WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Resident Evil' Has More Mojo Than Dane Cook's 'Chuck'; Huge PTA Performance from 'Into the Wild'; 'Jesse James' Off to So-So Start; Low Readership for 'Jane Austen Book Club'
by Steve Mason
SATURDAY P.M. UPDATE: On Saturday, Resident Evil Extinction (Sony) dipped an estimated 9 percent, but still managed to rake in $8.64 million. With a 63 percent drop on Sunday, exactly what Resident Evil: Apocalypse fell on its first Sunday, the zombie scarefest will finish the weekend with $23.59 million, enough to make it the biggest opening of the franchise. Meanwhile, Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) was essentially flat for the day, adding a an estimated $4.95 millino and giving the Dane Cook-Jessica Alba raunchfest a respectable $13.1 million opening weekend.
The Brave One (Warner Bros) had a decent hold with a $3.33 million Saturday. It'll likely finish No. 3 for the weekend with $7.56 million, putting the Jodie Foster thriller past the $25 million mark. It appears as though Eastern Promises (Focus Features) has edged Lionsgate holdover 3:10 To Yuma for fourth place in the frame $6.1 million to $6 million. The other new wide opening is Sydney White, which has limped to a $2.27 million Saturday and a measly $5.59 million weekend.
The monster hit of the weekend is Sean Penn's Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage) which exploded for another $20,900 per location, and should finish the weekend with a monstrous $52,600 per location. The Asassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is distant second. Assassination's weekend PTA is a so-so $26,000.
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY ESTIMATES
1. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $8.64 million, $3,057 PTA [$18.1 million cume]
2. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $4.95 million, $1,895 PTA [$9.9 million cume]
3. The Brave One (Warner Bros.) — $3.33 million, $1,211 PTA [$23.2 million cume]
4. 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) — $2.66 million, $997 PTA [$35.9 million cume]
5. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $2.41 million, $1,717 PTA [$5 million cume]
6. Mr.Woodcock (New Line) — $2.28 million, $1,024 PTA [$14.5 million cume]
7. NEW Sydney White (Universal) — $2.27 million, $1,083 PTA [$4 million cume]
8. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) — $1.95 million, $750 PTA [$215.2 million cume]
9. Superbad (Sony) — $1.28 million, $441 PTA [$115.3 million cume]
10. Dragon Wars (Freestyle Releasing) — $1.11 million, $491 PTA [$7.7 million cume]
* Across the Universe (Sony) — $785,000, $2,844 PTA [$2.3M million cume]
* Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) — $618,000, $1,605 PTA [$313.1 million cume]
* In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) — $413,000, $1,303 PTA [$865,000 cume]
* The Hunting Party (MGM/Weinstein) — $247,500, $752 PTA [$606,000 cume]
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY ESTIMATES
1. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $23.59 million, $8,342 PTA [$23.59 million cume]
2. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $13.16 million, $5.041 PTA [$13.16 million cume]
3. The Brave One (Warner Bros.) — $7.56 million, $2,746 PTA [$25.2 million cume]
4. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $6.1 million, $4,349 PTA [$6.9 million cume]
5. 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) — $6 million, $2,252 PTA [$37.5 million cume]
6. NEW Sydney White (Universal) — $5.59 million, $2,662 PTA [$5.59 million cume]
7. Mr.Woodcock (New Line) — $5.22 million, $2,344 PTA [$15.9 million cume]
8. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) — $4.21 million, $1,615 PTA [$216.2 million cume]
9. Superbad (Sony) — $2.98 million, $1,024 PTA [$116 million cume]
10. Dragon Wars (Freestyle Releasing) — $2.4 million, $1,058 PTA [$8.46 million cume]
* Across the Universe (Sony) — $1.97 million, $7,172 PTA [$2.9 million cume]
* Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) — $1.39 million, $3,623 PTA [$313.5 million cume]
* In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) — $972,000, $3,067 PTA [$1.1 million cume]
* The Hunting Party (MGM/Weinstein) — $575,000, $1,745 PTA [$767,000 cume]
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY SATURDAY PTA ESTIMATES
1. NEW Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage) — $20,947 PTA
2. NEW The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros.) — $11,809 PTA
3. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $3,057 PTA
4. Across the Universe (Sony) — $2,844 PTA
