Old Action Stars Are #1

The Bourne Legacy has stepped aside to let a crew of aging action stars grab the number one box office spot.

"[Slyvester] Stallone's action hero roundup 'The Expendables 2' debuted at No. 1 with $28.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday -- but less than the $34.8 million start for 'The Expendables' two years ago" (Star Tribune). Maybe the decline in profit is due to the fact that watching one movie about old actors shooting each other up is probably more than enough. Or maybe the inclusion of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris to the cast really soured the film for moviegoers.

What is fact, though, is that even though the film is #1 in its opening weekend, The Expendables 2 is down financially by about six-ish million dollars.

Expendables 2 may have a bit of ground to reclaim but overall "Domestic revenues were $139 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year," according to the Star Tribune. That's pretty good, if you ask me.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday August 17th through Sunday August 19th at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to the Star Tribune:

1. The Expendables 2 - $28.8 million
2. The Bourne Legacy - $17 million
3. ParaNorman - $14 million
4. The Campaign - $13.4 million
5. Sparkle - $12 million
6. The Dark Knight Rises - $11.1 million
7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green - $10.9 million
8. Hope Springs - $9.1 million
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - $3.9 million
10. Total Recall - $3.5 million


And here are the top ten sleeper RPGs, according to Game Informer (to read the whole article, visit this link, http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/08/17/sleeper-rpgs-10-games-you-shouldn-t-miss.aspx):

1. Nier
2. Jeanne D'Arc
3. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
4. Radiant Historia
5. Valkyria Chronicles
6. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love
7. Brave Story: New Traveler
8. 3D Dot Game Heroes
9. Arc Rise Fantasia
10. The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road




 - Edessa, signing off

The Dark Knight Falls to #3

The Dark Knight Rises only made it for three weeks at the top of the Box Office list before falling to the third position on its fourth weekend. Taking Batman's #1 spot is none other than Bourne himself, or, to be more accurate, another Bourne sequel.

On its opening weekend, The Bourne Legacy made $40.3 million domestically, followed closely by the Will Ferrel comedy The Campaign.

"'The Bourne Legacy' came in well behind the $69.3 million debut of [Matt] Damon's last entry in the series, 2007's 'The Bourne Ultimatum,'" according to the Star Tribune. "But the new film had a strong start and establishes Renner as a sturdy frontman to keep the franchise running."

Even though The Dark Knight Rises has been knocked out of the first place position, it has raised its overall domestic total to $390.1 million and will likely break $400 million this upcoming weekend. If it does break $400 million, it will become only the second Warner Bros. film in history to reach that point, after 2008's The Dark Knight.

According to the Star Tribune, "Revenues for the finale [of Nolan's Batman trilogy] are running 12 percent behind 'The Dark Knight,' which had climbed to $441.6 million at the same point in its theatrical run." Some of the drop in revenue is undoubtably due to the Colorado shooting, but Hollywood also experiences an overall decrease in revenue during the Olympics. Analysts are expecting more viewers to go to the theater once the Olympics are over. Despite its lower financial numbers domestically, The Dark Knight Rises has been doing extremely well overseas. Across the ocean, the film has made over $445.3 million, giving it a worldwide gross of $835 million.


Here are the estimated ticket sales from Friday August 10th through Sunday August 12th at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. The Bourne Legacy - $40.3 million
2. The Campaign - $27.4 million
3. The Dark Knight Rises - $19. 5 million
4. Hope Springs - $15.6 million
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - $8.2 million
6. Total Recall - $8.1 million
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift - $6.8 million
8. Ted - $3.3 million
9. Step Up: Revolution - $2.9 million
10. The Amazing Spider-Man - $2.2 million


And here are the top ten PlayStation 3 games for August, courtesy of Game Informer:

1. NCAA Football 13
2. Quantum Conundrum
3. The Walking Dead
4. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard
5. Dragon's Dogma
6. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
7. Dyad
8. Max Payne 3
9. Spec Ops: The Line
10. Rainbow Moon




 - Edessa, signing off

Three's A Charm: "Rises" #1 For Third Straight Weekend

The Dark Knight Rises is on a roll, topping the box office for the third weekend in a row.

