The box office results for Super Bowl weekend appropriately sees an intense battle for the top spot. It’s a classic old-school horror product versus modern day science-fiction as The Woman in Black and Chronicle are locked in a dead heat. Meanwhile, Big Miracle has trouble breaking through (pun intended). Here are the studio estimates:
1. Chronicle ($22 million)
2. The Woman in Black ($21 million)
3. The Grey ($9.5 million)
4. Big Miracle ($8.4 million)
5. Underworld: Awakening ($5.6 million)
6. One for the Money ($5.2 million)
7. Red Tails ($5 million)
8. The Descendants ($4.6 million)
9. Man on a Ledge ($4.4 million)
10. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ($3.9 million)
Analysis
First off, Go Giants! Secondly, the big game on Sunday will surely impact the overall numbers at the box office in a negative fashion. Then again, if one would like to avoid crowded and noisy theaters, perhaps taking in a flick on that evening is the way to go. And furthermore, the new releases are already over-achieving in the minds of the supposed industry experts. Therefore, Sunday will not play a pivotal role in breaking up the close battle at the top as it usually would.
Twentieth Century Fox has to be pleased with how Chronicle is performing on its opening weekend. And the lovely critics are digging this for the most part, too. Having a relatively thrifty production budget of just $15 million, the homemade documentary-like piece should be able to start seeing the black before the month is out. Many moviegoers are also spreading around the social network sites that it’s a well-rounded movie theater experience. And guess what? It didn’t even need to use 3D!
Horror flicks releasing in the beginning of the year are simply looking to capitalize on the niche market who still venture to the theaters for this type of product. The Woman in Black is no different; except it starts Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. Now some may inject that this is a lackluster debut for the star of such a loyalists mega-franchise, but as history shows, that’s usually how it goes (ex. Twilight’s Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner’s leading debuts were lackluster). Plus, CBS Films kind instituted a subtle advertising campaign leading up to the release date. All that being said, the numbers destroyed the worthless projections – that always come out – and should be able to make bank off the $13 million production budget. You can also factor in Radcliffe is a much bigger draw internationally as well, so things are looking just fine for the young studio.
Big Miracle; welcome to the Flop Alert section of this report. No matter what your opinion is of this cinematic story, debuting under $10 million just won’t cut it when your production budget is $30 million. Though similar films in such as last year’s Dolphin Tale had staying power, that particular flick debuted with a much higher total. Hey, at least the reviews are decent Universal Pictures. Oh, wait…sorry. Wrong movie.
It’s kind of funny that not too many of the early January releases are still floating around the top ten. And the ones that are seem to be stalling out already. Hence, no Sleeper Hit just yet. But keep an eye on The Grey, even though it did tumble 52% from its opening weekend.
This Friday, the theater listings will be extended greatly with four new releases on tap. Well, technically three; Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is getting the greedy re-release in 3D treatment. True newbies come in the form of The Vow and Safe House, while Journey 2: The Mysterious Island qualifies as the mandatory sequel for the month. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
By Joe Belcastro
