The box office results for the weekend of February 22nd – 24th sees a balanced attack as audiences spread the wealth among newbies and holdovers. Here are the studio estimates:
1. Identity Thief ($14.1 million)
2. Snitch ($13 million)
3. Escape from Planet Earth ($11 million)
4. Safe Haven ($10.6 million)
5. A Good Day to Die Hard ($10 million)
6. Dark Skies ($8.8 million)
7. Silver Linings Playbook ($6 million)
8. Warm Bodies ($4.7 million)
9. Side Effects ($3.5 million)
10. Beautiful Creatures ($3.4 million)
Analysis
Out of the two new releases, Dark Skies looks to be in the best shape despite a mid-pack performance. With a production budget of just $3.5 million, chances are this will see the black ink by the end of next weekend.
Snitch was the other new arrival which featured Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a The Rock). Again, the opening wasn’t an eyebrow-raiser, but if it had a modest production budget (has yet to be released), this could end up earning some profits with a decent DVD/On-Demand campaign.
Identity Thief found the top spot again in week #3 as the comedy has shown surprising staying power despite harsh reviews from both the lovely critics and audiences. Universal Pictures should see this cross the $100 million plateau on the domestic front this coming week.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey just hit the exclusive $300 million mark stateside after 11 weeks in release. While it joins the previous Lord of the Rings’ installments as certified blockbusters, clearly less U.S. fans are venturing out to the theater to see the latest cinematic adventure when factoring in the up-charge in ticket prices for the high-frame rate 3D presentation. Worldwide though, this sucker is inching its way up toward $1 billion.
This Friday, four wide releases clog up theaters as Jack the Giant Slayer, 21 & Over, The Last Exorcism Part II, and Phantom all try to earn a piece of the pie. Reviews will be right here my fellow Shockers!
