The box office results for the weekend of March 2nd – 4th sees audiences flocking to the world of Dr. Seuss once again. Nearly tripling runner-up “Project X”, Universal finally has a reason to celebrate its 100th anniversary with its first big hit of the year. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax ($70.7 million)
2. Project X ($20.7 million)
3. Act of Valor ($13.7 million)
4. Safe House ($7.2 million)
5. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds ($7 million)
6. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ($6.9 million)
7. The Vow ($6.1 million)
8. This Means War ($5.6 million)
9. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance ($4.7 million)
10. The Artist ($3.9 million)
Analysis by Joe Belcastro – Member of the Florida Film Critics Circle
Project X will be earning profits by early next week thanks to its thrifty production of $12 million. Going the found-footage route will usually summon the black ink on the balance sheet these days. And this particular one is actually one of the more expensive ones out there by comparison. Despite the majority of critics not feeling this guy’s spirit, word-of-mouth among the flick’s target demographic will keep this sucker earning all the way through its DVD and On-Demand release. Though, considering that age group, they probably already swiped this off the internet illegally. Oh yeah, Sleeper Hit.
The weekend’s champion, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is off to a wondrous start for Universal Pictures. Coming in with a production budget of $70 million – and that does not include the massive marketing campaign the studio threw behind this – the flick has a chance to hang around in the top ten throughout the month of March. With very little, if any, direct competition coming from wide releases, look for this to make a domestic push to around the $125 million and possibly eclipse $150 million. And overseas’ totals will also play a factor here down the road.
By the way, with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace being greedily re-re-released in 3D, the the 1999 installment is now up to 4th all-time on the domestic chart with $472 million. Ranking wise, that’s as high as it will get however, since The Dark Knight sits at $533.3.
Flop Alert: The obvious choice here is Wanderlust. But, we’re not going to ruin Universal’s exceptional weekend by taking a leak on what some are calling the worst movie of the year thus far.
The Artist quietly (pun intended) quietly crept into the top ten for the first time after 15 weeks in release. Coming off its strong showing at the Academy Awards last weekend, and made for just $15 million, the 2011 Best Picture winner is quietly (same pun intended again) about to go over $80 million worldwide after a slow unveiling in theaters by The Weinstein Company.
This Friday this place gets crowded. An early year blockbuster in John Carter is unveiled by Disney, while Eddie Murphy chimes in with A Thousand Words and horror fans get a remake called Silent House. The R-rated Friends with Kids also opens in limited markets. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
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