Weekend Wrap-Up
Only Riddick Can See in the September Box Office Dark
By John Hamann
September 8, 2013
Finishing second is Lee Daniels’ The Butler, which also landed in the same spot last weekend over the three-day portion of the Labor Day Weekend. It was first if we count the Monday take. This weekend, the successful Weinstein release earned another $8.9 million as it fell 40% compared to last weekend. Declines following a long weekend are always going to be higher, as more people see films on Sunday night over a long weekend, and thus the percentage drop is higher in the more normal, follow up weekend. Given that, The Butler’s hold is quite solid, despite being in release for four weekends. The $30 million release has now taken in $91.9 million, and is one of the few late summer successes.
Instructions Not Included, last weekend’s surprise number four film, moves up a spot with a significant theater expansion this weekend. After opening to $7.8 million from only 348 theaters last week, the Lionsgate release brought the count up to 717 this frame, and the comedy earned $8.1 million, giving it a 3% increase. Instructions Not Included was made for only $5 million, and has already grossed $20.3 million at domestic theaters. Lionsgate made a shrewd move dropping this one into early September, and catering to a Latino audience than never gets catered to.
Fourth place goes to We're the millers which earned another $7.9 million as it dropped 38%. The Jennifer Anniston/Jason Sudeikis comedy has now earned a stunning $123.8 million stateside, and has crossed the $40 million mark overseas, all against a production budget of only $37 million. This one has quietly become one of the big hits of the summer season, comparative to production budget.
Disney’s Planes, which has been out for five weekends now, still manages a spot in the top five. Planes earned another $4.3 million this weekend and fell 45%. The $50 million release has now earned $79.3 million stateside, and more than $40 million overseas.
Sixth goes to the film that was number one over three days last weekend, One Direction: This Is Us. The boy band fell from $15.8 million last weekend to $4.1 million this weekend, good for a laughable drop of 74%. The $10 million TriStar release has now earned $24 million stateside and about $15 million overseas.
Elysium, the Matt Damon sci-fi from director Neill Blomkamp, finishes in seventh place. It earned $3.1 million in its fifth weekend and declined 52%. The $115 million Sony pickup has now earned $85.1 million stateside, but has accumulated more than $125 million from overseas venues.
Eighth place goes to Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, which has now passed Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Match Point in domestic box office. The Cate Blanchett centerpiece earned another $2.7 million, down 33% from the previous frame. Blue Jasmine is sitting with $25.4 million from North American audiences.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters languishes in ninth, as another YA movie adaptation fails at the box office. This weekend, Sea of Monsters earned only $2.5 million and fell 44%. The $90 million Screen Fox release has earned only $59.8 million stateside.
Tenth is The World’s End, with Simon Pegg. Not the hit that Focus was hoping for, this one earned only $2.3 million this weekend and was off 54%. Edgar Wright’s $20 million film has now earned $21.8 million stateside, and is approaching $20 million from foreign shores.
Overall this weekend, business is slow, but that as expected as May being busy. The top 12 films this weekend took in only $66.9 million, but that’s a large improvement over last year, when the top 12 could only find $51.9 million. Next weekend could pick things up somewhat, as Insidious Chapter 2 opens from FilmDistrict, and Luc Besson’s The Family, which features a cast of Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones, also debuts.
1 |
Riddick |
UNIVERSAL |
$18,673,070 |
New |
$18,673,070 |
2 |
Lee Daniels' the Butler |
Weinstein Co. |
$8,900,000 |
- 40% |
$91,901,377 |
3 |
Instructions Not Included |
Lionsgate |
$8,100,000 |
+ 3% |
$20,311,604 |
4 |
We're the Millers |
New Line Cinema |
$7,925,000 |
- 38% |
$123,844,000 |
5 |
Planes |
DISNEY |
$4,274,000 |
- 45% |
$79,279,000 |
6 |
One Direction: This Is Us |
SONY |
$4,100,000 |
- 74% |
$23,991,000 |
7 |
Elysium |
Sony/Columbia |
$3,100,000 |
- 52% |
$85,077,000 |
8 |
Blue Jasmine |
Sony Classics |
$2,688,310 |
- 33% |
$25,449,196 |
9 |
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters |
Fox |
$2,500,000 |
- 44% |
$59,847,800 |
10 |
The World's End |
Focus Features |
$2,301,784 |
- 54% |
$21,736,774 |
11 |
The Mortal Instruments |
SONY |
$2,200,000 |
- 60% |
$27,844,000 |
12 |
Getaway |
WARNER BROS. |
$2,185,000 |
- 51% |
$8,674,000 |
|
Also Opening/Notables |
|
The Ultimate Life |
Hightop Releasing |
$625,000 |
New |
$625,000 |
|
Adore |
Exclusive Media |
$125,400 |
New |
$125,400 |
|
Salinger |
Weinstein Co. |
$90,969 |
New |
$90,969 |
|
Populaire |
Weinstein Co. |
$16,662 |
New |
$16,662 |
|
Closed Circuit |
Focus Features |
$964,877 |
- 61% |
$5,043,829 |
|
Afternoon Delight |
Film Arcade |
$60,000 |
+ 119% |
$100,000 |
|
You're Next |
Lionsgate |
$1,600,000 |
- 61% |
$16,922,491 |
|
The Grandmaster |
Weinstein Co. |
$1,038,000 |
- 58% |
$4,966,430 |
|
Austenland |
Sony Classics |
$195,787 |
+ 3% |
$759,974 |
|
2 Guns |
Universal |
$1,415,475 |
- 46% |
$72,083,260 |
|
The Spectacular Now |
A24 |
$750,831 |
- 33% |
$4,844,346 |
|
Despicable Me 2 |
UNIVERSAL |
$1,438,500 |
- 48% |
$357,537,310 |
Box office data supplied by Exhibitor Relations
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