Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, Deadline, and other sources:"Transformers: Dark Of The Moon" retained its lockdown on the top spot of the North American Box Office totals, dipping 51.9% and grossing another $47.1 million. Overall, the third "Transformers" film is rolling along strong with a 12-day gross of $261.1 million thus far.
As impressive as that number is, the film is still lagging a distant second behind the pace set by 2009's "Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen", which had earned $293.4 million in that same stretch. 2007's "Transformers" film had banked $212.3 in its first 12 days.
Paramount executives are not only pleased with the fact that they have a massive hit on their hands domestically, but worldwide the film is delivering staggering totals. Overseas, "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon" has grossed $395 million and has tallied more than $662 million thus far. Within a week, the film will move past the first entry in the series, in terms of worldwide gross ($709 million), and the $836 million+ hauled in by "...Revenge of the Fallen" is well within reach. The only thing standing in "Transformers" way? A pesky little wizard named Harry Potter, who could potentially re-write some history books beginning this weekend.
In 2007, the first "Transformers" held the top spot for two weeks and narrowly was defeated in Week 3 by the Adam Sandler/Kevin James comedy, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry". In 2009, "...Revenge Of The Fallen" fell from the top after a two-week run when "Bruno" opened to the tune of $30.6 million for Sacha Baron Cohen.
Unlike the terrible 62% drop of "...Revenge of the Fallen", "...Dark Of The Moon"'s decline of slightly more than half of its opening audience was better than expected. Both films have held decent in their respective third weekends, but they have never faced the likes of a "Harry Potter" film. The "Harry Potter" series finale has the potential to surpass this year's biggest opening weekend of 2011 - the $97.8 million opening for "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon".
Can raunchy R-rated comedy continue to deliver big numbers? Can Kevin James overcome the worst reviews of his career? And which documentary had a massive opening weekend per-screen average? You might be surprised with the answers and the Top 40...after the cut!
HORRIBLE BOSSES
The sample set of 2011 Summer Movie Season R-rated comedies is now 4-strong as "Horrible Bosses" arrived on the heels of the bar-raising performances of "Bridesmaids", "The Hangover Part II", and "Bad Teacher". Critics were on board by a 3-to-1 margin, which translated to a much better than expected $28.3 million weekend.
"Horrible Bosses", featured Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey, and Jennifer Aniston working against-type, with funnymen Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day playing the beleaguered employees flirting with the idea of offing their horrible bosses. "...Bosses" lagged behind "Bad Teacher"'s $31.6 million start, but eclipsed "Bridesmaids" and its $26.2 million opening. "The Hangover Part II", the now-second biggest grossing film of 2011, began with a sum of $85.9 million.
For all involved, the film's strong performance meant something different for each star. For Jason Bateman, the film served as the third-biggest ensemble comedy opening for him, falling behind "The Break Up" (2006, $39.2 million) and "Couples Retreat" (2009, $34.3 million), but ahead of "Starsky and Hutch" (2004, $28.1 million) and his co-starring role opposite Aniston, the rom-com "The Switch" (2010, $8.4 million).
For Colin Farrell, "...Bosses" was his largest opening in 8 years, forcing one to go all the way back to the ensemble cop actioner, "S.W.A.T." in 2003 ($37.1 million). Kevin Spacey hasn't opened a film this big since 2006's "Superman Returns" ($52.5 million), and "Horrible Bosses" served as the second biggest opening of any project in his entire career.
Elsewhere, "...Bosses" set a new high watermark for up and coming actors Sudeikis and Day, who have never opened a film this big and for Jennifer Aniston and Jamie Foxx, the film proved to be another consistent starter for the actors when compared to their ensemble work.
ZOOKEEPER
Kevin James delivered a frankly awful film as "Zookeeper" received a 14% Tomatometer with critics and a subpar $20.1 million start. Budgeted at $80 million, the Sony release was picked up from the bankruptcy-laden death of the MGM brand and Sony co-financed with MGM to keep the project afloat. Originally scheduled for an October 2010 release, the film was bumped into the summer of 2011, as Sony made a strong pitch to those who would listen that they had a success on their hands.
Watching the film, Kevin James seems lost and the screenplay pushes the boundaries of what is tolerable in a PG-rated film nowadays, both of kids and grown ups alike. Word-of-mouth was reportedly dismal and the film did not see an increase like other family films typically do on Saturday showings. People either tracked with the critical sentiment or they talked to their neighbors and friends because "Zookeeper" became less and less visited by Sunday evening.
Although it features an impressive list of voiceover talent, including co-producer Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Maya Rudolph, and Judd Apatow, the talking animals gag just didn't impress. For James, the opening was far below his other Sandler collaborations, and was nowhere near the $34 million start for 2009's "Paul Blart: Mall Cop".
