The weekend battle for boxoffice supremacy remains caught in a haze of holiday fireworks.
Paramount’s effects-driven actioner “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and Fox’s 3D animated family three-quel “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” each posted weekend grosses estimated at $42.5 million pending Monday’s final studio numbers. The “Transformers” sequel — produced by Par, DreamWorks and Hasbro — fell 61% in its second weekend for $293.5 million in cumulative boxoffice through 12 days of domestic release.
The “Ice Age” three-quel boasts a $67.5 million cume since bowing Wednesday. Universal’s Johnny Depp starrer “Public Enemies” finished the three-day Fourth of July session in third place, with $26.2 million in weekend boxoffice capping a five-day debut of $41 million.
Both wide openers performed roughly as anticipated. So the tight race for No. 1 represented a modest underperformance by the “Transformers” sequel through the competitive holiday frame.
Elsewhere among the top rankings, Warner Bros.’ R-rated comedy “The Hangover” fetched another $10.4 million in fifth place to become the year’s fourth $200 million grosser. Cume on the Todd Phillips-helmed pic passed that milestone on Saturday — in the quickest such spurt for a restricted laugher — and reached $204.2 million through Sunday.
Warners’ female-targeted drama “My Sister’s Keeper” — starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin — slid 58% in its sophomore session to $5.3 million in seventh place, with a $26 million cume.
The weekend’s top-10 films marked a 2% uptick from the same frame last year with a collective $152.9 million, according to Nielsen EDI.
Friday business appeared heavier than normal, but Saturday grosses were down across the board on Saturday. Adult pics and younger-oriented fare alike posted respectable numbers on the Fourth of July holiday, but Americans’ preoccupation with barbecuing and fireworks took a bit of the spark out of the daily grosses.
Among notable expansions, Sony Pictures Classics added 320 playdates for a total 355 for Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” and grossed $1.1 million, or an acceptable $3,006 per engagement. Cume for the Larry David-toplined comedy reached $2 million.
Miramax added 64 theaters for a total 140 for Stephen Frear’s “Cheri,” grossing $388,000, or a so-so $2,771 per venue. Cume on the Michelle Pfeiffer starrer reached $1 million.
And Summit Entertainment added five locations for a total nine on Katherine Bigelow’s Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker,” grossing $126,000, or a solid $14,000 per site, as cume climbed to $365,000.
The “Transformers” sequel was filmed for a reported $200 million, and carries costly back-end commitments to director Michael Bay, not to mention hefty global marketing expenses. But with its worldwide boxoffice now approaching $600 million, Par and its co-producer partners may already be treading into profitability, and a potentially leggy theatrical run and deep ancillary revenue should help the rich get richer.
The Shia LaBeouf-Megan Fox starrer’s domestic haul this weekend included $4.6 million in boxoffice from Imax specialty venues, whose cume on the film totals an Imax-record $24 million. The “Transformers” sequel — shot with Imax cameras to maximize playability in that format — posted an impressive $27,000 million per location from its Imax runs this frame.
With a midweek bow undercutting its weekend boxoffice, “Dawn of the Dinosaurs” marked a less bountiful initial frame than its two franchise predecessors. The 2002 franchise starter “Ice Age” opened with $46.3 million, en route to grossing $176.4 million domestically; a 2006 sequel — “Ice Age: The Meltdown” — rung up $68 million its first weekend and $195.3 million overall.
Boasting 1,606 3D auditoriums among its 4,099 playdates, the “Ice Age” three-quel attracted opening audiences comprised 55% of family patrons.
“We’re in rarified air,” Fox senior vp distribution Bert Livingston said. “To be neck and neck with ‘Transformers’ is amazing.”
Co-directed by “Meltdown” helmer Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier, a writer on the first “Ice Age,” “Dawn” boasts a voice cast featuring franchise staples Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and Ray Romano while toting production costs set at $90 million.
Helmed by Michael Mann (“Miami Vice”), “Enemies” casts Depp as John Dillinger with Christian Bale co-starring as an FBI agent charged with hunting the famed bank robber and Marion Cotillard (“La vie en rose”) as Dillinger’s girlfriend. Opening audiences skewed 53% male and were evenly divided between patrons younger than 25 and older moviegoers.
“Fans of the adult film can rejoice,” Uni marketing & distribution topper Adam Fogelson said. “In the midst of all this lovely wonderful pure-popcorn fare, there is an audience for what is not only an entertaining movie but also has higher artistic aspirations.”
Produced for an estimated $100 million, “Enemies” has a 2:23 running time that makes it difficult to shoehorn in a normal number of showtimes. But at 2:40, the “Transformers” blockbuster has plainly shown that pic length is an eminently surmountable obstacle.
Looking ahead, two wide openers are set for Friday — Fox’s Chris Columbus-helmed high school comedy “I Love You, Beth Cooper” and Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest R-rated laughter “Bruno” from Universal. Comedies tend to work well in summer, and the pics clearly target distinctly different audiences.
But with no pure action movie in sight until Par debuts “G.I. Joe” on Aug. 7, there should be particularly smooth sailing for the “Transformer” sequel over the next few sessions. Still, it will be interesting to see how the “Transformer” bots manage to deal with the big splash that’s sure to be felt in the boxoffice waters when Warners opens “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on July 15.
