Oz The Great and Powerful Movie Poster

It was another runaway success this weekend for Oz The Great and Powerful but there was an unexpected twist to what was otherwise a similar weekend to last year. Oz held strong, although not as strong as Alice in Wonderland. The $41 million weekend helps set the Disney adventure picture well on its course for $250 million when it finally closes.

To call the success of Halle Berry’s latest film The Call unexpected would be an understatement. The film which was co-produced by TriStar and WWE Films, saw a $17 million opening weekend. Distributor Sony’s aggressive marketing campaign helped ticket buyers understand, early on, what they were getting into. That knowledge definitely contributed to the film’s strong opening. Attendees skewed female, not surprisingly, and reviews were favorable for the most part. A film like this never holds incredibly well after its first week but expectations are that it will finish around the $45 million mark. That would be considered a huge success considering where this film was headed just a few months earlier.

In a weekend that saw big surprises, the one that the business will take most notice of is the terrible debut of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. The $10 million opening marked the worst debut for a film starring Jim Carrey or Steve Carell. Perhaps their luster has worn off as Carrey and Carell have both been some of the biggest draws in the genre for more than a decade. However, the over-the-top premise and gag-filled previews couldn’t lure audiences into the seats. The reviews were also quite disappointing with Rotten Tomatoes only giving the film a 38% rating out of 100%.

Lastly, and on a more uplifting topic, Spring Breakers scored an astounding $200 thousand from a mere three screenings in New York and Los Angeles. The film starring James Franco and Selena Gomez averaged $87 thousand per theater. The release will expand into over a thousand markets next weekend but with a strong start, the low budget crime drama is on its way to impressive numbers.

Oz the Great and Powerful Movie Poster

After two months of flops and less than stellar numbers that have left the business well behind last year’s figures, Oz The Great and Powerful has arrived to be the shining beacon of hope. At $79 million, Oz became the first film to crack $50 million in one weekend since The Hobbit. Overall the totals are up 15 percent from last year when John Carter reigned supreme with a minimal $30 million weekend.

The success of 2010′s Alice in Wonderland laid the groundwork for Oz‘s success in 2013. With a release in the same month two years earlier, Disney found a winning formula with fantasy, PG, entertainment. Oz didn’t venture far from that formula and found similar success. They also grabbed a battle tested director that added an edge to keep the film from falling too far into the children’s genre. Sam Raimi has once again found success with a previously established brand. His success and visual style with Spider-Man found a home in the land of Oz.

In second place, Jack the Giant Slayer, might as well have been ten spots behind Oz The Great and Powerful. In its second week, Jack found itself nearly $70 million behind this week’s first place film. Overall, this week’s $9 million take put a very small dent in the film’s $195 million budget. At this rate, Jack will disappear without coming anywhere near $75 million, making a far worse flop than last year’s disaster John Carter.

In third, Identity Theft held strong with another $6 million. In week five, the small budget comedy has swelled its take to $116 million, making it the biggest success of 2013 thus far. Of course it will probably take only one more week for Oz to surpass it, but that doesn’t diminish Melissa McCarthy’s draw as a true comedy superpower.

The heavy marketing strength of World Wrestling Entertainment continues to prove useless in Hollywood as Dead Man Down opened to a mere $5 million. It marks the sixteenth nationwide release out of thirty to open with less than $10 million. It is a shocking statistic that shows producers have not gauged this year’s audiences very well. Dead Man Down had the star power and action scenes to score big. However, 2013 is proving to not be the year of the R-rated action film. How this will affect future action films remains to be seen but don’t expect as many releases brandishing an R-rating in the genre for quite some time.

