The box office results for the weekend of March 30th – April 1st sees the juggernaut that is The Hunger Games easily trounce newbies, Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror. Meanwhile, 21 Jump Street shows-off some incredible stamina during its third weekend. Here are the studio estimates:
1. The Hunger Games ($61.1 million)
2. Wrath of the Titans ($34.2 million)
3. Mirror Mirror ($19 million)
4. 21 Jump Street ($15 million)
5. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax ($8 million)
6. John Carter ($2 million)
7. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ($1.2 million)
8. Act of Valor ($1 million)
9. A Thousand Words ($0.9 million)
10. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ($0.8)
Analysis
Bottom line: The Hunger Games is at $250 million on the domestic front in just its second week. Worldwide, the gross is up to $310 million. With a reported total budget (production and marketing) of somewhere in the arena of $130 million, this early blockbuster for 2012 is in fine shape financially. And curiosity among movie-goers after seeing these amazing numbers could have some fans outside of novels venture into the theater as we move forward.
Wrath of the Titans opened just about 50% less than its 2010 predecessor Clash of the Titans. Bad news is, the production budget for the sequel jumped up to $150 million (Clash was $125 mil.). Unless overseas’ audiences flock to this, Warner Bros may be using bloody red ink on the balance sheet when this is all said and done. Frankly, there just wasn’t much buzz surrounding this at all. And that means, Flop Alert.
Even though having exquisite production designs and an all-star cast can lead to a pleasant movie-going experience, it costs money to make that happen. And in Mirror Mirror’s case, that added up to $85 million. Appealing to both kids and adults, the opening is actually decent. Why people – lonely projectionists – thought this would debut higher is quite baffling actually. That said, the numbers do not lie and this will more than likely be relying on a strong DVD and On-Demand run to see the black ink.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island currently holds the longest streak in the top ten with 8 weeks. Domestically, the 3D family adventure flick has reached $98 million on the domestic front, bringing its worldwide total up to $310 million.
21 Jump Street…still strong and steady. The well-received R-rated comedy will cross the $100 million plateau sometime next weekend.
This Friday, American Reunion – the fourth installment in the American Pie franchise – returns with the entire cast. Also showing up, is James Cameron pulling a George Lucas and re-releasing Titanic in “glorious” 3D. In limited fashion, The Hunter invades a few theaters around the country. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