‘Transformers,’ ‘Ice Age’ tie at boxoffice
July 5, 2009, 02:06 PM ET
The weekend battle for boxoffice supremacy remains caught in a haze of holiday fireworks.
Paramount’s effects-driven actioner “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” and Fox’s 3D animated family three-quel “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” each posted weekend grosses estimated at $42.5 million pending Monday’s final studio numbers. The “Transformers” sequel — produced by Par, DreamWorks and Hasbro — fell 61% in its second weekend for $293.5 million in cumulative boxoffice through 12 days of domestic release.
The “Ice Age” three-quel boasts a $67.5 million cume since bowing Wednesday. Universal’s Johnny Depp starrer “Public Enemies” finished the three-day Fourth of July session in third place, with $26.2 million in weekend boxoffice capping a five-day debut of $41 million.
Both wide openers performed roughly as anticipated. So the tight race for No. 1 represented a modest underperformance by the “Transformers” sequel through the competitive holiday frame.
Elsewhere among the top rankings, Warner Bros.’ R-rated comedy “The Hangover” fetched another $10.4 million in fifth place to become the year’s fourth $200 million grosser. Cume on the Todd Phillips-helmed pic passed that milestone on Saturday — in the quickest such spurt for a restricted laugher — and reached $204.2 million through Sunday.
Warners’ female-targeted drama “My Sister’s Keeper” — starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin — slid 58% in its sophomore session to $5.3 million in seventh place, with a $26 million cume.
The weekend’s top-10 films marked a 2% uptick from the same frame last year with a collective $152.9 million, according to Nielsen EDI.
Friday business appeared heavier than normal, but Saturday grosses were down across the board on Saturday. Adult pics and younger-oriented fare alike posted respectable numbers on the Fourth of July holiday, but Americans’ preoccupation with barbecuing and fireworks took a bit of the spark out of the daily grosses.
Among notable expansions, Sony Pictures Classics added 320 playdates for a total 355 for Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” and grossed $1.1 million, or an acceptable $3,006 per engagement. Cume for the Larry David-toplined comedy reached $2 million.
Miramax added 64 theaters for a total 140 for Stephen Frear’s “Cheri,” grossing $388,000, or a so-so $2,771 per venue. Cume on the Michelle Pfeiffer starrer reached $1 million.
And Summit Entertainment added five locations for a total nine on Katherine Bigelow’s Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker,” grossing $126,000, or a solid $14,000 per site, as cume climbed to $365,000.
The “Transformers” sequel was filmed for a reported $200 million, and carries costly back-end commitments to director Michael Bay, not to mention hefty global marketing expenses. But with its worldwide boxoffice now approaching $600 million, Par and its co-producer partners may already be treading into profitability, and a potentially leggy theatrical run and deep ancillary revenue should help the rich get richer.
The Shia LaBeouf-Megan Fox starrer’s domestic haul this weekend included $4.6 million in boxoffice from Imax specialty venues, whose cume on the film totals an Imax-record $24 million. The “Transformers” sequel — shot with Imax cameras to maximize playability in that format — posted an impressive $27,000 million per location from its Imax runs this frame.
With a midweek bow undercutting its weekend boxoffice, “Dawn of the Dinosaurs” marked a less bountiful initial frame than its two franchise predecessors. The 2002 franchise starter “Ice Age” opened with $46.3 million, en route to grossing $176.4 million domestically; a 2006 sequel — “Ice Age: The Meltdown” — rung up $68 million its first weekend and $195.3 million overall.
Boasting 1,606 3D auditoriums among its 4,099 playdates, the “Ice Age” three-quel attracted opening audiences comprised 55% of family patrons.
“We’re in rarified air,” Fox senior vp distribution Bert Livingston said. “To be neck and neck with ‘Transformers’ is amazing.”
Co-directed by “Meltdown” helmer Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier, a writer on the first “Ice Age,” “Dawn” boasts a voice cast featuring franchise staples Denis Leary, John Leguizamo and Ray Romano while toting production costs set at $90 million.
Helmed by Michael Mann (“Miami Vice”), “Enemies” casts Depp as John Dillinger with Christian Bale co-starring as an FBI agent charged with hunting the famed bank robber and Marion Cotillard (“La vie en rose”) as Dillinger’s girlfriend. Opening audiences skewed 53% male and were evenly divided between patrons younger than 25 and older moviegoers.
“Fans of the adult film can rejoice,” Uni marketing & distribution topper Adam Fogelson said. “In the midst of all this lovely wonderful pure-popcorn fare, there is an audience for what is not only an entertaining movie but also has higher artistic aspirations.”
Produced for an estimated $100 million, “Enemies” has a 2:23 running time that makes it difficult to shoehorn in a normal number of showtimes. But at 2:40, the “Transformers” blockbuster has plainly shown that pic length is an eminently surmountable obstacle.
Looking ahead, two wide openers are set for Friday — Fox’s Chris Columbus-helmed high school comedy “I Love You, Beth Cooper” and Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest R-rated laughter “Bruno” from Universal. Comedies tend to work well in summer, and the pics clearly target distinctly different audiences.
But with no pure action movie in sight until Par debuts “G.I. Joe” on Aug. 7, there should be particularly smooth sailing for the “Transformer” sequel over the next few sessions. Still, it will be interesting to see how the “Transformer” bots manage to deal with the big splash that’s sure to be felt in the boxoffice waters when Warners opens “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” on July 15.
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