The box office results for the weekend of September 14th – 16th has a battle of known entities vying for the top spot. Resident Evil 5 and Finding Nemo, both wielding the 3D gimmick, rejuvenated the slumping box office, while Arbitrage and The Master made strong debuts in limited release capacity. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Resident Evil: Retribution ($21.1 million)
2. Finding Nemo 3D ($17.5 million)
3. The Possession ($5.8 million)
4. Lawless ($4.2 million)
5. The Expendables 2 ($3 million)
6. ParaNorman ($3 million)
7. The Words ($2.8 million)
8. The Bourne Legacy ($2.7 million)
9. The Odd Life of Timothy Green ($2.5 million)
10. The Campaign ($2.4 million)
Analysis
As mentioned, though not seen in the top ten, Arbitrage and The Master had outstanding debuts as their respective studios slowly roll them out. Arbitrage snagged $2 million from 197 locations while The Master made an amazing $729,754 at a mere 5 locales. Look for both these early award contenders to expand over the next coming weeks.
Even though the opening numbers dipped from what previous installments did, Resident Evil: Retribution is looking to perform on par with the franchise’s history. And that translates to grossing at least $50 million on the domestic front. Bottom line: Only the core fan-base will be checking this out stateside, yet the overseas’ loyal will justify why this franchise, based off the popular video game, has not dropped dead (the international totals have increased with each entry). The production budget was $65 million.
With The Dark Knight Rises winding down (now up to $441 million domestically), The Bourne Legacy and The Campaign now hold the longest streak in the top ten with 6 weeks. The fourth entry in the popular Bourne franchise has secured $107.7 million stateside and is closing on $200 million worldwide, off a production budget of $125 million. As for the timely comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, it has reached $82.8 million in the states with a production budget of $56 million.
The Possession has quietly found its way to $41.2 million in just 3 weeks. Having a production budget of $14 million, this horror product has become a Sleeper Hit for Lionsgate.
Expect a major shake-up this coming Friday as The Master expands and four newbies join the party (Dredd, End of Watch, House at the End of the Street, Trouble with the Curve). Also opening in limited capacity – a common theme as the industry builds towards award season, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