Accoring to The Star Tribune, "The finale in Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy has now made nearly $355 million domestically alone," and that number just keeps on rising. Rises probably won't have as stellar of a box office run as The Avengers did (and certainly not as good as Avatar's or Titanic's), but it is still a thrilling conclusion - both visually and financially - to Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Revenue for Rises "only dropped 41 percent compared to the 43-percent drop in week three that 'The Dark Knight' experienced in 2008" (Star Tribune). Even the infamous Colorado shooting has not dettered Rises' box office experience.

The film also set an IMAX box office record by grossing about $48 million of its revenue from IMAX screenings alone.

Even though Total Recall - the reboot of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film by the same title - had to settle for second place domestically this weekend, it also inhabits the number one box office spot in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Total Recall cost approximately $125 million to make, but it has a good start in earning all of that money back.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday August 3rd through Sunday August 5th at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. The Dark Knight Rises - $36.4 million
2. Total Recall - $26 million
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - $14.7 million
4. Ice Age: Continental Drift - $8.4 million
5. The Watch - $6.35 million
6. Ted - $5.5 million
7. Step Up Revolution - $5.7 million
8. The Amazing Spider-Man - $4.3 million
9. Brave - $2.9 million
10. Magic Mike - $1.4 million


And here are the top ten video games for August, courtesy of Game Informer:

1. NCAA Footbal 13
2. Quantum Conundrum
3. The Walking Dead
4. Civilization V; Gods and Kings
5. The Elder Scrolls V; Skyrim - Dawnguard
6. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
7. Spelunky
8. Dyad
9. Resonance
10. Spec Ops: The Line




 - Edessa, signing off

"Ice Age" Heats Up The Box Office

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for not posting in a few days. Our Internet went out, and then we drove back home from our grandparents' house, and then my sister and I had to plan our littlest sister's birthday party, so I really haven't had a chance to do much of anything online until today. =)

So, let's get back to normal, starting with this post! =D


The fourth Ice Age installment - Continental Drift - was number one at the box office on its opening weekend, topping at $339 million worldwide ($46 million domestically and $95 million internationally).

"The North America performance of 'Continental Drift' was on par with previous 'Ice Age' movies but well below the opening weekend of the second installment, 'The Meltdown,' which opened with $68 million in 2006" (Star Tribune).

It's kind of hard to believe that the Ice Age franchise has been around for about ten years already and, honestly, I don't think I'd be surprised if we haven't seen the last of the Ice Age animals. The franchise as a whole currently has over $2.2 billion worldwide. The producers are also expecting that Continental Drift will "equal the global total of the last installment, 2009's 'Dawn of the Dinosaurs,' which took in $886.7 million" (Star Tribune).

The Amazing Spider-Man has also added $35 million domestically in its second box office weekend, pushing the film's worldwide gross to $521.4 million.

What I'm looking forward to are The Dark Knight Rises' numbers this weekend. Will the third and final Christopher Nolan Batman film earn as much as The Avengers did on its opening weekend? I can't wait to find out!


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday, June 13th through Sunday, June 15th as U.S. and Canadian theaters (from the Star Tribune):

1. Ice Age: Continental Drift - $46 million
2. The Amazing Spider-Man - $35 million
3. Ted - $22.1 million
4. Brave - $10.7 million
5. Magic Mike - $9 million
6. Savages - $8.7 million
7. Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection - $5.6 million
8. Katy Petty: Part of Me - $3.7 million
9. Moonrise Kingdom - $3.7 million
10. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - $3.5 million


And here are the Top Ten XBox 360 games for July (courtesy of Gamer Informer):

1. NCAA Football 13
2. Quantum Conundrum
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard
4. Max Payne 3
5. Dragon's Dogma
6. Awesomenauts
7. The Walking Dead Episode 2 - Starved for Help
8. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
9. Minecraft: XBox 360 Edition
10. Spec Ops: The Line




 - Edessa, signing off

"Madagascar" Sequel Hangs On For 2nd Weekend

The animals of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted are still rolling in the dough and have managed to remain #1 at the box office for the second weekend in a row.

The animals are still #1

Ridley Scott's Prometheus came in at #2 again this weekend with $20.2 million, and both films (Madagascar and Prometheus) "held off two under-achieving newcomers. The star-studded musical 'Rock of Ages,' whose cast includes Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alec Baldwin, flopped at No. 3 with $15.1 million. Sandler's 'That's My Boy' bombed with $13 million, the worst showing for one of his broad comedies since the mid-1900s" (Star Tribune).

