Hollywood bean counters must be in a quandary. Despite decent opening figures since the summer blockbuster season began, overall revenues slipped for the third-straight weekend.
The top-12 movies took in $138.8 million, down 4 percent from the same weekend last year, when 'Cars,' 'Nacho Libre' and 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' led the box office with a combined $86 million.
Opening pics are starting big and dropping fast.
Additionally, after a surge early this year, movie attendance has slipped to just a fraction ahead of 2006's, diminishing prospects of a record summer box-office take.
This past weekend, the Fox "Fantastic Four" franchise surfed into number one spot taking in $57.4 million from 3,959 locations. ‘Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer’ slightly surpassed opening of ‘Fantastic Four’ which opened with $56.1 million two years ago.
But Fox and director Tim Story (‘Barbershop’, ‘Taxi’) kind of cheated, toning down action sequences to pass the ratings board so it could earn a PG rating to reach a broader audience then its predecessor ‘Fantastic Four’ which was rated PG-13.
"A lot of the superhero comic-book movies are sort of geared toward being darker and edgier. We think 'Fantastic Four' is a more family-friendly group of superheroes," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president for distribution at 20th Century Fox. "We wanted to make sure to cast a wide net and go after the family audience, and it worked."
In second place at this week’s box-office, slipping from first place is the WB’s ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ taking in $19.1 million from 3,959 locations for a two week cume of $69.8 million. The third in the “Ocean’s” franchise dropped 47.1 % from last week’s opening.
The previous "Ocean's'' films together cost about $195 million to make and had worldwide sales of $813.5 million for Warner Bros.
Universal’s ‘Knocked Up’ by writer, producer and director Judd Apatow, interested enough pop corn munchers to pull in $14.5 million from 2,907 locations in its third week at the box-office to take third place. Total take to date, $90.5 million. Not bad for a production that only took $30 million to make.
In fourth place, in its fourth week of release, dropping forty-three percent is Buena Vista’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.’
Playing at 3,329 locations, the Johnny Depp starrer took in $12 million this weekend upping its cume in North America to $273.8 million. To date, the third in the Pirates franchise has taken in $821 million world wide putting it in 16th place (so far) on the top international gross list.
In fifth place is Sony/Columbia’s animated ‘Surf’s Up,’ taking in a paultry $9.3 million from 3,531 locations, upping its two week release take to $34.7 million. ‘Surf’s Up’ dropped 47.3% from last weeks opening.
Not fairing as well as expected with the teen female audience, was Warner Bros’ new release ‘Nancy Drew’ which preemed in seventh place this weekend taking in $7.1 million from 2,612 locations.
Wire reports quote Dan Fellman, WB’s head of distribution commenting the studio was hoping for solid weekday business from teenage girls to give a lift to the movie. The movie was made on a budget of just over $20 million.
"We don't need a lot of money to come out ahead on 'Nancy Drew,'" Fellman said.
USA
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