| 1 | N | The Vow | SGem | $41,202,458 | - | 2,958 | - | $13,929 | $41,202,458 | $30 | 1 |
| 2 | N | Safe House | Uni. | $40,172,720 | - | 3,119 | - | $12,880 | $40,172,720 | $85 | 1 |
| 3 | N | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island | WB | $27,335,363 | - | 3,470 | - | $7,878 | $27,335,363 | $79 | 1 |
| 4 | N | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D) | Fox | $22,469,932 | - | 2,655 | - | $8,463 | $22,469,932 | - | 1 |
| 5 | 1 | Chronicle (2012) | Fox | $12,092,589 | -45.0% | 2,908 | +1 | $4,158 | $39,959,856 | $12 | 2 |
| 6 | 2 | The Woman in Black | CBS | $10,102,658 | -51.6% | 2,856 | +1 | $3,537 | $35,258,145 | - | 2 |
| 7 | 3 | The Grey | ORF | $5,045,620 | -45.8% | 2,801 | -407 | $1,801 | $42,787,884 | $25 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 | Big Miracle | Uni. | $3,946,050 | -49.2% | 2,133 | +4 | $1,850 | $13,281,985 | $40 | 2 |
| 9 | 8 | The Descendants | FoxS | $3,441,676 | -24.4% | 1,581 | -457 | $2,177 | $70,671,289 | - | 13 |
| 10 | 5 | Underworld Awakening | SGem | $2,480,156 | -54.9% | 1,657 | -979 | $1,497 | $58,914,525 | $70 | 4 |
February 14, 2012
Info. from Box Office Mojo.
Weekend box office Feb 10-12, 2012.
February 12, 2012
Chronicle on top, Radcliffe starrer follows
Look what we have have. Last weekend's topper is none other than the sci-fi superhero (pun intended) film Chronicle.
I am surprised this low-budget venture beat both the star power of Daniel Radcliffe and Liam Neesom (The Grey). The producers have a lottery on their hands. I had predicted that Chronicle would beat The Grey but beating The Woman in Black was a shocker. Interesting thing to note is all the top films have a dark aura about them. And of course you can say darker than dark for The Woman in Black.
The whole film was shot in found footage style. This may be the first sci-fi superhero movie to be made so. Not including the zoo documentary style of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes - wonder how they earned so much with that long a title.
I predict it would end its cinematic run with $80 million on a $15 million budget. The Woman in Black may as well end with probably the same or less on a $13 million budget. The latter is the biggest US opening for a Hammer productions film. It has also received a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes praising its traditional approach. I applaud Daniel from not venturing into rom-coms like sensible young superstars would do. Trailer below:
The trailer is spooky although it reveals very less about the plot. In contrast, Chronicle has a more extensive trailer. My friend thought it was based on a DC comic. So you can see the eagerness of audiences rushing into the Chronicle theatre stands.
I am surprised this low-budget venture beat both the star power of Daniel Radcliffe and Liam Neesom (The Grey). The producers have a lottery on their hands. I had predicted that Chronicle would beat The Grey but beating The Woman in Black was a shocker. Interesting thing to note is all the top films have a dark aura about them. And of course you can say darker than dark for The Woman in Black.
The whole film was shot in found footage style. This may be the first sci-fi superhero movie to be made so. Not including the zoo documentary style of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes - wonder how they earned so much with that long a title.
I predict it would end its cinematic run with $80 million on a $15 million budget. The Woman in Black may as well end with probably the same or less on a $13 million budget. The latter is the biggest US opening for a Hammer productions film. It has also received a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes praising its traditional approach. I applaud Daniel from not venturing into rom-coms like sensible young superstars would do. Trailer below:
Chronicle is directed by Josh Trank, becoming the youngest film-maker, at 27, to go number 1 in the US. It'written by Max Landis based on a story by both of them. Hats off!
February 12, 2012
No 'Wrath' of the Titans
Oh please, not again.
I officially declare this the worst movie trailer of 2012.
The Clash of the Titans (2010) was, what would you say, the reverse of an epic Gods-filled blockbuster. Although Sam Worthington's stone-faced acting suited the role the whole story was handled foolishly. I haven't seen 1981 original but if that was a classic then this was far from it. Nevertheless it made a little above $490m on a $125m budget.
