This Weekend @ The Boxoffice: 2009.Aug.17

[Hand of Evil]

Sci-fi did good this weekend.

Weekend Report: Humans Welcome ‘District 9'
by Brandon Gray -- August 16, 2009

Many humans ventured into District 9 over the weekend, propelling the alien spectacle to an excellent estimated $37 million start, while another science fiction-themed picture, The Time Traveler's Wife, had a solid debut. Though the weekend's other new movies disappointed, overall business was up 13 percent from the same weekend last year, when Tropic Thunder opened in first.

Launching on approximately 4,000 screens at 3,049 sites, District 9's estimated opening attendance was slightly less than Cloverfield and slightly more than Starship Troopers among past comparable pictures. The picture was sold not only as a sci-fi action horror with striking visuals but also as a dramatic mystery, taking a different approach than recent, more disaster-oriented alien invasion movies with a plotline concerning a segregated alien race. One way the marketing helped the picture stand out was through posters done up as signs from the world of the movie, marking bus stops and other areas as "humans-only" or offering a toll-free number to report "non-human" activity. Distributor Sony Pictures' exit polling reported an audience composition of 64 percent male and 57 percent aged 25 years and older.

The Time Traveller's Wife pulled in an estimated $19.2 million on around 3,200 screens at 2,988 sites. The fantastical romantic drama sold more tickets initially than The Notebook and The Lake House, but fewer than City of Angels and Meet Joe Black among similar pictures. Based on a reportedly popular novel of the same name, Wife was a bit of a change of pace like District 9, distinguishing itself as the first and only dramatic romance of the summer. Distributor Warner Bros.' research indicated that 76 percent of the audience was female and 67 percent was aged 25 years and older. The marketing presented a straight forward romantic drama with the time travelling as the complication for the attractive lead actors, Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. The picture was a return to the same genre as the audience favorite, The Notebook, for Ms. McAdams, and it delivered her highest-grossing opening in a starring role.

The three other new nationwide releases were non-starters. The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard moved few tickets over the weekend, opening to an estimated $5.4 million at 1,838 sites, or about the same as Hot Rod two Augusts ago. The comedy was pitched as a starring vehicle for Jeremy Piven and featured other familiar supporting actors from recent comedy hits, but the milieu of wacky used car salesmen wasn't compelling enough to make this a theatrical must.

Hailed as the "next masterpiece" from Hayao Miyazaki in its advertising, Japanese blockbuster Ponyo floundered with an estimated $3.5 million, failing to gain domestic traction just like the previous Miyazaki features despite his largest release yet (927 sites).

Bandslam became the latest rock 'n' roll-themed picture to flop, mustering a meager estimated $2.3 million at 2,121 sites or even less than The Rocker from last August. School of Rock was the exception in this sub-genre, and all Bandslam seemed to offer was teenagers vaguely playing rock music (but with no specific tunes) with some vague teen romantic comedy elements, as if that were enough to make this look cool to the young people it was targeting.

Last weekend's top gun, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, retreated 59 percent to an estimated $22.5 million, lifting its total to $98.8 million in ten days. The picture continued a typical action trajectory with a second weekend drop that was about the same as the first Fantastic Four but steeper than XXX.

Julie & Julia had a passable hold, dipping 38 percent or less than No Reservations at the same point but with a higher gross. It made an estimated $12.4 million for a $43.7 million tally in ten days.

G-Force rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $6.9 million, easing 30 percent for a $99 million total in 24 days. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince stayed within the franchise norm with its 42 percent slide to an estimated $5.2 million, increasing its tally to $283.9 million in 33 days.

Grossing an estimated $4.5 million for $77.5 million in 24 days, The Ugly Truth surpassed the final tally of 27 Dresses. Meanwhile, Funny People sank by another 62 percent to an estimated $3 million for a quiet $47.9 million in 17 days, and (500) Days of Summer began to trail Garden State's attendance at the same point, down 19 percent after another expansion to an estimated $3 million for a relatively good $18 million in 31 days.

 

[Krug]

Great to see District 9 at the top. I think it'll have legs and do pretty well. Moreover, considering it's $30 mil budget, might be the biggest overall earner by % this summer.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Great to see District 9 at the top. I think it'll have legs and do pretty well. Moreover, considering it's $30 mil budget, might be the biggest overall earner by % this summer.

Has to go a long way to beat The Hangover: budget 35 million, take: Domestic: $265,881,000 (68.1%) + Foreign: $124,600,000 (31.9%) = Worldwide: $390,481,000

 

[Mark]

Except for G-Force (which I suppose some folks like), there doesn't appear to be any clunkers on that list.

 

[RangerWickett]

I watched part of Time Traveler's Wife, and I just didn't find Eric Bana interesting. I read the book, and Bana's portrayal wasn't charismatic enough. Then again, I guess I'm not the target audience.

District 9 was all kinds of excellent.

 

[Mistwell]

Great to see District 9 at the top. I think it'll have legs and do pretty well. Moreover, considering it's $30 mil budget, might be the biggest overall earner by % this summer.

The Hangover could drink many District 9s and still beat it hands down.

Not only does District 9 have no prayer of overtaking The Hangover, I doubt it even beats Paul Blart Mall Cop ($26 million to make, $146,336,178 domestic), or The Proposal ($40M to make, $157,688,000 domestic), though I do not even recall if either of those is a Summer film.

 

[Mark]

Now I want to see (500) Days even more -

Zooey and Joe are out to steal hearts with a music video - USATODAY.com

 

[Krug]

Hah I stand corrected. Still, it's quite amazing what District 9 achieved on its miniscule $30 million budget in terms of special effects.

 

[frankthedm]

wait.. people actually believe Hollywood's claims of how much a film costs to make? i mean, Hollywood's habit of making movie profits disappear is not news, why would their claims of what a movie cost them be any more trustable?

Indeed I suspect the 30 million of District 9 is much lower than the amount the studio would have claimed it cost them had not Peter Jackson been involved. He has clashed with studios on Hollywood Accounting over LOTR, so I wouldn't be surprised if any accounting involvng his work would be closer to the real numbers.

Hell, that's probably why the studio decided not to have him do the Halo movie. His budget was going to be $140 million in real money, not $140 million in hollywood accounting.