5. NEW The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony Classics) — $2,531 PTA
6. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $1,895 PTA
7. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $1,717 PTA
8. Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) — $1,605 PTA
9. Milarepa: Magician… (Luminous Velocity) — $1,332 PTA
10. In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) — $1,303 PTA
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS REVISED 3-DAY PTA ESTIMATES
1. NEW Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage) — $52,602 PTA
2. NEW The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros.) — $25,928 PTA
3. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $8,342 PTA
4. Across the Universe (Sony) — $7,172 PTA
5. NEW The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony Classics) — $5,552 PTA
6. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $5.041 PTA
7. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $4,349 PTA
8. Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) — $3,623 PTA
9. NEW The Last Winter (IFC Films) $3,182 PTA
10. In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) — $3,067 PTA
FRIDAY P.M. UPDATE: The third and (reportedly) final chapter of the Resident Evil trilogy will coast to an easy weekend win. After grabbing $8.8 million on opening day, it will likely finish the frame with $22 million, which is in line with industry expectations. Sony's Resident Evil: Extinction will easily surpass the original 2002 film, which opened to $17.7 million, but it will probably fall short of 2004's Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which enjoyed a $23 million opening.
Despite unbelievably bad reviews, Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) has grabbed a respectable $4.4 million, and, thanks to Jessica Alba's body and Dane Cook's MySpace friends, it should finish with an estimated $12.54 million. The Brave One (Warner Bros) added $2.3 million on Friday, putting it just shy of $20 million for its first eight days of release. The Jodie Foster thriller is headed for a $7.47 million second weekend.
The critically-acclaimed David Cronenberg film Eastern Promises (Focus Features) has expanded powerfully to 1,440 locations, churning up $1.9 million in Friday ticket sales. That's fourth for the day, but it will likely finish at No. 5 for the three-day. The Russian mob yarn starring Viggo Mortensen is on its way to a $6 million weekend and a three-day PTA of $4,330. Meanwhile, 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) picked up another $1.8 million to start the weekend, but it should edge Promises for No. 4 for the three-day with approximately $6.12 million.
The other wide new release, Sydney White (Universal) starring Amanda Bynes, is a non-starter with just $1.75 million on opening day. It'll wrangle less than $5 million worth of 'tweens and teens for the weekend.
Three more Oscar-caliber specialty films arrived in limited release today, and the big winner is Sean Penn's Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage). Based on Jon Krakauer's bestseller of the same name, Into the Wild opened at four locations Friday with an astounding $13,850 PTA. Featuring a remarkable performance by Emile Hirsch, the adventure film will wrap up the weekend with nearly $175,000 or $43,600 per. The news was not as good for two other entries into the Oscar derby.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros.), a movie that has sharply divided critics and moviegoers, managed a Friday PTA of just $8,364 at its five locations for just under $42,000. Starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in the title roles, Assassination will manage a weekend take of only $130,000 for a three-day PTA of $26,000 or so.
The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony Classics) is off to an underwhelming start. With a nice ensemble cast including Maria Bello and Emily Blunt, Sony Classics has been hoping for a mainstream hit, but it managed only the sixth-best PTA on Friday, and it's headed for a disappointing $139,000 on its 25 screens for the three-day. That would mean a PTA of just over $5,500.
Julie Taymor's Across the Universe (Sony) expanded to 276 locations, and the Beatles-inspired musical generated $570,000 in Friday sales. It should reach $1.5 million for the weekend, finishing just outside the Top 10. In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) expanded with less success. The Iraq War-themed drama managed only $270,000 Friday at its 317 locations for a PTA of only $850. Elah appears to be headed for just under $900,000 for the weekend for a three-day PTA of just $2,811.
