Not exactly a photo finish, but no one expected anything to challenge “Iron Man 2” for the next couple of weeks, and here it looks like it might fall easily from the top slot next week. The superhero sequel took a precipitous drop in week two, though it still significantly outpaces its predecessor at the same point two years ago. Expectations are out of hand sometimes, so it was ridiculous when people were forecasting a $500 million domestic gross, only to be disappointed that the movie isn’t dominating the way the most successful films of all time would be. If the film levels off (and it plays well with older audiences, suggesting strong late-run business), it could easily sniff $400 stateside considering weak May competition. Considering it cost around the same as the original, this is more than a big win for Marvel and co. We would say break out the bubbly, but, y’know, not with that cast.
#2 finisher “Robin Hood,” meanwhile, wins a very satisfying silver in this competition. The writing was on the wall before the release – the budget/production costs were either $150 million, or $225 million, or somewhere in between, but worst-case scenario, it sounded like the movie would have to do at least $400-450 before a theatrical break even point. In all fairness, that seemed like a crazier notion before the weekend, considering general apathy for the ads, Russell Crowe’s track record, and the normally reliable critics coldly ignoring this. “Hood” finished second in America, but let it be known it dominated worldwide with more than twice the domestic tally, where war horses like Crowe are still highly regarded and not chastised whenever some dainty reporter doesn’t like their attitude.
At #3 was one of the bigger non-“Twilight” Summit openings for the counter-programmer rom-com “Letters To Juliet.” They barely spent anything on this production and test-screened it all over, giving this film an opening to match the entire theatrical run of another popular Summit film, “The Hurt Locker.” That’s awesome, guys. Another ladyflick competitor this weekend was “Just Wright,” which opened in over a thousand less theaters than “Juliet” and performed similarly. These two openings add to the track records of both Amanda Seyfried and Queen Latifah, who we would think should be considered legit Hollywood leading ladies. Not our favorites, but it’s good when actresses become bankable, so asshole execs can stop saying “the lead is a female, it won’t sell, we can’t make this interesting movie. I am Satan.”
The smallest audience loss in the top 10 belongs to “How To Train Your Dragon” – someone needs to tell us, do people really love this film, or is it just benefiting from parents who refuse to take their kids to the park? The weather’s nice out there, let’s get on a swingset, you little varmints. “Dragon” is at $207 million and has lost most of its IMAX screens, so with next week bringing “Shrek,” this might be it. “A Nightmare On Elm Street,” meanwhile, somehow stopped the bleeding, balancing well enough to lose less than half its audience from last weekend and is now the highest-grossing Freddy Kreuger film that isn’t “Freddy Vs. Jason.” And “Date Night,” oh “Date Night,” taking advantage of being the most sitcommy offering in the theaters to post minor losses each weekend. $86 million and counting, with a healthy cable life beckoning.
In indie releasing, “The Secret In Their Eyes” has been posting strong growth in each weekend, pulling in $415k in its fifth weekend of release to pull in a healthy $2.1 million total, while “Hubble 3D” is at a solid $5.7 million after a $336k weekend. “Please Give” showed gains after further expansion and in 49 theaters it did $239k, while “Exit Through The Gift Shop” tallied $230k for a $1.2 million total. The bigger surprise in the indie world was “Princess Kailuani,” which opened on 33 screens, many on its homeland of Hawaii, grossing $185k. In New York debuts, “Best Worst Movie” debuted after a long run in Texas, pulling in $8.5k on one screen, while “Daddy Longlegs” tallied a robust $8.8k. Support your local arthouse, folks.
1. Iron Mans – $53 million ($212 mil.)
2. Robin Hood Begins – $37 million
3. Letters To Juliet – $13.2 million*
4. Just Wright – $8.5 million
5. How To Manhandle Your Dragon – $5.1 million ($208 mil.)
6. Do The Freddy – $4.7 million ($56 mil.)
7. Date Night – $4 million ($87 mil.)
8. The Back-Up Plan – $2.5 million ($34 mil.)
9. Furry Vengeance – $2.3 million ($15 mil.)
10. Clash of the Titans – $1.3 million ($160 mil.)
*Boxofficemojo seems to think the film did very poorly this weekend, and as such we think their numbers are very inaccurate in this case.