It was another busy weekend for the box office but it also could have been a meaningful one as well if the studios were listening. Audiences both in New York and nationwide made it clear that despite what some executives believe, not everything has to be made in 3D.
Sony’s “Battle: Los Angeles” took to theaters by storm (in plain old 2D) and gave the studio its fourth consecutive number one hit of 2011. Led by the likeable Aaron Eckhart, “Battle” took in around $36 million, thanks to a smart marketing/PR campaign that successfully showed why this wasn’t your usual alien’s attack action flick. It also opened day and date in a number of foreign territories which added another $16 million to its haul, so worldwide Sony is looking at a $52 million take for the weekend.
Last week’s number one movie “Rango,” slipped to number two, but still took in an impressively strong $23 million, which sends its total up to $68 million in just two weeks. The Johnny Depp-led animated film also gets to keep its record (for now) as having the highest grossing opening weekend of this young year. It topped “Battle” by $2 million.
Despite a media blitz and a (slightly odd) guest spot/product plug on this week’s “American Idol,” Fox’s “Red Riding Hood” stumbled into third place. This update of the classic fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” with a much darker overtone, was directed by “Twilight’s” Catherine Hardwicke and had been expected perform a little better. The star power of Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman wasn't enough to overcome a plot some experts saw as too female-centric to attract any sort of male audience. Many analysts had expected a total in the high 20s or low 30s, but ultimately the picture made just $14 million.
Although the biggest flop of the week (and according to some, possibly for the year) was Disney’s “Mars Needs Moms.” With an estimated cost of $150 million to make, the animated movie only actually earned around $7 million (and that included 3D surcharges). So what happened? Was it 3D overload? Was it stiff competition from a more grown-up version of the same type of movie? Or was it just one of those rare misses by the studio? The answer is probably a combination of all three.
The picture came from Robert Zemeckis’ now defunct “Imagemovers Digital” production company which was also behind the more successful (Jim Carrey led) “A Christmas Carol” update. In other words this wasn’t Pixar and Disney fans have grown accustomed to Pixar’s level of filmmaking and non-gimmicky style. Although let’s be clear, this is Disney and one ding in an otherwise stellar looking slate isn’t going to hurt the company. Other studios should take note though, as this increased 3D overload is quickly becoming a cheap novelty again (just ask the producers of “Drive Angry”).
Next week is literally a mixed bag at the box office with Bradley Cooper & Robert DeNiro teaming up for “Limitless,” Matthew McConaughey starring in the adaptation of “The Lincoln Lawyer” and Seth Rogen voicing an alien in the Nick Frost and Simon Pegg led comedy “Paul.”
What did you see this weekend New York? Hit the comments and let us know.
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