWorks
2. Tower Heist $25,100,000 Universal
3. A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas $13,065,000 Warner Bros. / New Line
4. Paranormal Activity 3 $8,525,000 - 53% $95,308,054 Paramount
5. In Time $7,700,000 -36 $24,208,645 Fox
6. Footloose $4,550,000 -17% $44,799,620 Paramount
7. Real Steel $3,400,000 -29% $78,743,242 Disney / DreamWorks
8. The Rum Diary $2,987,478 -42% $10,423,212 FilmDistrict
9. The Ides of March $2,000,000 -29% $36,800,285 Sony / Columbia
10. Moneyball $1,900,000 -20% $70,327,390 Sony / Columbia
#15
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Yeah, an amazing hold for Puss in Boots and that's based off just estimates. It's within a million dollars of its opening weekend gross and anything can happen between estimates and actuals. For all we know, it could come out that it had no drop at all or possibly a gain in weekend two. Either way, both are nearly unheard of for a film in nearly 4,000 locations.
With Tower Heist underperforming on a$85 million budget $75 million budget after tax rebates, here's hoping that Jack and Jill is DOA come next weekend.
With Tower Heist underperforming on a
#16
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Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Tower Heist looks mildly amusing to me at best but not something I'd wanna waste an hour and a half on and $20. I'll redbox it in Spring 2012.
#17
Re: Eddie Murphy Underperforming? Surely, You Jest: Weekend Box Office (11/4 - 11/6)
Apes has increased its worldwide total to around $470 million. Hopefully it has enough legs to reach $500 mil.