Dang it, I was off again with the weekend box office grosses … not by much, though! Although I said Star Trek might win again, I was wrong, with Angels and Demons barely beating ST’s $43 million haul with its own $48 million. OK, it makes sense to me A&D would win, but its not nearly as successful as its predecessor The Da Vinci Code, which topped $77 mil its opening weekend. Ah, but that came with much controversy and protestations. A&D was more thrilling but much more tame in that let’s-piss-off-the-Christian-world arena.
Here’s the top five from the weekend:
1. NEW! Angels & Demons (Sony) – $48 mil ($13,609 per theaters)
2. Star Trek (Paramount) – $43 mil ($11,140 PT); $147.6 mil cume
3. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Fox) – $14.8 mil ($3,803 PT); $151 mil cume
4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (WB) – $6.86 mil ($2,178 PT); $40 mil cume
5. Obsessed (Screen Gems) – $4.55 mil ($1,727 PT); $62.5 mil cume
Star Trek continues to be a success story, only dropping 43 percent from its big opening the previous weekend. Many claim its this year’s Iron Man, which I guess means that no one expected ST to appeal to such a wide audience. Well, it is and will continue to hold its own for several weeks to come.
Of course, the big question for this coming weekend is how much will Terminator: Salvation make? Let’s look at the pros: popular franchise; publicity surrounding the making of, namely the major star having a recorded tirade while filming the movie (you just know moviegoers are going to wonder after which scene did Christian Bale blow his top. I know I will); and a kickass trailer that makes it look goood (see below). Cons? No Schwarzenegger; the director (McG is NOT James Cameron) and maybe the publicity surrounding the making of, namely the major star having a recorded tirade while filming the movie. Could turn people off. I highly doubt it.
And don’t discount Night at the Musuem: Battle of the Smithsonian. It’s the first family movie to open in awhile, thus the only other option for non-teenagers, and will probably easily ride the coattails of its highly profitable predecessor. Plus, it looks hilarious.
I’ll forgo any dollar amount predictions this time around, but it should be another massive weekend.