Weekend Wrap-Up: Snow White and the Holdovers
June 4, 2012
Snow White and the Huntsman not only earned first place on the weekend box office chart, it did so with ease, topping all but the most bullish predictions. In fact, it even topped last year's opening of X-men: First Class, which means the film nearly helped 2012 back in the winning circle. The overall box office did fall 7% when compared to last weekend, but it was the post-Memorial Day weekend, so that's a very strong finish. The year-over-year decline was 11%, which normally would be really disappointing, but the previous weekend, the decline was over 30%, so this represents a huge recovery and bodes well for the next few weeks. 2012's lead over 2011 has shrunk to just under 10% at $4.47 billion to $4.07 billion, but even if the overall box office is flat for the rest of the year, a $400 million increase over the full year would be worth celebrating.
Most analysts were expecting Snow White and the Huntsman to open with $40 million, more or less. There were a few who feared the film would barely crack $30 million, but almost none that were willing to predict a $50 million opening. It turns out even $50 million was underestimating the film's appeal. Snow White pulled in $56.22 million during its first three days of release, which is the 11th best June opening of all time. As for the film's future, that's not quite as bright. The film's Tomatometer Score fell to 46% positive, which is acceptable for a summer blockbuster, but not enough to suggest strong legs. That said, it should top its production budget by this time next week and if it can merely match its domestic box office internationally, it should have no trouble showing a sizable profit by its initial push into the home market.
Men in Black 3 didn't collapse during its sophomore stint. In fact, it avoided a 50% decline earning $28.08 million over the weekend giving the film a total of $111.08 million after two. It became just the eighth film of the year to reach that milestone. Unfortunately, it was an unreasonably expensive movie to make and it might need to make $500 million worldwide to break even any time soon.
The Avengers became the third biggest hit on the all-time chart overtaking The Dark Knight. Over the weekend, it managed $20.49 million giving the film a total of $552.95 million after a month of release. The race between this film and The Dark Knight Rises could be very interesting to watch.
Snow White and the Huntsman topped the chart, but most of the films in the top ten were Dwarfs earning only a few million, more or less. Battleship added $5.09 million over the weekend for a total of $55.41 million after three. It will finish with roughly $65 million, which is a terrible run for a film that cost more than $200 million. It did make a lot more internationally, but it will still need help on the home market to break even.
The Dictator rounded out the top five with $4.70 million over the weekend for a total of $50.81 million, also after three. This film will come close to earning $65 million in total, which is how much it cost to make, so assuming it does okay internationally and didn't cost a crazy amount to advertise, it should make a profit early in its home market run.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel just missed the top five with $4.48 million over the weekend giving it a total of $25.38 million after a month of release. It has peaked at the box office, but with strong reviews, it could still stick around long enough to reach $40 million.
What to Expect When Your Expecting was right behind with $4.41 million over the weekend for a total of $30.70 million after three. This is way below expectations, but it should catch up to its production budget before fading from theaters, so the studio shouldn't be too upset.
Dark Shadows also missed expectations at the box office with $70.68 million in total, including $3.70 million this past weekend. However, it will earn more than $200 million worldwide and might break even during its initial push into the home market.
Chernobyl Diaries plummeted more than 60% to just $3.13 million over the weekend for a total of $14.50 million after two. With a per theater average of $1,285, it will likely see its theater count collapse next weekend and it won't reach $20 million in total. However, its theatrical run is really just an extended ad for its home market releases, which is where it will earn the majority of its income.
The final new release to reach the top ten this week was For Greater Glory, which earned $1.89 million in 757 theaters. It's hard to judge this film's performance. On the one hand, it did reach the top ten, which is rare for a limited release. Also, it opened in several hundred theaters, which is a really awkward number to debut in. (It's not wide enough for a national ad campaign, but too wide for a targeted regional campaign.) However, it still barely topped the Mendoza Line and there's little hope for further expansion. In fact, with its reviews, it might disappear within a few weeks.
Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Battleship, The Avengers, Dark Shadows, Men in Black 3, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Dictator, Snow White and the Huntsman, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Chernobyl Diaries, For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada