Media Log: Weekend Box Office (6/12-6/14)
I’ve been watching a lot of movies recently that I haven’t really blogged about so consider this post an update on my movie-watching as well as commentary from last weekend’s box office.
1. The Hangover (5/5 - I Loved It) - $33.4 million: I was glad and impressed to see how strongly The Hangover debuted last weekend but this second weekend showing is even more impressive. Shows how well word of mouth works for movies, especially movies that are as hilarious The Hangover.
2. Up (5/5) - $30.5 million: Another fantastic movie that is dominating the charts. A great mixture of sadness and happiness, adult concepts and childish humor. A thoroughly impressive third weekend.
3. The Taking of Pelham 123 (5/5) - $25 million: Disappointed that Pelham didn’t open higher. I thought that Travolta and Denzel were an amazing duo with a ton of chemistry that worked very well. The movie itself was a nailbiter until the very end with great shots of New York. I suspect that good word of mouth will keep it on the charts though.
4. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (3/5 - I Liked It) - $9.6 million: I could see why this is still on the list after four weeks given that the only other major family movie is Up I’m still quite surprised it’s pulled in almost $150 million. I liked it but mostly for Amy Adams’ character. The rest of the jokes were kind of flat.
5. Land of the Lost (N/A) - $9.6 million: Will Ferrell has the uncanny ability of following a hit with a flop. Talladega Nights was followed by Stranger Than Fiction. Blades of Glory by Semi-Pro and Step Brothers by Land of the Lost. The unfortunate thing is that Land is considerably more expensive than the average Will Ferrell movie. Waiting for DVD on this one.
The Rest:
- #6 Imagine That (N/A) - $5.5M: Looks like another DVD watch and can’t believe Eddie Murphie’s still making movies
- #7 Star Trek (5/5) - $5.5M: An excellent way to kick off the summer and glad to see it’s still doing well)
- #8 Terminator Salvation (4/5 - Really Liked It) - $4.8M: Great action scenes and special effects
- #9 Angels & Demons (4/5) - $4.1M: Better without having read the book, I hear but I enjoyed it nonetheless
- #10 Drag Me To Hell (4/5) - $3.9M: Very well done horror movie even if horror movies aren’t my thing
On another note, Dance Flick was #13 with $0.7M and even though I know I should wait for the DVD release, I can’t help but want to see it.
Next Weekend
- The Proposal: Cautiously stoked for this one. The trailers look hilarious. I’d expect a #3 debut for this one (don’t think Up and Hangover are leaving the top anytime soon).
- Year One: Stoked for this even though Jack Black and Michael Cera are starring in their now typecast roles. It would be interesting to see Cera portray a different character than the awkward, nerdy guy he played in Superbad, Juno, etc.