Sam's latest movie Man on a Ledge entered the box office last week at 5. It's even more humiliating that his film to be beat by low-budget Chronicle and Katherine Heigl starrer One for the Money. I'm not a great fan of his acting. He seems to have no charisma but maybe that's the trick. Nowadays, with so many showy actors he may be the only one who doesn't know how to act. Or it could be that the movies were just too good for him. And most of his roles suit him. He's not some expressionless lover boy. He's a lean, mean machine (Terminator cliche). I'm surprised if he could even tell a joke in real life and laugh at it. But his personality had given him the Terminator Salvation role. The 2nd best Terminator after Judgement Day.
Sam received even better profitable offers in The Debt (boring as the title) and Avatar. All I would love to see in his new film is Liam Neeson's dialogue delivery. Even the action shown in the trailer feels to deliver any sort of wrath.
It's releasing on the March 30 weekend in Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D and I bet it will come 1st followed by Immortals director Tarsem Singh's Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts. And Rachel Weisz's The Deep Blue Sea at 3rd and Goon at 4th. Good luck Sam, you may as well end up in the Guinness Book of Records for highest earning poker-faced actors.
February 06, 2012
Weekend gross Feb 3-5, 2012.
Info. from Box Office Mojo.
| 1 | N | Chronicle (2012) | Fox | $22,000,000 | - | 2,907 | - | $7,568 | $22,000,000 | $12 | 1 |
| 2 | N | The Woman in Black | CBS | $21,000,000 | - | 2,855 | - | $7,356 | $21,000,000 | - | 1 |
| 3 | 1 | The Grey | ORF | $9,500,000 | -51.7% | 3,208 | +23 | $2,961 | $34,756,000 | $25 | 2 |
| 4 | N | Big Miracle | Uni. | $8,500,000 | - | 2,129 | - | $3,992 | $8,500,000 | $40 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 | Underworld Awakening | SGem | $5,600,000 | -54.7% | 2,636 | -442 | $2,124 | $54,353,000 | $70 | 3 |
| 6 | 3 | One For the Money | LGF | $5,250,000 | -54.4% | 2,737 | - | $1,918 | $19,668,000 | $40 | 2 |
| 7 | 4 | Red Tails | Fox | $5,000,000 | -51.8% | 2,347 | -226 | $2,130 | $41,323,000 | $58 | 3 |
| 8 | 8 | The Descendants | FoxS | $4,600,000 | -28.2% | 2,038 | +37 | $2,257 | $65,523,000 | - | 12 |
| 9 | 5 | Man on a Ledge | Sum. | $4,500,000 | -43.8% | 2,998 | - | $1,501 | $14,700,000 | $42 | 2 |
| 10 | 6 | Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | WB | $3,925,000 | -43.8% | 2,505 | -125 | $1,567 | $26,793,000 | - | 7 |
February 03, 2012
The Grey topped last weekend with $20 million. It successfully beat much-hyped Underworld: Awakening and the Katherine Heigl starrer One for the Money.
Liam Neeson's two previous lead roles were in Taken 2008 and Unknown 2011, both thrillers like his latest release. Both also took the no.1 position at the US box office respectively. So it's no surprise that The Grey managed to do what it did last weekend.
On a $25m budget the film's going strong. I'm very excited to see whether it will be able to hold on to its position this weekend following the release of Daniel Radcliffe's The Woman in Black, and sci-fi flick Chronicle. Taken 2008 was a spy thriller masterpiece. Unknown was less impressive on making a twisting impact and grossed less than the former, deserving it.
Hope The Grey is as good or even better than Taken. My favourite critic Roger Ebert has given it a 3.5/4 rating and that man is seldom wrong. Although, the trailer seems mediocre, Taken had the same feature but ended up as a blockbuster.
Box Office 101's prediction for The Grey is that it might gross $100-$120m at the end of its theatrical run. Liam's Taken 2, slated for an Oct 012 release also has a 90% chance of topping the US chart, giving him a fourth consecutive hit.
Liam Neeson on a hatrick
Hope The Grey is as good or even better than Taken. My favourite critic Roger Ebert has given it a 3.5/4 rating and that man is seldom wrong. Although, the trailer seems mediocre, Taken had the same feature but ended up as a blockbuster.
Box Office 101's prediction for The Grey is that it might gross $100-$120m at the end of its theatrical run. Liam's Taken 2, slated for an Oct 012 release also has a 90% chance of topping the US chart, giving him a fourth consecutive hit.
February 03, 2012
(Info. from Box Office Mojo).
