US box office August 10-12 weekend

TW	LW	Title (click to view)	Studio	Weekend Gross	% Change	Theater Count /Change		Average	Total Gross	Budget*	Week #
1	N	The Bourne Legacy	Uni.	$38,142,825	-	3,745	-	$10,185	$38,142,825	$125	1
2	N	The Campaign	WB	$26,588,460	-	3,205	-	$8,296	$26,588,460	-	1
3	1	The Dark Knight Rises	WB	$18,979,397	-46.9%	3,690	-552	$5,143	$389,588,216	$250	4
4	N	Hope Springs	Sony	$14,650,121	-	2,361	-	$6,205	$19,103,178	-	1
5	2	Total Recall (2012)	Sony	$8,013,040	-68.7%	3,601	-	$2,225	$44,101,432	$125	2
6	3	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days	Fox	$8,002,166	-45.3%	3,398	+7	$2,355	$30,356,174	$22	2
7	4	Ice Age: Continental Drift	Fox	$6,380,929	-25.9%	3,102	-440	$2,057	$143,694,981	-	5
8	7	Ted	Uni.	$3,223,675	-42.9%	2,208	-559	$1,460	$209,848,585	$50	7
9	6	Step Up Revolution	Sum.	$2,941,818	-50.4%	1,898	-708	$1,550	$30,256,580	$33	3
10	5	The Watch	Fox	$2,221,451	-66.0%	2,461	-707	$903	$31,396,079	$68	3

  Whoa! The Bourne Legacy already looked financially successful when it was announced Jeremy Renner would play the lead. This lad's been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for The Hurt Locker, and starred in last year's blockbuster Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. As if starring in the 4th MI film he decided to take part in the fourth Bourne installment.
  I haven't seen any of the previous Bourne films as I'm not a big spy-film fan. This is mainly due to the fact of my hatred for the first 3 MI movies. The Bourne Legacy is based on the fourth novel written by Eric Van Lustbader in the series which Robert Ludlum created. Lustbader has written 6 more and I won't be surprised if Universal decided to make at least 3 sequels.
  The Bourne Ultimatum starring H-wood hunk Matt Damon was released in 2007 and Legacy shows that the legacy continues (pun intended). A favorite of mine Edward Norton is also included.
  Opening at second this week is veteran comedian and one of my favourites Will Ferrell's The Campaign. It's no surprise it took over the 2nd spot as Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, The Hangover 2) also stars. So that star power was enough to shove The Dark Knight Rises off the top shelf after only 3 weeks. Even The Hunger Games lasted more weeks at the top spot.
  Another point to note is the negativity of cinema-goers to Dark Knight 2 because of the Colorado mass murder. This effected other countries, such as Paris, to shut down some theatres. Hopefully, the August 16 release in the middle east will allow Batman to get an even higher number overseas. It is still on top on the global market with $445m and is also yet to debut in well-populated China and Italy.
  On 4th is Hope Springs a rom-com starring veteran thespians Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and famous US comedian Steven Carell. It is likely to match its $30m budget next week (with foreign gross rates).
  The Amazing Spider-Man left the top 10 after 6 weeks. It has made $255m in the States off a $230m budget but has performed wonders in non-domestic areas.
  The Watch has flopped in USA and will definitely exit next week. Ironically, the 2 comedies this weekend are bound to recover their budgets. This flick should've been released in September...
  Now for the biggie: Ted, an R-rated comedy, has not only grossed $209m domestically off of just $50m, but is on the second spot overseas. It had the greatest opening for an 18+ comedy in Russia. This proves Mark Wahlberg who starred in 2010's laughter-house The Other Guys is a profitable comedy actor. Ukrainian-American beauty Mila Kunis also proves her financial ability. The two starred in 2008's Max Payne together.
  Total Recall is doing very bad in USA and although foreign debuts await, the film might not even enough to cover its $125m budget. It is an outright flop the domestic arena already. The 1990 version, which this film is a remake of, made $261m off $60m but seems Collin Farell isn't marketable as an action hero as Arnold Schwarzenegger was and still might be (The Expendables 2)
  That's all from me me folks. See you next week to discuss the August 17 debut of The Expendables 2 with an ensemble cast too long to mention until later on.


(Chart by Box Office Mojo)