Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:In a second straight surprise at the box office, kids sequel, "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" won the race to #1, outlasting and defeating the much buzzed-about "Sucker Punch".
NEW OPENINGS:
After the surprising $64 million take of the first "...Wimpy Kid" film in March 2010, widely divergent opinions existed regarding the potential haul of this sequel. Critics were split almost 50/50 on the first offering and previews seemed to indicate the film as a bit of a "Wash-Rinse-Repeat" of the tone and feel of its predecessor. This now seems to have been a much more anticipated film than expected as its opening, at an estimated $24.4 million, bests the first film's $22 million opening. With "Hop" arriving next weekend, the film may plummet in its second weekend, but this opening undoubtedly signifies a third entry in the franchise will be given the greenlight, if 20th Century Fox has not done so already.
"Sucker Punch" analysis and more after the cut!
And now on to "Sucker Punch". On a personal note, I found the film to be a joyless, nasty, self-gratifying mess, and a disastrous misfire from the mind of Zack Snyder. Warner Bros. had seemed to successfully market this as THE buzzworthy film of the first third of 2011. But then critics saw it, and people followed, and the buzz died out quickly. Warner Bros. reports a budget of $82 million and with its $19.0 million opening, the film will fall far short of turning a profit domestically. When factoring in worldwide grosses, Snyder continues to make money overall, but in the telling North American box office returns, "Sucker Punch" follows "Legend of the Guardians" and "Watchmen" as films that could not recoup their budgets stateside. I am not sure if Snyder is at a crossroads career-wise, but the pressure has ramped up considerably for his "Superman: Man Of Steel" to deliver with critics and audiences in 2012.
Last week's #1 film, "Limitless" declined an impressively slight 19.5%, scoring an estimated $15.2 million and raising its total to more than $41 million. "Limitless" will struggle to keep audiences in a third weekend when Jake Gyllenhaal's science-fiction/suspense-thriller, "Source Code" draws from presumably the same crowd.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" held strong, sliding a mere 16.7% in its second weekend, banking $11 million. Overall, Matthew McConaughey's legal drama has earned an estimated $29 million, which should keep it rolling towards earning back its $40 million budget.
Elsewhere, "Rango" slid to #5 ($9.8 million) but surged to an overall gross of $106.4 million, making it the biggest grossing film of 2011 thus far. "Mars Needs Moms" plummeted to a total take of $19.2 million, cementing it in Disney infamy as a box office bomb of historic proportions for the studio. Expect a DVD sooner than later as they try to make whatever they can with the film.
ALSO OF NOTE
Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's "Just Go With It" joined "Rango" in being the only films to gross over $100 million this year. "Just Go..." added $1.5 million this weekend to land at a total estimated gross of $100.2 million.
Critical sensations, "Jane Eyre" and "Win Win" had strong weekends once again.
"Jane Eyre" expanded to 90 locations and gained +111%, netting an estimated $983k for a total take of $1.9 million. "Win Win" moved from 5 to 23 locations and improved a staggering +213% to raise its total to approximately $679k thus far. Further expansion is expected, but no reports are available to indicate studio plans at this time.
If you missed Robert Hamer's excellent weekend kickoff column, Friday Openings (here), Robert did a nice job setting up smaller, but much buzzed about, new releases hitting theaters this weekend.
- Julian Schnabel's "Miral", the eagerly anticipated follow up to Schnabel's Oscar-nominated "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly", started for with an acceptable $65k take for 4 screens. The controversial film notably stars "Slumdog Millionaire"'s Frieda Pinto in the title role.
- Satirical comedy "Potiche", featuring a highly acclaimed turn by Catherine Deneuve, earned $85k at 7 locations, with a modest $12k per screen average.
- Christian-themed "The 5th Quarter", released by Rocky Mountain Films and starring Andie McDowell and Aidan Quinn in an inspirational sports story, opened at 123 sites with a tepid $219k and $1,780 per screen average.
- Other buzzed about releases, "Illégal" and "Peep World" did not have their estimates reported.
1. "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" (20th Century Fox), $24.4 million, NEW
2. "Sucker Punch" (Warner Bros.), $19.0 million, NEW
3. "Limitless" (Relativity), $15.2 million, $41.3 million total, 2 wks
4. "The Lincoln Lawyer" (Lionsgate), $11.0 million, $29.0 million, 2 wks
5. "Rango" (Paramount), $9.8 million, $106.4 million, 4 wks
6. "Battle: Los Angeles" (Sony Pictures), $7.6 million, $72.6 million, 3 wks
7. "Paul" (Universal), $7.5 million, $24.6 million, 2 wks
8. "Red Riding Hood" (Warner Bros.), $4.3 million, $32.5 million, 3 wks
9. "The Adjustment Bureau" (Universal), $4.2 million, $54.9 million, 4 wks
10. "Mars Needs Moms" (Buena Vista), $2.2 million, $19.2 million, 3 wks
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