A BETTER LIFE
Although Summit Entertainment may still struggle to determine the proper way to market a film (see everything not named "Twilight" or "RED" for an example), there should be some props given to the rollout strategy issued to the contemplative drama "A Better Life".
In its third weekend, the film expanded from 11 screens to 153 sites and saw receipts increase a whopping 237.9%. Audiences are becoming enamored with the film and the critics are largely in agreement, with the film netting 79% at Rotten Tomatoes. A marked departure for director Chris Weitz, "A Better Life" has grossed almost $600k thus far and Summit may look to expand the film into more and more cities. There should be no reason that Summit cannot turn this film profitable with its small-scale $10 million production budget. Actor Demian Bichir is also carrying some lingering Oscar buzz for his lead performance in the film.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
By the time you read this, Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris" will have become, financially speaking, his biggest grossing film of all time. Finishing the weekend at $38.6 million, Allen may have dipped back outside the Top 10, but only saw attendance slide 26.4% in the film's 8th weekend. Sony Pictures Classics may soon turn to a reduction of theaters and switch plans over to a push for the DVD release, likely to coincide with an expected Oscar campaigns for Allen as director and writer, the film itself, and perhaps Owen Wilson, Corey Stoll, and Marion Cotillard in the acting categories.
With his resurgence clearly complete, Allen's next film, "Bop Decameron", places him back in front of the camera alongside Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Greta Gerwig, Roberto Benigni, and a host of others. The film is to be released in 2012.
BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE..
Heralded in critical circles, but often ignored when the history of rap music is analyzed and discussed, the groundbreaking and influential hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, saw a documentary on their career and individual lives deliver a staggering per screen average of nearly $28k. Playing on 4 screens, the film rolled up $112k in its opening weekend, and raised some eyebrows at its success. Playing to nearly unanimous positive reviews, the film featured the directorial debut of actor Michael Rapaport, and was praised for digging into the conflicts and struggles the band endured, alongside their successes, for much of their existence.
THEY ADDED SCREENS BUT...
Audiences had more access but chose to avoid indie hits "The Tree Of Life", "Buck", and "Beginners" rather surprisingly. For "Beginners", the drop was rather confounding, as it added 47 more locations. However, the drop was a nominal 7.5% and the film has now earned back its production budget of $3.2 million stateside.
"Buck" surprisingly dipped nearly 20%s, as it played in a similar number of theaters. Overall, "Buck" has moved north of $1 million with a 4-week take of $1.7 million overall.
For Terrence Malick's "The Tree Of Life", the film stumbled 25.7% adding 9 screens to its overall availability. Domestically, "Tree..." has grossed $9.0 million, which may or may not be a disappointment for Fox Searchlight. They have played their reactions rather close to the vest all the way through the film's theatrical run. When adding in worldwide ticket sales, the film has earned $28.7 million, still short of its reported $32 million budget.
ADDITIONAL INDEPENDENT TRACKING
Oscar winning documentarian James Marsh's highly anticipated "Project Nim" failed to ignite much of the same attention and curiosity his Oscar winner, "Man On Wire" did in 2008. "Wire..." started on 2 screens with a $50k-plus opening weekend. Some were speculating that "...Nim" could pull a similar number but it fell far short of Marsh's previous success.
Distributed by Roadside Attractions, the film takes a look at a still-controversial 1970s experiment where scientists attempted to take a chimpanzee and raise him like a human being. Critics loved the film, but audiences in New York and Chicago were resistant. Grossing $6,455 per screen, "...Nim" opened with just $26k in its opening frame.
REMAINING TOP 12 FILMS
Even with "Horrible Bosses" exceeding expectations, "Bad Teacher" had a nice third weekend hold, sliding just 38.8%. Total gross stands at $78.7 million and the film could pull a gross north of $100 million by the time its run concludes.
"Super 8" kept a nice run going losing just 38.9% of its previous weekend attendees. The film has earned a solid $118.1 million in 5 weeks.
"Larry Crowne" saw the largest slide of the weekend, shedding 54.7% of its opening weekend audience. The film will earn its $30 million production budget back but "...Crowne" is easily one of the big disappointments of the 2011 summer movie season.
THE DISCOUNT HOUSE
"Thor" moved to the second-run houses and saw ticket receipts climb 43.2%. The $178.7 million hit arrives on home video September 13, 2011.
THE WEEKEND BREAKDOWN
#1 Film - "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon", earned $47.1 million in its second weekend. Cumulative total sits at $261.1 million.
Last Year's #1 Film at this time: "Despicable Me", earned $56.4 million in its debut weekend.
