For a movie to win a weekend it would be considered a solid victory. But, in the case of “Jack the Giant Slayer,” it may not be the case.
Because its big budget, it would have been much better for a larger number. But, a win is a win and $28 million dwarfs the competition. But, no real slaying too place. The other contenders didn’t make it into double digits. So, as noted before, that Oscar bump wasn’t going to register here.
Now, it is time to enter two more holidays and spring break to see if those can ignite a weak showing of late.
1. “Jack the Giant Slayer” - $28 million
2. “Identity Thief” - $9.7 million
3. “21 and Over” - $9 million
4. “The Last Exorcism Part II” - $8 million
5. “Snitch” - $7.7 million
Apparently a spring break idea didn’t make it with “21 and Over” and many though they had already seen the “Last Exorcism,” as they failed to drive audiences to the theaters. But, the one bright spot since its release is the Melissa McCarthy movie, which is now over $100 million and the top grossing film of the year. Of course, the holdovers from last year do not count in this take.
As February came to a close, it was “Thief” which topped the month as well. But, it was off 24 percent from a year ago. That is something the studios will aim to improve. In a month that also saw huge number of TV viewers for both the Super Bowl and the Oscars, it is time to get those people back to the theaters – watching movies.
The box office could have been better as “Die Hard” showed up again as did Arnold Schwarzenegger. They failed to dent and others underperformed like “Side Effects, “Beautiful Creatures,” “Snitch” and Sylvester Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head.”
In fact, in January, it was those 2012 holdovers that did well. The top three films in January were “Django Unchained,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Les Miserables.” With last year setting a record at the box office, this year’s start doesn’t bode well, but a few sleepers to go along with the blockbusters could help.
The start is not so hot, though.
Box office
2012 - $10.8 billion
2011 - $10.1 billion
2010 - $10.565
2009 - $10.595
Again, that was the domestic box office which set the record. Since 2009, the domestic box office has been over $10 billion.
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