The box office results for the weekend of June 10th – 12th sees the pioneer of the summer blockbuster returning to the top with “Super 8.” In other news, Judy Moody, will have a Bummer Summer. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Super 8 ($37 million)
2. X-Men: First Class ($25 million)
3. The Hangover Part II ($18.5 million)
4. Kung Fu Panda 2 ($16.6 million)
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($10.8 million)
6. Bridesmaids ($10 million)
7. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer ($6.2 million)
8. Midnight in Paris ($6.1 million)
9. Thor ($2.3 million)
10. Fast Five ($1.7 million)
Analysis
Though some may see Super 8’s opening, and suggest it’s not very summer blockbuster like, they need to realize that the budget for this J.J. Abrams (writer/director)/Steven Spielberg (producer) creation came in somewhere between $45-$50 million. And judging from the overall positive buzz from the lovely critics and audiences, the domestic opening listed above is higher than Paramount’s original expectations. The one element that may have hampered the flick just a bit was the tight-lipped nature everyone involved had with this product. No one was allowed to talk, leading a portion of moviegoers to initiate the wait-n-see approach before stepping up to the box office. Then again, by keeping all the details of Super 8 in the proverbial vault, curiosity could have had the exact opposite reaction from weekend crowds.
Flop Alert (been awhile): “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer.” Even with its low budget of $20 million, this didn’t register with anyone. Relativity Media has been known to have the magic touch with a lot of its products the last year or so, but this will be a dud on their impressive balance sheet.
Sleeper Hit: “Midnight in Paris.” As predicted last week right here, the expansion of Woody Allen’s latest did register with people looking for an alternate to the typical summer releases. The $30 million production bill this comedy/romance rang up is now just over $14 million on the domestic front; and that brings its worldwide gross to $33 million. This should hang around the top ten as the expansion continues. For those wondering, Woody Allen’s highest domestic grossing flick came in 1986 with “Hannah and Her Sisters” with $40 million (thank you boxofficemojo).
In the race to become 2011’s highest grossing domestic stud, “The Hangover Part II” has overtaken “Fast Five” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The poorly received sequel is wobbling at $216 million while Fast Five is running on fumes while idling at $205 million. Pirates is floating at $208 million. And that concludes our metaphor paragraph.
“Fast Five” currently has the longest run in the top ten with 7 weeks.
This Friday we have two biggies and a little guy. “Green Latern” is yet another comic adaptation that is poised to win the weekend. Jim Carrey returns to elementary comedy with “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” Playing the role of the little guy in limited fashion is “The Art of Getting By.” Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers.
Report by Joe Belcastro
