Weekend Box Office Results 1/29-1/31
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Avatar won its seventh straight weekend easily while the two new entries performed right on with the predictions. Avatar now owns the record for highest weekend gross for every weekend except its first. It will pass Titanic for the all time domestic record this coming week and cruise past $2 billion worldwide.
In second place it was the Mel Gibson revenge pic Edge of Darkness. Despite not having starred in a movie since 2002 it drew a solid $17.1 million which was a reasonable result for a movie of this sort. Some will view it as a disappointment though given Gibson’s stature and the build-up that could have resulted in a bigger opening due to his prolonged absence. Edge of Darkness just didn’t have huge appeal due to bland marketing while the reviews weren’t good enough to bring in a wider range of moviegoers.
Never count out date movies as proven yet again by When in Rome. The $12 million take may not seem large but given that there were no big stars involved and reviews were terrible it did quite well. The romantic comedy had a relatively strong marketing push and little competition. There almost seems to be a floor of about $8 million for this type of movie that can be boosted due to a number of factors. The upcoming Valentine’s Day has much greater star power, even better marketing, and a perfect release date. When in Rome just felt more like a gap filler and most are able to recognize that.
1- Avatar $30.0 ($594.5)
2- Edge of Darkness $17.1 (OPEN)
3- When in Rome $12.1 (OPEN)
4- The Tooth Fairy $10.0 ($26.1)
5- The Book of Eli $8.8 ($74.4)
6- Legion $6.8 ($28.6)
7- The Lovely Bones $4.7 ($38.0)
8- Sherlock Holmes $4.5 ($197.6)
9- Chipmunks Squeakuel $4.0 ($209.3)
10- It’s Complicated $3.7 ($104.0)