Part of what made That's My Boy flop financially was its R rating, which greatly restricts audiences to individuals who are 17 or older. Sandler's comedies usually come in with a PG-13 rating, not R.

An interesting note about Warner Bros.' musical dud, Rock of Ages, is that the company is hoping that the film will do better on subsequent weekends. This is because "'Rock of Ages' drew mostly older, female crowds, an audience that does not necessarily rush out to a movie over opening weekend" (Star Tribune).

As for The Avengers, the superheroes have made a domestic total of $586.7 million and a worldwide total of $1.4 billion. Titanic, currently #2 on the highest grossing list both domestically and internationally, is now in The Avengers sights, though it may take another two weeks or so for it to pass the $2 billion mark.


Here are the top ten highest grossing films from Friday June 15th through Sunday June 17th at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wants - $35.3 million
2. Prometheus - $20.2 million
3. Rock of Ages - $15.1 million
4. Snow White & the Huntsman - $13.8 million
5. That's My Boy - $13 million
6. Men in Black 3 - $10 million
7. The Avengers - $8.8 million
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $2.2 million
9. Moonrise Kingdom - $2.18 million
10. What to Expect When You're Expecting - $1.3 million


And, from Game Informer, the Top 10 Sleeper Games From E3:

10. Papo & Yo
9. Metro: Last Night
8. Retro City Rampage
7. Dishonored
6. Hawken
5. Persona 4 Arena
4. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
3. The Cave
2. Orgarhythm
1. Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

You can see the whole Top 10 Sleeper Games From E3 at this link: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/06/12/under-the-radar-10-sleeper-games-from-e3.aspx




 - Edessa, signing off

Animals and Aliens Take Over Box Office

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Prometheus have taken first and second place in the Box Office Top Ten list on their opening weekends.

The animals are back

According to the Star Tribune, "'Madagascar 3' outdid the $47.2 million debut of the 2005 original, though it came in behind the $63.1 million opening of the first sequel, 2008's 'Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.' 'Europe's Most Wanted' had the added benefit of today's higher ticket prices and a bump from fans who caught 3-D shows, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D screenings."

Madagascar 3's total worldwide gross was $135.9 million on its opening weekend.

On the other end of the spectrum, Prometheus - the prequel to James Cameron's Alien - surprised many people by taking in $50 million on its opening weekend. This is surprising because the film is rated R, and generally R-rated films do not do well in theaters because the audience is limited to people who are 17 and older (unless accompanied by an adult). "Conventional wisdom is that action films should come in with a PG-13 rating to cast the widest net possible for its audience" (Star Tribune); however, Prometheus proved that rule does not always apply with a total worldwide gross of $141.5 million and its second-place position in the Box Office Top Ten list.

Keeping up with The Avengers, the superhero smash is down to #5 on the Box Office list, but its worldwide revenue is just under $1.4 billion dollars as of today.


Here are the Top Ten highest grossing films in U.S. and Canadian theaters (as compiled by the Star Tribune):

1. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - $60.4 million
2. Prometheus - $50 million
3. Snow White & the Huntsman - $23 million
4. Men in Black 3 - $13.5 million
5. The Avengers - $10.8 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $3.2 million
7. What to Expect When You're Expecting - $2.7 million
8. Battleship - $2.3 million
9. The Dictator - $2.2 million
10. Moonrise Kingdom - $1.6 million


And here are the Top Ten PlayStation 3 games for June (as compiled by Game Informer):

1. Max Payne 3
2. Journey
3. Awesomenauts
4. Dragon's Dogma
5. The Walking Dead Episode One: A New Day
6. Prototype 2
7. Skullgirls
8. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
9. Starhawk
10. Dirt Showdown




 - Edessa, signing off

"Snow White" #1 on Opening Weekend, "Avengers" Passes "The Dark Knight"

On its opening weekend, Snow White and the Huntsman took the #1 Box Office spot, pushing Men in Blck III down to #2 and The Avengers to #3.

"Snow White & the Huntsman" currently #1

According to distributor Universal Pictures, they had estimated that Snow White and the Huntsman would take in roughly $30 million on its opening weekend. Instead, the film exceeded the estimation by a good $20 million, finishing up the weekend with a very nice $56.3 million.

Meanwhile The Avengers continues to rake in the dough. Its current domestic total is $552.7 million, and the film managed to surpass The Dark Knight to take the #3 spot on the all-time domestic revenue chart and the all-time worldwide revenue chart. All that's left is to tackle the last two films on both of those lists: Titanic and Avatar. Currently The Avengers has made $1.36 billion worldwide, making the closest competitor Titanic (at $2.2 billion).

