The box office results for the weekend of May 6th- 8th has the mighty blockbusters taking over. “Thor” was able to hammer all the competition in its theatrical debut. In its second week, “Fast Five” held off the rest of the ensemble products that entered the arena. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Thor ($66 million)
2. Fast Five ($32.5 million)
3. Jumping the Broom ($13.7 million)
4. Something Borrowed ($13.1 million)
5. Rio ($8.2 million)
6. Water for Elephants ($5.6 million)
7. Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family ($3.9 million)
8. Prom ($2.4 million)
9. Soul Surfer ($2.1 million)
10. Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS. Evil ($1.8 million)
Analysis
“Thor” didn’t light up the charts as its Marvel Comic predecessors have recently, but it is still off to a solid start. As par for the course, the production budget was $150 million to create the Norse god mythology. Reviews have been on Paramount’s side and the flick is already summoning mass amounts of cash from the international market (over $175 million). So this property will be profitable and will make most of its money over the next two weeks prior to the next tenpole bows on May 20th (Captain Jack sails again).
“Fast Five” drifted away, dropping 62% in its second weekend run. The Univeral release is now up to $142 million on the domestic front and will signal producers to put out the new “model” in 2013. Fast Five is about to cruise past $250 worldwide.
“Something Borrowed” is in some jeopardy. First off, it is getting slammed by critcs, making it one of the worst reviewed films of the year. Second, the romantic-comedy rang up a $35 million bill for Warner Bros. At this rate, this piece will be lucky to reach $30 million, for more summer releases will push this sucker down even further.
Flop Alert: “Hoodwinked Too! Hood VS. Evil.” What a dud for the Weinsteins. Chances are they were just trying to unload this from their stocked shelves. Whatever the case may be, the animation only required $40 million – which is low – to create. By the time it finishes its theatrical run (2 weeks and counting), the 3D animated bust will be crawling to $10 million at the domestic B.O.
Sleeper Hit: “Jumping the Broom.” Despite borderline mild reviews, the ensemble film geared toward the Tyler Perry crowd, is already a success. Simply because the production budget was only $7 million. Generally speaking, double your budget, and the revenue gods will make it rain.
Speaking of doubling your budget, “Soul Surfer” currently has the longest run in the top ten with 5 weeks. The comeback story is now up to $36 million domestically, off a $18 million production budget.
This Friday, the summer quietly continues with the “Bridesmaids” and “Priest.” Universal is hoping that “Bridesmaids” will come-off as the female version of “The Hangover.” The promos for “Priest” have been running for a solid year now, but the action-horror piece will have its work cut out for them. In limited fashion, “Everything Must Go” starring Will Ferrrell, will open in about 225 theaters across the country. Look for “Thor” to stay on top for at least one more week. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers.
Report by Joe Belcastro