Finally, Transformers is back in the Top 10 for PTA thanks to the addition of IMAX locations from coast-to-coast. The Michael Bay-directed, Hasbro-inspired action pic scored a $928 PTA on Friday, and it'll grab another $1.3 million or so this weekend, driving its domestic cume to $313.4 million.
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY ESTIMATES
1. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $8.8 million, $3,112 PTA [$8.8 million cume]
2. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $4.4 million, $1,685 PTA [$4.4 million cume]
3. The Brave One (Warner Bros.) — $2.3 million, $835 PTA [$19.9 million cume]
4. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $1.9 million, $1,353 PTA [$2.7 million cume]
5. 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) — $1.8 million, $620 PTA [$33.3 million cume]
6. NEW Sydney White (Universal) — $1.75 million, $833 PTA [$1.75 million cume]
7. Mr. Woodcock (New Line) — $1.45 million, $648 PTA [$12.1 million cume]
8. Superbad (Sony), $850,000, $369 PTA [$113.9 million cume]
9. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) — $810,000, $403 PTA [$218.1 million cume]
10. Across the Universe (Sony) — $570,000, $2,065 PTA [$1.5 million cume]
* In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) — $270,000, $852 PTA [$452,000 cume]
* The Hunting Party (MGM/Weinstein) — $166,000, $504 PTA [$359,000 cume]
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY ESTIMATES
1. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $22 million, $7,779 PTA [$22 million cume]
2. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $12.54 million, $4,801 PTA [$12.54 million cume]
3. The Brave One (Warner Bros.) — $7.47 million, $2,713 PTA [$25.1 million cume]
4. 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) — $6.12 million, $2,109 PTA [$37.6 million cume]
5. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $6 million, $4,330 PTA [$6.8 million cume]
6. NEW Sydney White (Universal) — $4.9 million, $2,331 PTA [$4.9 million cume]
7. Mr. Woodcock (New Line) — $4.5 million, $2,012 PTA [$15.2 million cume]
8. Superbad (Sony), $2.72 million, $1,182 PTA [$115.7 million cume]
9. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) — $2.71 million, $1,351 PTA [$220 million cume]
10. Rush Hour 3 (New Line) — $2 million, $1,235 PTA [$135.8 million cume]
* In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) — $891,000, $2,811 PTA [$1 million cume]
* The Hunting Party (MGM/Weinstein) — $590,000, $1,793 PTA [$782,000 cume]
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY FRIDAY PTA ESTIMATES
1. NEW Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage) — $13,850 PTA
2. NEW The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros.) — $8,364 PTA
3. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $3,112 PTA
4. Across the Universe (Sony) — $2,065 PTA
5. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $1,685 PTA
6. The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony Classics) — $1,633 PTA
7. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $1,353 PTA
8. NEW Randy & the Mob (Capricorn Distribution) — $1,122 PTA
9. Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) — $928 PTA
10. Milarepa: Magician… (Luminous Velocity) — $901 PTA
EXCLUSIVE FANTASY MOGULS EARLY 3-DAY PTA ESTIMATES
1. NEW Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage) — $43,628 PTA
2. NEW The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Warner Bros.) — $25,928 PTA
3. NEW Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) — $7,779 PTA
4. Across the Universe (Sony) — $6,402PTA
5. NEW The Jane Austen Book Club (Sony Classics) — $5,552 PTA
6. NEW Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) — $4,801 PTA
7. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) — $4,330 PTA
8. Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount) — $3,469 PTA
9. NEW Randy & the Mob (Capricorn Distribution) — $3,366 PTA
10. Milarepa: Magician… (Luminous Velocity) — $2,928 PTA
The Assassination of Jesse James opened on 15 screens, not 5 screens. It was on 10 screens in Austin alone.
