Not really sure how old time is, but this report is full of beauties, beasts, drug lords, and Queen Latifah. It’s the Reject Report, where we dive into the box office and sort out how much cash goes to which movies. Three films hit this week – two new and one re-release in 3D – each offering their own, diverse form of entertainment.
Each film has its own strengths to pull in as much box office change as it can possibly get. While new films will be making their own money, it could very well be the Disney classic that takes the proverbial cake. And who’s going to contend with the Beast, really? The dude kicked Gaston’s ass.
BIG HITTERS
Congratulations, world. Disney has figured out a way to rake in even more cash than before. With the 3D reissue of The Lion King this past September as a test run, we’ll be guaranteed one reissue every three or four months for the foreseeable future. On their plate now is Beauty and the Beast, one of the most beloved of Disney’s classics. That’s right. I said “beloved.” In September The Lion King pulled in $30.1m and $21.9m its first two weekends topping the charts both weekends. That’s a pretty good indicator of the kind of numbers Disney is expecting from these re-releases. While Beauty and the Beast was a fine success for the studio in 1991 ($171.3m domestic) it didn’t come anywhere near the kind of box office The Lion King made ($422.7m domestic). That could also be a good indicator of the ups and downs these re-releases might go through. Beauty and the Beast will make some fine supplementary income for Disney, but expect more in the $15-20m range this weekend.
It’s just so damn beautiful, alright? Why wouldn’t I give you the dance scene from Beauty and the Beast. It’s not in 3D, though. Sorry:
Marky Mark in the house. Yeah, he hates that. You know what else he hates? Drug dealers. At least that’s what the new documentary film Contraband says. It’s been over three years since Wahlberg has starred in a serious action movie – that is, if you consider Max Payne serious. While his clout has gone up even in that short period of time, Contraband feels like a weak film. Despite Wahlberg’s presence, it doesn’t feel like a big moneymaker. The January release date Universal gave it doesn’t help. Who knows? Contraband could pull in some surprise numbers, but around $15m slightly under Beauty and the Beast seems a better fit.
Marky Mark in the house. Yep, still hates it:
Something about hair being pulled out and a singing competition and Dolly Parton’s there. I don’t know, but Queen Latifah’s career isn’t dead yet, so I’ll put Joyful Noise somewhere in the low double digits. That’s about all that needs to be said at this time.
FAMILIARITIES
Yes, The Devil Inside. We know you made a WHOLE bunch of money last weekend. Why? Because your studio, Paramount, was smart enough to release it with an ending that made people angry. Those angry people talked about how angry they were. Other people, people who weren’t angry yet, heard the angry people, and they said to themselves, “Hey, we need to go investigate what made these people so angry.” And they did. It was like a box office horror movie out there this past weekend. So huge opening weekend for you. We’ll see you on the other side of this 70% drop.
The Iron Lady, notably not a horror movie, expands to just over 800 screens this weekend. That should be enough to generate around $4m or so, not enough to break into the top 10, but enough to warrant the film’s expansion. Expect another expansion and another couple of million here and there if…scratch that, when Meryl Streep gets an Oscar nomination for it. It’s really just a countdown to that now anyway.
LITTLE OPENERS
Opening in limited release are Albatross opening in select cities, The Divide opening in select cities, Don’t Go in the Woods opening in New York City, Loosies opening in select cities, Lula, Son of Brazil opening in select cities, Richard Garriott: Man on a Mission opening in New York City, Vettai opening in select cities, and We Need to Talk About Kevin opening in New York City.
Here’s how the weekend is shaping up:
- Beauty and the Beast in 3D – $16.8m NEW/OLD
- Contraband – $15.2m NEW
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – $12.6m (-36.3%)
- Joyful Noise – $11.1m NEW
- The Devil Inside – $10.7m (-68%)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – $8.4m (-37.7%)
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – $7.9m (-30%)
- We Bought a Zoo – $5.3m (-35.8%)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked – $5.1m (-45.6%)
- War Horse – $4.9m (-42.2%)
Which gives us $98m for the top 10, down from last weekend, but we don’t have The Devil Inside to make people so angry. That’s a plus, right? $98m is about average for this time of year anyway, and it’s a number that could be inflated if Beauty and the Beast strikes the iron the same way The Lion King did. The same goes for Contraband and Joyful Noise, both films factors in them that could bring out a surprise influx of attendance. That $98m could actually be on the low side of things, and a weekend North of $100m could once again be in our near future.
We’ll be back early next week to go over the weekend numbers.