‘G.I. Joe’ Kung Fu Grips the Box Office

Published by David Pinson on August 9, 2009

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra won the box office battle this weekend, earning an estimated $56.2 million from 4,007 locations.  The opening is about $10 million north of analyst expectations and the second largest non-sequel for an August release.

The action movie debuted overseas in 75% of its foreign markets, grabbing another $44 million for a worldwide total of over $100 million in three days.  Partners Hasbro, Paramount, and Spyglass Entertainment were initially concerned with making a $175 million production about “real American heroes,” so the team was expanded to be an international task force and the G.I. became “global integrated.”  The marketing costs were estimated at another $150 million.

Like Hasbro’s other toy-to-movie franchise (Transformers), Joe was mostly critic-proof.  The studio only screened the movie for select outlets and didn’t invite press critics, usually a sign of a lack of confidence in quality.  After reviews were compiled, the RottenTomatoes score fell to 39% positive.  Meanwhile, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has slowed to $393.7 million total in the U.S.

The other major opening this week was Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.  The PG-13 biopic of the late chef Julia Child made $20.1 million.  As solid counter-programming to Joe, it played to a predominantly female audience and 55% over the age of 50.  That might explain why I missed it.

G-Force and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have been flip flopping since their release, but this time Jerry Bruckheimer’s animated guinea pigs beat Potter with $9.8 million to the sequel’s $8.9 million.

Last week’s weak winner, Funny People, dropped 65% to $7.9 million and rounded out the top five.  I’m still trying to figure out where and why $75 million of Universal’s money went in this R-rated comedy.

The only other newcomer was the low-budget horror flick A Perfect Getaway.  It had a modest bow at $5.8 million on a budget of $14M.

One of the year’s best films, (500) Days of Summer, snuck into the top 10 with $3.72 million.

3-Day U.S. weekend estimates:
1. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $56.2 million
2. Julie & Julia $20.1 million
3. G-Force $9.8 million
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $8.9 million
5. Funny People $7.9 million
6. The Ugly Truth $7 million
7. A Perfect Getaway $5.8 million
8. Aliens in the Attic $4 million
9. Orphan $3.73 million
10. (500) Days of Summer $3.72 million