Can The Avengers take Titanic's #2 spot on both the all-time domestic and international charts? I think it can, though it make take another week or two.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday, June 1st through Sunday, June 3rd at U.S. and Canadian theaters (as compiled by Hollywood,com):

1. Snow White & the Huntsman - $56.3 million
2. Men in Black III - $29.3 million
3. The Avengers - $20.3 million
4. Battleship - $4.8 million
5. The Dictator - $4.7 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $4.6 million
7. What to Expect When You're Expecting - $4.4 million
8. Dark Shadows - $3.9 million
9. Chernobyl Diaries - $3 million
10. For Greater Glory - $1.8 million


And here are the Top Ten Games for June (as compiled by Game Informer):

1. Max Payne 3
2. Diablo III
3. Minecraft XBox 360 Edition
4. Awesomenauts
5. Dragon's Dogma
6. Tribes: Ascend
7. The Walking Dead
8. Botanicula
9. Prototype 2
10. Gravity Rush




 - Edessa, signing off

Suits Smash Supers at Box Office

I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen the numbers with my own eyes.

Men in Black 3 took it to The Avengers, ripping away the superheroes' three week-long first place position at the box office.

Suits smash supers

MIB 3 made a grand total of $70 million over the Memorial Day weekend, while The Avengers made only $46.9 million domestically over the same weekend. Still, The Avengers continues to rake in tons of money. Its domestic total so far is $514 million, "only the fourth movie ever to top half a billion dollars...Distributor Disney estimates that 'The Avengers' will take in $47.1 million for the four-day holiday weekend, lifting the film's domestic total to $523.8 million" (Star Tribune). We'll have to wait until next weekend to see if their estimation was accurate.

It is also practically guaranteed that The Avengers will pass The Dark Knight by next week, making it the the third film with the highest gross worldwide. That will leave only two films between The Avengers and the first place position: Titanic ($658.5 million) at number two, and Avatar ($760.5 million) at number one.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday, May 25th through Sunday, May 27th at box offices in Canada and the U.S. (as compiled by the Star Tribune):

1. Men in Black 3 - $70 million ($133.2 million international)
2. The Avengers - $46.9 million ($26.3 million international)
3. Battleship - $13.8 million
4. The Dictator - $11.8 million
5. Dark Shadows - $9.4 million
6. Chernobyl Diaries - $9.3 million
7. What to Expect When You're Expecting - $8.9 million
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $8.2 million
9. The Hunger Games - $2.9 million
10. Think Like a Man - $1.8 million


And here are the Top Ten Wii games for May, as compiled by Game Informer:

1. Xenoblade Chronicles
2. Skyalnders: Spyro's Adventure
3. Rhythm Heaven Fever
4. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
5. Rayman Origins
6. Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 13
7. Kirby's Return to Dream Land
8. Fortune Street
9. Bit.Trip Complete
10. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7




 - Edessa, signing off

"The Avengers" Still King of the Hill

For the third weekend in a row The Avengers is number one at the box office.

"Avengers" still #1

And the film is still making a lot of money. It made $55.1 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters last weekend and "Overseas, 'The Avengers' added an additional $56 million. The film is approaching the $1.2 billion mark worldwide, totaling $457.1 million domestically and &723.3 million internationally" (Star Tribune).

In terms of all-time worldwide success, The Avengers is #4, following Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two ($1.3 billion), Titanic ($2.2 billion), and Avatar ($2.8 billion). "Domestically, 'The Avengers' at $457.1 million is No. 6 all-time but will quickly pass 'Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace' ($474.5 million) and the original 'Star Wars' ($460.9 million) to take the No. 4 spot" (Star Tribune).