Biggest Per Screen Average: "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest", $27,996 at 4 locations ($112k weekend)
Worst Per Screen Average (50+ Sites): "Judy Moody And The NOT Bummer Summer", $475 at 171 locations ($81k, $14.1 million cumulative)
Largest Increase (50+ Sites): "A Better Life", +237.9%
Steepest Decline (50+ Sites): "Larry Crowne", -54.7%
Films Earning More Than $1m for the weekend: 15
Films Which Surpassed $100m: N/A
Films Which Surpassed $200m: "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon"
Films Which Surpassed Reported Budget This Weekend (Domestic): "Mr. Popper's Penguins", "Beginners"
The Top 40 and other notables (Wkd Figures and % Chg, based on 4-day totals)!
| TW | LW | DAY | FILM | WKD | TOTAL | % CHG |
| 1 | 1 | 12 | Transformers: Dark Of The Moon | $47.1m | $261.1m | -51.9 |
| 2 | N | 3 | Horrible Bosses | $28.3m | $28.3m | New |
| 3 | N | 3 | Zookeeper | $20.1m | $20.1m | New |
| 4 | 2 | 17 | Cars 2 | $15.2m | $148.8m | -42.1 |
| 5 | 3 | 17 | Bad Teacher | $8.9m | $78.7m | -38.5 |
| 6 | 4 | 10 | Larry Crowne | $5.9m | $26.2m | -54.7 |
| 7 | 5 | 31 | Super 8 | $4.8m | $118.1m | -38.9 |
| 8 | 6 | 10 | Monte Carlo | $3.8m | $16.1m | -49.0 |
| 9 | 8 | 24 | Mr. Popper's Penguins | $3.2m | $58.1m | -43.0 |
| 10 | 7 | 24 | Green Lantern | $3.1m | $109.7m | -52.0 |
| 11 | 10 | 52 | Midnight In Paris | $2.634m | $38.6m | -26.4 |
| 12 | 9 | 59 | Bridesmaids | $2.628m | $158.1m | -27.9 |
| 13 | 11 | 38 | X-Men: First Class | $1.5m | $142.1m | -50.1 |
| 14 | 12 | 46 | The Hangover Part II | $1.2m | $250.8m | -49.9 |
| 15 | 13 | 52 | Pirates: On Stranger Tides | $1.1m | $236.3m | -51.9 |
| 16 | 14 | 46 | Kung Fu Panda 2 | $865k | $159.0m | -48.0 |
| 17 | 15 | 45 | The Tree Of Life | $794k | $9.0m | -25.7 |
| 18 | 20 | 66 | Thor | $573k | $178.7m | +43.2 |
| 19 | 16 | 38 | Beginners | $553k | $3.3m | -7.5 |
| 20 | 19 | 87 | Rio | $413k | $141.3m | -7.5 |
| 21 | 18 | 24 | Buck | $386k | $1.7m | -19.7 |
| 22 | 17 | 10 | Delhi Belly | $375k | $1.2m | -35.5 |
| 23 | 32 | 17 | A Better Life | $330k | $560k | +237.9 |
| 24 | 21 | 73 | Fast Five | $261k | $208.8m | -21.3 |
| 25 | 22 | 94 | Born To Be Wild IMAX | $237k | $8.7m | +5.9 |
| 26 | 24 | 94 | Soul Surfer | $131k | $43.7m | -19.9 |
| 27 | 23 | 80 | Water For Elephants | $125k | $58.3m | -27.2 |
| 28 | 27 | 17 | Page One: A Year Inside The N.Y. Times | $116k | $430k | -6.7 |
| 29 | N | 3 | Beats, Rhymes & Life...Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest | $112k | $112k | New |
| 30 | 28 | 479 | Hubble 3D | $106k | $26.5m | -6.5 |
| 31 | 25 | 24 | The Trip | $104k | $951k | -35.1 |
| 32 | 29 | 80 | ...Madea's Big Happy Family | $99k | $53.2m | -11.9 |
| 33 | 30 | 73 | Cave Of Forgotten Dreams | $82k | $4.8m | -25.4 |
| 34 | 26 | 31 | Judy Moody/NOT Bummer Summer | $81k | $14.1m | -40.0 |
| 35 | 40 | 101 | Insidious | $79k | $53.7m | +70.0 |
| 36 | 31 | 66 | Something Borrowed | $66k | $38.8m | -34.2 |
| 37 | 38 | 409 | Sea Rex 3D: Journey To A Prehistoric World | $64k | $3.5m | +25.7 |
| 38 | 34 | 115 | The Lincoln Lawyer | $62k | $57.9m | -30.2 |
| 39 | 36 | 10 | Terri | $45k | $145k | -31.3 |
| 40 | 43 | 17 | Turtle: The Incredible Journey | $39k | $184k | -3.3 |
BUBBLING UNDER INCREASES AND OPENINGS:
43. “Bride Flight”, $31k, $279k total, +24.0%
45. "Project Nim", $26k, NEW
47. "Sholem Aleichem: Laughing In The Darkness", $20k, NEW
55. “Win Win”, $14k, $10.2m total, +26.2%
57. “Rejoice And Shout!”, $12k, $72k total, +72.1%
I for one am happy to see R rated comedies doing well...
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