February 10, 2013

Bridal Shower Brunch by Jen Gallardo

Searching for Droids by Anthony J. Merced

February 11, 2013

A Little Wish… by Jen Gallardo

Overflowing by Anthony J. Merced

February 12, 2013

Wine and Computing by Jen Gallardo

Morning Choices by Anthony J. Merced

February 13, 2013

Danger! by Jen Gallardo

Low Headroom by Anthony J. Merced

February 14, 2013

Leftover Snow by Jen Gallardo

Going Through Papers by Anthony J. Merced

February 15, 2013

Wall of Sound by Jen Gallardo

Where Are You? by Anthony J. Merced

February 16, 2013

People Watching by Jen Gallardo

City Lights by Anthony J. Merced

February 3, 2013

Salty Sneakers by Jen Gallardo

Foot to Rug by Anthony J. Merced

February 4, 2013

Nightstand by Jen Gallardo

The Blue Flame by Anthony J. Merced

February 5, 2013

An Evening with Anthony by Jen Gallardo

Light in the Tunnel by Anthony J. Merced

February 6, 2013

On the A Train by Jen Gallardo

Circus Monkey by Anthony J. Merced

February 7, 2013

Pencil Grime by Jen Gallardo

So Last Month by Anthony J. Merced

February 8, 2013

Bird Waits for Train by Jen Gallardo

Snow Blind by Anthony J. Merced

February 9, 2013

After the Snow Fall by Jen Gallardo

Georgian Wine by Anthony J. Merced

A Good Day to Die Hard Movie Poster

While it’s not an overwhelming victory, Bruce Willis will reign over the President’s Day weekend as A Good Day to Die Hard finishes on top of the box office. Finishing up just shy of $29 million, the fifth installment of the Die Hard series may be the last or perhaps the last to be rated R. The previous film Live Free or Die Hard took in roughly $48 million on its opening weekend and that wasn’t a holiday release. In the end, A Good Day to Die Hard may not even crack $100 million. Where the finger should be pointed for the blame isn’t quite as clear. Although many will say that the PG-13 rating gave them the ability to get more eyeballs on the screen. Throwing in overseas numbers, this latest Bruce Willis action film will be seen as a success for Fox. However, whether or not the gamble on future films will be necessary remains to be seen.

Identity Thief finished second and nearly took first place for the first time. Adding the $27 million into the mix and the Melissa McCarthy driven comedy is the highest grossing film of the year thus far. With a string of comedies in the works for McCarthy, she may be taking the reigns as the queen of comedy in Hollywood in the coming months. Identity Thief is well on its way to becoming the first film in 2013 to reach $100 million. While this is no slight on the success of the film, it is quite telling that Identity Thief is the most successful film of the year. Most of the films have seemingly felt like leftovers from 2012 or sequels to franchises years in the making. This will of course change as 2013 rolls on but the slow start has left the major films of the year with quite a load to carry.

Safe Haven became one of the most well received Nicholas Sparks adaptations thus far. Finishing in third with $25 million, drew a strong female audience off of a very direct marketing campaign. It hit the desired audience immediately and the demographics showed that it was well targeted. The film was able to draw a majority of its viewers from the under 25 pool of ticket buyers. They also succeeded in assuring audiences that we will see more Nicholas Sparks adaptations in the future.

The children’s movie that no one knew about, Escape From Planet Earth, drew $21 million with little publicity and nearly no marketing effort. While it is a bit off from a similar release Gnomeo and Juliet, the showing proves the film’s interest level with audiences, especially given the lack of marketing dollars provided. The success can be viewed as scheduling genius. It is the only PG or PG-13 release of the long weekend, making it the only option for many families. Credit has to be given to the Weinstein Company for analyzing the market and taking advantage of the opening.

All numbers from Box Office Mojo.

January 27, 2013

A Night In with Friends by Jen Gallardo

iPad Keys by Anthony J. Merced

January 28, 2013

Custom Cables by Jen Gallardo

Cornered Subway Art by Anthony J. Merced

January 29, 2013

Office-Appropriate Nails by Jen Gallardo

Floored USB by Anthony J. Merced

January 30, 2013

Wood Grain by Jen Gallardo

Dusty Candle by Anthony J. Merced

January 31, 2013

Sleeping Cat by Jen Gallardo

Fat Cat by Anthony J. Merced

February 1, 2013

Warm Tea by Jen Gallardo

Big Old Books by Anthony J. Merced

February 2, 2013

Oh Splat Nails by Jen Gallardo

Babushka by Anthony J. Merced

January 20, 2013

Pre-Inauguration by Jen Gallardo

G is for Glamour by Anthony J. Merced

January 21, 2013

Validation by Jen Gallardo

Hi by Anthony J. Merced

January 22, 2013

A Healthy Lunch by Jen Gallardo

Fancy Jasmine Tea by Anthony J. Merced

January 23, 2013

Oscar Season by Jen Gallardo

Domo in the Dark by Anthony J. Merced

January 24, 2013

I Shall Call Him Mini Me by Jen Gallardo

All Locked Up by Anthony J. Merced

January 25, 2013

Smallest Car on the Road by Jen Gallardo

Measuring the Numbers by Anthony J. Merced

January 26, 2013

The Haul by Jen Gallardo

Birthday Stars by Anthony J. Merced

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters Movie Poster

Jeremy Renner continues to be the dominant male action star as Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters claimed the top spot in a relatively quiet weekend. The $19 million opening is better than Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and The Brothers Grimm. Renner’s involvement can easily be linked to the film’s early success. In the last few years the action star has become quite a draw with theatergoers. As to be expected, critics panned the film but that has never been a problem with over-the-top, special effects driven, action films. Combined with overseas totals, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters will more than likely double its $50 million production budget.