The Hunger Games, though, is on its way out, having dropped from #4 to #7 in one week. I'm expecting the gladiator-esque film to remain on the Top Ten list for at least another week or two, but it will most likely be off of the list by mid-June.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for last weekend (Friday the 18th through Sunday the 20th) at U.S. and Canadian theaters (as compiled from Hollywood.com):

1. The Avengers - $55.1 million
2. Battleship - $25.4 million
3. The Dictator - $17.4 million
4. Dark Shadows - $12.8 million
5. What to Expect When You're Expecting - $10.5 million
6. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $3.3 million
7. The Hunger Games - $3 million
8. Think Like a Man - $2.7 million
9. The Lucky One - $1.8 million
10. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $1.5 million


And here are the top ten indie games for May (as compiled by Game Informer):

1. Journey
2. Fez
3. Minecraft
4. Trials Evolution
5. Botanicula
6. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
7. Skullgirls
8. Closure
9. Dear Esther
10. Vessel





 - Edessa, signing off

"The Avengers" Smashes Its Way to the Top

The Hulk isn't the only one who smashes things.

Remember how I've been hyping up that The Avengers would have to make more than $169.2 million on its opening weekend to take the #1 North America spot from from current reigning champion, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2?

They did it.

The Avengers

Originally, I was expecting The Avengers to maybe make $175-ish million on its opening weekend in North America, but my estimate was sliced in half by Captain America's shield and then pulverized into microscopic peices by the combined forces of Hulk's fists and Thor's hammer.

The Avengers made a grand total of $200.3 million dollars in three days on its first weekend in America and Canada.

$200.3 million!

That pushes Deathly Hallows 2 down to second place with The Dark Knight at third and The Hunger Games at fourth.

But with The Dark Knight Rises - the last Christopher Nolan Batman film - debuting this summer, will The Avengers be able to hold that #1 position? I honestly have no idea.


With The Avengers in theaters, attendance to other films dropped dramatically. Here are the estimated ticket sales from Friday the 4th through Sunday the 6th at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. The Avengers - $200.3 million ($151.5 million international)
2. Think Like a Man - $8 million
3. The Hunger Games - $5.7 million
4. The Lucky One - $5.5 million
5. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $5.4 million
6. The Five-Year Engagement - $5.1 million
7. The Raven - $2.5 million
8. Safe - $2.47 million
9. Chimpanzee - $2.4 million
10. The Three Stooges - $1.8 million


And here are the Top Ten XBox 360 games for May (as compiled by Game Informer):

1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition
2. Fez
3. Trials Evolution
4. Prototype 2
5. Dragon's Dogma
6. Mass Effect 3
7. Street Fighter x Tekken
8. Skullgirls
9. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13
10. Sine Mora


Are you surprised by how much The Avengers made on its opening weekend? And do you think that The Dark Knight Rises might be able to take that #1 spot away from The Avengers, or even do better than The Dark Knight did?




 - Edessa, signing off

"Think Like A Man" Holds On

"Think Like a Man" - a Tyler Perry-esque film - has managed to hold onto its domestic #1 box office position for the second weekend in a row.

Coming Soon...

On the other side of the world, though, The Avengers launched and made a very nice $178.4 million on its first overseas weekend. The film launched in 39 countries last week (including Great Britain, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, and France) and will be coming to U.S. theaters later this week.

And it looks like the Disney film will be more than able to unseat Think Like a Man, the current king of the domestic box office hill.

While The Hunger Games has been pushed down to the #4 position, it has made $372.5 million total, "putting it less than $10 million behind last year's 'Harry Potter' finale, the top-grossing entry of that fantasy franchise" (Star Tribune). Even with The Avengers arriving this week, The Hunger Games will likely remain on the Top Ten List for a week or two longer.


Here are the ten top-grossing films last weekend (Friday April 27th - Sunday April 29th) at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. Think Like a Man - $18 million
2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $11.4 million
3. The Lucky One - $11.3 million
4. The Hunger Games - $11.25 million
5. The Five-Year Engagement - $11.2 million
6. Safe - $7.7 million
7. The Raven - $7.3 million
8. Chimpanzee - $5.5 million
9. The Three Stooges - $5.4 million
10. The Cabin in the Woods - $4.5 million


Here, also, is the list for the top ten games for May, as compiled by Game Informer:

1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition
2. Xenoblade Chronicles
3. Fez
4. Total War: Shogun 2 - Fall of the Samurai
5. Trials Evolution
6. Mortal Kombat
7. Journey
8. MLB 12: The Show
9. Prototype 2
10. Dragon's Dogma


As it stands now, if The Avengers makes more than $169.2 million on its opening weekend then it will have the record for the film with the biggest U.S. opening weekend, pushing the current first place Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 down to second place.

Considering that The Avengers made $178.4 million on its first overseas weekend, do you think the film will be able to duplicate that same success here in the states?




 - Edessa, signing off