April 13, 2010

Box Office Update 4/9-4/11: Clash of the Titans Narrowly Retains its Crown

 It came right down to the wire this weekend as both Warner Brothers and Fox claimed victory over the weekend. Who would it be? Sam Worthington and last week's winner Clash of the Titans or the Tina Fey/Steve Carell upstart in Date Night? Well, it took until Monday when the final numbers were announced to see that Fox overestimated Sundays figures a little and Warner Brothers emerged victorious with the second weekend of Clash of the Titans. Frankly, I did not see that coming, the close finish nor the Titans victory,

Now, it may see the lesser film return to the top of the chart, but this weekend saw a real dogfight for the top spot. The top three films all finished within $2 million of each other. Clash of the Titans dropped 56% fromits debut frame but had the strength to hold off Date Night and How to Train Your Dragon. I thought for sure Date Night would climb to the top. After seeing it, it is clearly the better film in the top two.

Date Night proved to be a fun movie. It may not be as sophisticated or nuanced as either of the stars respective sitcoms, but it does put the focus of a romantic/comedy/action film on a boring suburban married couple instead of young up and coming starlets. It is fun and definitely worth checking out.

The third place finisher is the best of the three and a film that looks like it is en route to a solid theatrical run. How to Train Your Dragon may ot be the most original of stories, but it is told with great execution, heart, warmth, and some very nice animation. Just to add icing to the cake, the 3D is quite spectacular.

Pretty much all of the returning films had solid holds from last week. The only two to suffer steep dips are the previously mentioned Clash of the Titans and the fourth place finisher Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too. The sequel fell more than 60% in its second weekend. This does not bode well for continued big screen success. I suspect it will find renewed life once it hits home video.

I am happy to see the modest success that is finding Hot Tub Time Machine. No, it is not the best movie, but it is a lot of fun. It is quite possibly the funniest film I have seen this year.

Next weekend will see the arrival of two new films. First is the Chris Rock starring remake of Death at a Funeral. I liked the original and with it being so recent, just a couple of years, I am not sure I really want to see it again despite a good cast for this new take. The other new film is one I have been waiting for for some time, the violent superhero film Kick-Ass. I am really looking forward to that one, which wonders what it would be like if normal people put on costumes and fought crime.

Two movies dropped off the list this week: Shutter Island (11) and She's Out of My League (14).

This WeekLast WeekTitleWknd GrossOverallWeek in release
11Clash of the Titans (2010)$26,633,209 $110,226,524 2
2NDate Night (2010)$25,207,599 $25,207,599 1
33How to Train Your Dragon$24,863,535 $133,404,438 3
42Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too$11,017,379 $48,537,039 2
54The Last Song$9,832,326 $42,255,196 2
66Hot Tub Time Machine$5,431,021 $36,969,649 3
75Alice in Wonderland (2010)$5,301,730 $319,009,518 6
87The Bounty Hunter$4,215,156 $55,916,622 4
98Diary of a Wimpy Kid$3,979,641 $53,636,368 4
10NLetters to God$1,101,204 $1,101,204 1

Box Office Predictions Recap
It was a real race for the finish this week. I was so close to nailing the weekend down. Who would have guessed that Clash of the Titans would retain its number one spot? Is not all that good of a movie and I cannot believe it is having all that positive word of mouth. At the other end of the chart is the unlikely appearance of the Christian-themed Letters to God. It just strikes me as a film that would not crack the top ten. Still, I did pretty good for the week most of my guesses were right in the general ballpark.

Here is how the field matched up:

ActualPredictionTitleWknd GrossPrediction
21Date Night (2010)$25,207,599 $30 million
12Clash of the Titans (2010)$26,633,209 $28 million
33How to Train Your Dragon$24,863,535 $19 million
44Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too$11,017,379 $14 million
55The Last Song$9,832,326 $8.5 million
66Hot Tub Time Machine$5,431,021 $4.5 million
77Alice in Wonderland (2010)$5,301,730 $4 million
88The Bounty Hunter$4,215,156 $3.25 million
99Diary of a Wimpy Kid$3,979,641 $2.75 million
1410She's Out of My League$645,893 $.5 million


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