The box office results for the weekend of April 15th – 17th sees what some may call an upset. Scream 4 was nearly lapped by the 3D animated Rio during both flicks respective debuts. The fam-friendly enthusiasts massacred the popular horror franchise. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Rio ($40 million)
2. Scream 4 ($19.2 million)
3. Hop ($11.2 million)
4. Soul Surfer ($7.4 million)
5. Hanna ($7.3 million)
6. Arthur 2011 ($6.9 million)
7. Insidious ($6.8 million)
8. Source Code ($6.3 million)
9. The Conspirator ($3.9 million)
10. Your Highness ($3.8 million)
Analysis
Despite Scream 4 opening on the lower end of expectations, financially speaking, the flick is going to be just fine. The production budget came in at $40 million and with a guaranteed successful DVD and On-Demand run in the near future, The Weinstein Company has nothing to fear. The opening doesn’t come as a complete shock, since a good portion of fans were probably waiting for reviews and word-of-mouth results. With the majority of reviews giving the latest installment in the groundbreaking franchise a nod of approval, this horror piece will have a longer shelf-live than most in the genre.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise in seeing Rio’s immediate take-off. The flick has all the necessary staples – 3D, animation, family marketed. Plus, it was really the only alternate to all the violent material found in the top ten at the moment. The $90 production budget is already of no concern, for the overseas totals have amassed about $80 million. And as an added bonus, no direct competition is entering the box office arena for a couple weeks. This sucker is flying high to profitability.
Flop Alert: Arthur. The drunken comedy has hit rock bottom on the domestic side. It may eclipse the $30 million mark but unless a strong overseas showing happens, this one’s a dud for Warner Bros. due to the $40 million that was required to put this guy together.
Sleeper Hit: A few flicks are close to waking up, but we can’t be sure until next weekend’s totals are revealed. Stay tuned.
Insidious is holding up extremely well for a horror property. The $1.5 million product is now up to over $35 million domestically. If this pattern holds, the FilmDistrict piece will have lasted at least 4-5 weeks in the top ten. Which again, is a rarity for the genre.
This Friday audiences will get a mixed bag. African Cats will serve as wild-life documentary. Water for Elephants will be banking on Robert Pattinson’s loyal Twilight fan base upon its debut. And what will in all likely hood secure the top spot is Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family. Save for Tyler Perry’s latest – he never screens for critics – reviews will right here my fellow Shockers.
Report by Joe Belcastro