Last week’s king, or queen, Mama saw a considerable drop in week two but is still on pace to perform better than any film of the same genre from 2012. Proving that the old horror formula is not dead, Mama has used a straight forward marketing campaign to continue drawing audiences despite the normal decline that comes with a January release. Having already closed in on $50 million, every dollar from here on in is icing on the cake for a film that has definitely over-performed. 

Zero Dark Thirty has seen its lustre wither with each passing award show. Argo continues to be a force among voters and as a result, audiences are starting to forget about Katherine Bigelow’s controversial release. It also isn’t helping that the torture controversy has died down, leaving little for audiences to wonder about aside from a curious look at recent history. While it still holds strong in third place this week, the likelihood of a $100 million total is slowly disappearing.

What a difference a few months makes! Silver Linings Playbook has gone from potential flop to Oscar darling. The slow release has not helped it crack any major box office numbers. However, the film has held exceptionally well and, given the Oscar buzz, it is likely that the popular romantic comedy will continue to thrive over the next four weeks. With an appearance by Jennifer Lawrence on SNL, ticket buyers are seeing quite a bit of what makes her so incredibly charming.

On the downside, two more movies have seen their hopes crushed in their debuts. Movie 43 which combines great actors with great comedy directors bombed with a dismal $4 million opening. The marketing seemed somewhat lost from the get go. Commercials taking advantage of the possibly off the wall sketches did nothing to tell audiences what the film was actually about. Luckily for them, the film only cost $6 million, so recouping costs won’t be too difficult. The same can be said for Parker — Jason Statham’s latest action film. The inclusion of Jennifer Lopez did nothing to further the film’s debut impact. Pulling in $7 million, it is obvious that Statham’s fans came out in full force but unfortunately no one else did. Add this to the list of films that have gone belly-up in 2013.

January 13, 2013

Gym View by Jen Gallardo

Foggy Morning by Anthony J. Merced

January 14, 2013

First Flowers of 2013 by Jen Gallardo

Power On Monday by Anthony J. Merced

January 15, 2013

For the night is dark and full of terrors by Jen Gallardo

All For Wall by Anthony J. Merced

January 16, 2013

Shrimp Dinner by Jen Gallardo

Big Red Sofa by Anthony J. Merced

January 17, 2013

Grande by Jen Gallardo

Broken Lock by Anthony J. Merced

January 18, 2013

Twenty-eight by Jen Gallardo

Honey Bear by Anthony J. Merced

January 19, 2013

My Bags are Packed by Jen Gallardo

Party Rug by Anthony J. Merced

Mama Movie Poster

The first three day weekend of 2013 saw Jessica Chastain flex her muscle as one of the new superpowers in Hollywood while Mark Wahlberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger saw their latest releases fizzle. By all expectations, Mama should not have been as successful as it was. For a genre that has been dominated by a “found-footage” style, Mama went back to horror roots, delivering a solid premise that hooked audiences. Jessica Chastain’s rising star power helped to push the film to over double its production budget in its first weekend. The other secret to the film’s success lies in the numbers. The much desired female demographic flocked to the film in large numbers. Over 60% of the audience was comprised of women and under the age of 25. Combined with a PG-13 rating, Mama should have legs as the month drags on.

Finishing in second was another film starring Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty. Earning nearly $16 million in its second week of full release, Katherine Bigelow’s latest film has held better than comparable films such as Black Hawk Down. Similarly, Zero Dark Thirty is only slightly off from the total of Black Hawk Down at this same point. Overall, the buzz from the slow release, combined with the award show nominations, has helped to set the film up for a successful run. February will see stiff competition with Live Free or Die Hard. However, the film should do most of its damage before the latest installment of the Die Hard series.

This weekend saw a few setbacks for well established action movie stars. Mark Wahlberg’s stock has taken a hit with previous films such as Contraband being poorly received. Now his latest film, Broken City, is suffering the consequences. With audiences not buying into the corruption angle and possibly being tired of Wahlberg’s tough cop persona, the film mustered up a sad $9 million start. Similarly, The Last Stand proved to be the Schwarzenegger comeback that no one wanted to see. A sad 10th place opening placed it amongst one of the worst in Arnold’s career. Given the action star’s rocky history as of late, it’s no surprise that his movies would take a hit.

Lastly, Silver Linings Playbook became the latest Oscar film to make its national debut. The Weinstein Company took a big gamble by pulling it from its original Thanksgiving release date. A feeling that the marketing had poisoned the well early on forced the group to take a breather and reevaluate the situation. A slow release and a few award nominations helped to build the momentum necessary to gain the public interest. Expanding to a nationwide release, Silver Linings Playbook made a respectable debut. Having already pulled in $56 million, it is possible that the film will finish with $100 million — especially if the film wins big at the Oscars.

All numbers from Box Office Mojo.