Posted by: martindale | September 22, 2007 at 07:49 AM
Isn't 'Across the Universe' a Sony release, not Universal?
Posted by: dranscht | September 22, 2007 at 09:32 AM
Mason your information is wrong and you need to correct it immediately.
Posted by: ty | September 22, 2007 at 10:58 AM
Mase, do you think that Transformers still has a chance to beat Shrek the Third?
Posted by: J.I. | September 22, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Wow ty, thats kind of harsh isnt it. You may need to calm down a little bit take a nap or something.
Posted by: Tye Copeland | September 22, 2007 at 11:59 AM
Hello All,
ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES is on 5 screens. Just double-checked with Warner Bros and cross-checked with both Rentrak and Box Office Mojo. If there are 10 locations in Austin playing the movie, it'll be news to the movie's distributor.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is a Sony release. That change is being made as we speak. (I've actualy got some kind of mental block about that one. About half the time I've written about UNIVERSE I've attributed it to Universal and the other half I've reported Sony. It is Sony).
As for beating SHREK THE THIRD, it's going to be really tough for TRANSFORMERS. $1.3M this weekend, maybe $900,000 next weekend, $600,000 the following. My hunch is that it won't get there.
Thanks!
Mase
Posted by: Steve Mason | September 22, 2007 at 01:30 PM
Mase, I checked on Fandango. There really are 10 theaters in Austin playing Assination of Jesse James.
Posted by: J.I. | September 22, 2007 at 02:40 PM
Yahoo Movies shows 10 theaters in the Austin area:
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808724433/showtimes
The print versions of the Austin American Statesman and Austin Chronicle confirm this well.
In Mase's defense, though, Box Office Mojo is also showing 5 theaters for the movie, so something's gotta give. Maybe only the New York, Toronto, and LA theaters reported numbers.
Posted by: martindale | September 23, 2007 at 12:39 PM
After some investigation, it is true that, for some reason, there are additional engagements in Austin.
WB is not reporting grosses from these engagements. They want a big PTA to build the profile for the movie.
If for some reason those numbers do get reported, the 3-day weekend PTA will drop by a lot. That number could fall as low as $10,000-$12,000.
In other words, if you own the movie, you don't want grosses from all those theatres in Austin to be reported.
Mase
Posted by: Steve Mason | September 23, 2007 at 01:07 PM
Still looking into the JESSE JAMES in Austin issue.
It's safe to say that JESSE JAMES is playing only in New York, LA, Toronto and 8-10 unreported locations in Austin, Texas.
Mase
Posted by: Steve Mason | September 23, 2007 at 05:09 PM
I think it shows rather poorly on Pitt that the studio has to lie about the true PTA in order to make his film look better than it really is. WHy would they still go wide on a film with such poor underlying box office numbers?
Posted by: lin | September 23, 2007 at 06:11 PM
What does Pitt have to do with unreported box office numbers? Here Ill answer for you, NOTHING. Hes already got his money he probably couldn't care less about the movie now.
Posted by: Tye Copeland | September 23, 2007 at 06:54 PM
From Variety:
"Among its various plans for broadening the pic, Warners has decided to take the slower route. Over the weekend, Warners also held exclusive runs of the film in Austin, Texas, a common testing ground for Westerns."
Posted by: martindale | September 24, 2007 at 07:43 AM
Showbizdata is showing 15 locations for Jesse James and an estimated 10k per.
Posted by: Tye Copeland | September 24, 2007 at 02:10 PM
Could those 10 locations just be sneak peeks and not have to be counted? Is that what is going on? Just wondering.
PS. Where do the sneak peek grosses typically go?
Posted by: Tye Copeland | September 24, 2007 at 08:30 PM
They could be sneak peeks. If they are, the sneak peeek grosses usually go to a movie from the same studio. The Brave One, possibly?
Posted by: martindale | September 25, 2007 at 10:10 AM