US Box Office Jan 27-29
| 1 | N | The Grey | ORF | $19,665,101 | - | 3,185 | - | $6,174 | $19,665,101 | $25 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Underworld Awakening | SGem | $12,352,802 | -51.2% | 3,078 | - | $4,013 | $44,978,415 | $70 | 2 |
| 3 | N | One For the Money | LGF | $11,515,790 | - | 2,737 | - | $4,207 | $11,515,790 | $40 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Red Tails | Fox | $10,370,323 | -44.8% | 2,573 | +61 | $4,030 | $33,750,118 | $58 | 2 |
| 5 | N | Man on a Ledge | Sum. | $8,001,932 | - | 2,998 | - | $2,669 | $8,001,932 | $42 | 1 |
| 6 | 4 | Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | WB | $6,980,448 | -30.5% | 2,630 | - | $2,654 | $20,941,702 | - | 6 |
| 7 | 3 | Contraband | Uni. | $6,704,360 | -44.3% | 2,650 | -220 | $2,530 | $56,573,860 | $25 | 3 |
| 8 | 16 | The Descendants | FoxS | $6,405,285 | +170.0% | 2,001 | +1,441 | $3,201 | $58,703,299 | - | 11 |
| 9 | 5 | Beauty and the Beast (3D) | BV | $5,307,807 | -39.5% | 2,145 | -480 | $2,475 | $41,110,138 | - | 3 |
| 10 | 6 | Haywire | Rela. | $4,002,760 | -52.5% | 2,441 | +2 | $1,640 | $15,281,962 | $23 | 2 |
February 02, 2012
Bollywood101: History DOES NOT repeat itself
Yes, it's hard to believe the title. But Hrithik Roshan starrer and Priyanka Chopra co-starrer Agneepath 2012 has become the biggest grossing Bollywood film of this year. Well, I suppose Abhishek Bachchan's presence in Players (2012) helped that. Players didn't even manage to cover its budget. Which itself had a 20% chance to do so. So audiences would generally flop to any Hrithik film blindly.
The last Agneepath, which was made in 1990 was a colossal flop. It was released in the era of Sir Bachchan's 90s movies known as his 'series of flops'. Again, I'm surprised that such a a loosely-based rip off of The Italian Job 2003, Players could still not recover its budget. The film made only 4.60 crore on the first day which with its cast is very disappointing as a non-commercial Farhan Akhtar film could have made twice as much on the first day. In its 3rd week Players made only US$ 6 million on a US$ 9 million budget. Please Ab Bachchan leave the acting to your wife.
Audiences loved Agneepath for mainly two reasons: Sanjay Dutt's character as well as Rishi Kapoor's. I asked my colleague who had watched it and she gave it a B-C rating. She mentioned that the film contained a lot of violence and gore, but a good story, she certainly hasn't seen Eli Roth's Hostel.
Another thing to note for Agneepath's success is the item song Chikni Charmeli starring none other than show-it-almost-all-off Katrina Kaif. So shaking her ass made more people pay in cash. Also, Bollywood box office guru Karan Johar, who produced the film, is also to be concluded as a reason for the hit. He couldn't of directed it. Or else it would've turned out like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum with a sentimental and slow bloodfest.
Agneepath has grossed $16.2m on a $12.4m budget as of Feb 2, being its first-week run. I bet a Katrina Kaif item song could've helped Players at least cover its budget by some dollars! Players has been added to the list of Bollywood New Year flops with Dulha Mil Gaya 2010, Pyaar Impossible 2010, Chandni Chowk to China 2009 and Halla Bol 2008. Agneepath may as well end its run with $25m-$30m as predicted.
The last Agneepath, which was made in 1990 was a colossal flop. It was released in the era of Sir Bachchan's 90s movies known as his 'series of flops'. Again, I'm surprised that such a a loosely-based rip off of The Italian Job 2003, Players could still not recover its budget. The film made only 4.60 crore on the first day which with its cast is very disappointing as a non-commercial Farhan Akhtar film could have made twice as much on the first day. In its 3rd week Players made only US$ 6 million on a US$ 9 million budget. Please Ab Bachchan leave the acting to your wife.
Another thing to note for Agneepath's success is the item song Chikni Charmeli starring none other than show-it-almost-all-off Katrina Kaif. So shaking her ass made more people pay in cash. Also, Bollywood box office guru Karan Johar, who produced the film, is also to be concluded as a reason for the hit. He couldn't of directed it. Or else it would've turned out like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum with a sentimental and slow bloodfest.
