WINNER OF THE WEEK:Lee Daniels The Butler. For the second straight weekend, the Civil Rights epic swept away all newcomers.The Butlereasily won the weekend with an estimated $17.0 million, down just 31 percent from last weeks debut. Its total to date of $52.3 million means that its well on the way to $100 million. Credit strong reviews, positive word-of-mouth, and good timing (this weekend marked the 50thanniversary of Martin Luther Kings March on Washington).
Also a winner:The Worlds End. The apocalyptic pub-crawl comedy opened in fourth place with an estimated $8.9 million. Thats about what was expected, and its well ahead of the movies predecessors,Hot Fuzz(which opened with $5.8 million in 2007) andShaun of the Dead($3.3 million in 2004). Its per-screen average of $5,773 (on 1,549 screens) was the highest of any wide-release movie this weekend. Given the films reported $20 million budget,Worlds Endshould easily turn a profit over the coming weeks.
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Worlds Ends feat is especially impressive given that its competing with the still-strongWere the Millersfor the R-rated comedy audience. That movie, in its third week of release, held on to second place with an estimated $13.5 million, for a total of $91.7 million so far.
LOSERS OF THE WEEK: Chillers. The makers ofThe Mortal Instruments: City of Boneshoped that the new adaptation of Cassandra Clares novel would launch a franchise and become the nextTwilight. Instead, it looks like the nextThe HostorBeautiful Creatures. Opening in third place, it scored an estimated $9.3 million fromFridaytoSunday, for a five-day total of $14.1 million since it was released on Wednesday. Thats on the low end of expectations. The film earned a solid B+ at CinemaScore, indicating strong word-of-mouth but you had to get them into the theater first, andMortal Instrumentsaveraged just $2,983 per screen, about half of whatWorlds Endmade.
Its possible thatMortal InstrumentsandYoure Nexttook fatal bites of each others audiences.Youre Nextcame riding in on waves of strong buzz and even earned good critical reviews for a horror/home-invasion flick. But it didnt actually play that well to audiences, who gave it a weak B- at CinemaScore. It opened in seventh place with an estimated $7.1 million and a $2,893 per-screen average. Pre-Labor Day weekend used to be considered a good weekend for horror, but its possible that audiences have had their fill of horror and home-invasion movies, given the successes earlier this summer ofThe PurgeandThe Conjuring(which, over the past six weeks, has quietly amassed $131.8 million).
MASTER-PIECE THEATER: Wong Kar-Wais visually opulent martial arts epicThe Grandmasterhad the best per-screen average of the weekend; though it opened on just 7 screens, it grabbed an estimated $132,000, or $18,900 per venue. SXSW drama favoriteShort Term 12did nearly as well per screen, averaging $15,025 at each of four venues, for a $60,100 debut. Elsewhere at the art-house, Woody AllensBlue Jasminefinally went wide (on 1, 283 screens) and cracked the top 10. In ninth place, it earned an estimated $4.3 million, for a five-week total of $14.8 million. Thats the biggest saturation release of any film in Allens four-decades-plus career; even recent smashMidnightin Parisnever played on more than 1,038 screens in North America.