Box Office

‘Expendables’ Emerges Victorious Once Again

Published on: August 22, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables took on another batch of contenders at the box office this weekend and emerged the victor for a second time.

The musclebound action flick added another $16.5 million to its total and took the top spot, despite dropping 53% from last weekend. Stallone and Lionsgate have discussed a sequel, but “nothing has been decided yet,” according to distribution head David Spitz.

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‘Expendables’ Top ‘Love,’ Distant ‘Scott Pilgrim’

Published on: August 15, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Sylvester Stallone’s male-driven The Expendables easily won the weekend, besting competition from the female-focused Eat Pray Love and a weak showing from geek favorite Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

The macho ’80s action hero throwback made $35 million during the Friday the 13th weekend, the biggest opening ever for Stallone who wrote, director, produced and starred. It also means a remarkable fifth decade for Sly to score a number one finish. Recognizable faces and average-looking action sequences win again (and again). Males made up 61%.

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‘The Other Guys’ Beat ‘Inception’ at Box Office

Published on: August 8, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Sony’s buddy cop comedy The Other Guys managed to finally knock Inception out of the top spot at the box office this weekend, banking $35.6 million in the process.

The newcomer, starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as bumbling detectives, performed at expectations and topped previous Ferrell-McKay comedies Anchorman and Step Brothers, but couldn’t catch Talladega Nights’ $47M debut.

The mostly-funny film scored a whopping 80% recommended on RottenTomatoes from the nation’s reviewers, a financial and critical redemption for Ferrell after the colossal failure of 2009’s Land of the Lost and other recent flops.

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‘Inception’ Bests ‘Schmucks’ for a Three-Peat

Published on: August 1, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Warner Bros’ Inception took its third straight weekend at the box office, topping newcomer comedy Dinner for Schmucks, drama Charlie St. Cloud, and WB’s own Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.

The Christopher Nolan thriller gathered another $27.5 million in the U.S. to bring its total to $193.3M. It’s sure to cross the $200 million mark by mid-week, a feat some analysts thought was impossible given its complex concept.

Paramount’s Schmucks debuted to $23.3 million, pulling similar number to Steve Carell’s Date Night from this past April. Aside from the familiar Carell and Paul Rudd pairing, the cast was peppered with eccentrics like The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis and “Flight of the Conchords” star Jemaine Clement to broaden the audience. It’s a solid start for the $69-million movie, especially given the studio’s lack of confidence with a roll out in less than 3,000 locations.

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‘Salt’ Finishes Under ‘Inception’ at Box Office

Published on: July 25, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending, crowd-pleasing Inception scored a repeat victory this weekend over the Sony’s Angelina Jolie spy thriller Salt.
Warner Bros reportedly crossed the $1 billion (domestic) mark for a record tenth time in a row as Nolan’s trippy dream thriller added another $43.5 million.  It managed to cross the $100 million mark in a mere [...]

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‘Inception’ Dreams Big at the Box Office

Published on: July 18, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Warner Bros’ dream thriller, Inception, extracted $60.4 million in its opening weekend, while Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was a bit of a nightmare with just $17.4 million.
The 2D mindbender was a gamble for WB, who had to rely on the bankability of its star-studded cast and the good name of writer/director Christopher Nolan rather than [...]

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‘Despicable Me’ Nabs a Big Box Office Win

Published on: July 11, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Universal’s Despicable Me is off to a great start, nearly doubling expectations with a $60.1 million opening, and Fox’s R-rated Predators managed a solid debut with $25.3 million.  Both newcomers contributed to a weekend up 41% from last year, while attendance is still down.
The 3D cartoon, starring Steve Carell, is Universal’s first animated feature with its [...]

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‘Twilight: Eclipse’ Shines Over Holiday Weekend

Published on: July 5, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse overshadowed its competition during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, fending off a surprising opening by Paramount’s The Last Airbender.
The third installment of Summit Entertainment’s popular vampire series was strong out of the gates mid-week, shattering midnight records with $30 million in the wee hours alone.  This contributed to a $68.5 million [...]

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‘Twilight: Eclipse’ Breaks Box Office Records

Published on: July 1, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third installment of Summit Entertainment’s vampire franchise, set numerous records on Wednesday as it opened wide to hordes of eager fans.
Its $68.5 million total is the single best Wednesday on record, passing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and the second best opening/single day behind The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which [...]

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‘Toy Story 3′ Beats Sandler, Cruise Releases

Published on: June 27, 2010 by: Jeff Leins

Toy Story 3 finished first in its second weekend, topping new releases from Adam Sandler and friends and another Tom Cruise action vehicle.
Pixar’s latest critically-acclaimed family favorite made $59 million, already bringing its total to $226.6 million.  The third installment has already passed the domestic gross of the original and will likely overtake its predecessor [...]

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