WINNERS OF THE WEEK: Supernatural dudes. Its hammer time, and you cant touchThor: The Dark World, this weekends only new wide release and by far the top-grossing movie, debuting with an estimated $86.1 million. Thats well above the $65.7 million earned by the originalThortwo and a half years ago, and with a global total already of $327 million, theres no reason to think this sequel wont surpass the 2011Thors worldwide haul of $450 million. As with the smashing success of the recentIron Man 3, the sales forThe Dark Worldsuggest that 2012s goodwill-generatingThe Avengershas extra long coattails. Of course, good word-of-mouth (measured by an A- grade at CinemaScore) and surcharges from 3D and IMAX helped.
Meanwhile the time-traveling hero ofAbout Timeexpanded his courtship of Rachel McAdams into wide release during the films second week, from 175 screens to 1,200. The result was a nearly 400 percent boost in revenue, to an estimated $5.2 million, and a leap from 13thplace to ninth. In ten days, the romantic comedy has earned $6.7 million.
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Youd think a female-skewing romantic comedy would be smart counterprogramming against a superhero movie (indeed, 62 percent ofThe Dark Worldmoviegoers were male), but it wasnt necessary. In fact, in a very close race for second place on the chart were two guy movies and one kids movie, all holding up well from last weekend.Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpaheld onto second place with an estimated $11.3 million, down a modest 44 percent from last week, for a three-week total of $78.8 million. CartoonFree Birdsflew up one spot to third place on an estimate of $11.2 million, down just 29 percent from last week, for a two-weekend total of $30.2 million. At Number Four, slipping one spot,Last Vegasclaimed an estimated $11.1 million, a decline of just 32 percent, for a 10-day total of $33.5 million. (All three movies are close enough that they may yet switch rankings when final sales figures are releasedon Monday.)
As these three holdovers demonstrated, nearly everyone did well this weekend. Total box office was up about 30 percent from last weekend, thanks toThor, which brought new people into the multiplex and then found other titles for them to watch ifThe Dark Worldwas sold out. This seems like one of those cases of a rising tide lifting all boats
LOSER OF THE WEEK:Enders Game. unless two of the boats are on a collision course, and one torpedoes the other. Would-be blockbuster sci-fi adventureEnders Gamewas apparently the one movie hurt byThe Dark World; no surprise since they were trying to fill the same niche in the marketplace. Last weeks box office champ, it plummeted 62 percent this week to an estimated $10.3 million, dropping to fifth place. Its total after 10 days is just $44.0 million, not really the numbers you want to see on a movie that cost $110 million to make. Even the overseas take, usually enough to save these sorts of pictures when they flop at home, is meager this time, just $9.1 million so far. Lionsgate/Summit has hesitated to announce a sequel (Orson Scott Card wrote severalEndersbooks), and with numbers this dismal, a sequel will probably never happen.
BOOKS AND BIKES: The top art-house debut wasThe Book Thief, based on the 2007 best-seller about a German girl who, during World War II, hides stolen books and a Jewish refugee from the Nazis. Opening on just four screens, it earned $108,000, or $27,000 per screen, the highest average of any film currently playing. (Thoraveraged $22,418.) Somewhat less muscular was the opening ofThe Armstrong Lie, Alex Gibneys documentary about Lance Armstrongs fall from grace, which opened on five screens with $30,904. Thats $6,181 per screen, respectable for a documentary.
Expanding this week were other art-house favorites and Oscar hopefuls. In its fourth week,12 Years a Slaveexpanded into wide release and earned an estimated $6.6 million, good for seventh place on the chart and a total to date of $17.3 million. Robert Redfords solo actAll Is Lostmore than doubled its theater count to 401 and added an estimated $1.2 million to its gross, which is now $2.9 million after four weeks. Matthew McConaugheys AIDS dramaDallas Buyers Clubexpanded from nine screens to 35 and earned an estimated $629,000, or an impressive $17,971 per theater. (Its two-week total is $985,000.) And lesbian romanceBlue Is the Warmest Colordoubled its screen count to 71 and took in another estimated $254,000, for a three-week total of $754,000. Not too shabby for a three-hour French-language film with an NC-17 rating. Watch for these movies to continue jostling for attention as they continue to expand to wider release during the final weeks of 2013 awards consideration.