Box-Office Wrap Up: 'Hangover 2' Scores $118 Million in Largest Memorial Day Weekend Ever
Malick's 'Tree of Life' and Woody's 'Midnight' also perform strong
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| In only four days, The Hangover Part II managed to reach $118 million. That's an amazing result, but I still haven't seen anyone comment saying they loved it. Critics obviously weren't impressed and apparently there's hardly anyone left that hasn't seen it, so tell me, did anyone out there truly love it? Let's hope someone laughed their ass off, because The Hangover 2 now has the all-time best opening for a comedy and should it bring in the $20 million it's anticipated to make tomorrow a $138 million total isn't anything to scoff at. Director Toff Phillips has already talked about making a Hangover 3 and at this point isn't it almost a requirement? As far as predictions go, Laremy was way under, but Athar was almost on the button with an $85.4 million prediction. UPDATE: Gitesh Pandya reports on Twitter that The Hangover 2 brought in $59 million from 40 international markets led by $16.4 million from the UK, $11.6 million from Australia. This makes for a $177 million global debut. Result: $86.4 million Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #1 and his prediction of $63.262 million was $23.138m off for a percentage error of 26.78%. | |
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On the reader side of things Rach was closest with a $58.7 million prediction, which is astonishing considering that is still $10.7 million off. A lot of readers had this one around $80-90 million and winning the weekend. That didn't happen.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #2 with $56.912 million, which is $8.912m off for a 18.57% error.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #3 with $34.06 million, which is $5.24m off for a 13.33% error.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #4 with $14.845 million, which is $1.455m off for a 8.93% error.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #5 with $7.14 million, which is $2.16m off for a 23.23% error.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #6 with $5.08 million, which is $1.52m off for a 23.03% error.
Laremy's rank: Not Ranked
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #10 with $1.459 million, which is $0.441m off for a 23.21% error.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #9 with $1.56 million, which is $0.24m off for a 13.33% error.
Laremy's rank: Laremy picked it to finish #7 with $1.952 million, which is $0.172m off for a 9.66% error.
The one other film worth mentioning is Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, which finally opened this weekend in four theaters, two in Los Angeles and two in New York. The film brought in an estimated $352,000 for a whopping $88,000 per theater average. That's a lot.
As for next weekend, X-Men: First Class is obviously the big ticket draw but I have to tell you, Beginners is opening in something like 5 theaters next weekend. It is a film to look out for as it is one of the best I've seen all year.
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I gotta say, I went into it with little expectations and came out loving it. Almost as good as the first. My only problem is that is the same movie basically. I'd give it a 9/10.
did you like to pay again for seeing the same movie 2 years after whereas you yet have the DVD? for me,this movie is a swindling
I'm really having a hard time explaining that KFP2 opening. Yes, audiences are getting tired of 3D. Yes, the marketing wasn't too strong (they simply announced "Po is back!" without really giving a meaningful reason to see the movie). Yes, The Hangover 2 might have stolen some teens from it.
But it's still a massive decline. The first movie was huge everywhere and sold tons of DVDs, it was no Shrek, but it was close. Madagascar 2 of all sequels easily surpassed its predecessor's opening. Ice Age 3 is the only major animated sequel that didn't, and I always regarded it as an exception to the rule. You'd think another fun adventure with beloved characters would be enough to lure kids back into theaters. But now it's one of the most disappointing results of the past months, easily up there with Scream 4.
The Hangover really blew away all expectations, and it might actually make a run at $300m domestic just based on a sheer power of its opening. $140m in 5 days is a big deal. As far as others, I'm happy to see Midnight and Bridesmaids doing great, The Tree of Life's word-of-mouth among general audiences should be very interesting, and Pirates actually held surprisingly well. After its horrible drops on Tuesday and Wednesday I thought bad word-of-mouth was going to kill this turkey nice and quick. Obviously that's not the case.
Next weekend, I hope X-Men makes as much as humanly possible, but realistically I'm still not expecting much from it. Lack of stars, '60s setting, prequel, franchise fatigue after 2 disappointing films, the weight of Hangover… some are confident saying it's going to match Thor's opening weekend, but personally I'll be happy with anything over $50 million. Its legs are going to be very good no matter what.
Panda still has two weeks of little family movies to compete with, with OK, not great reviews and my paper anyway said the 3D was worth it. And with school out in many places, should do well during the week. Don't bury it yet.
Also, if you liked the first Hangover, how can you not like the second one, it's the same movie, and I guess that what people wanted.
I'm sure Panda's legs will be fine, and it should be able to make $200 million when all is said and done. That's a film that'll rest on its huge worldwide box office anyway.
Still a big disappointment, considering that it mustered up only a few million dollars more than Megamind did on a less crowded, attended weekend, with better reviews and the sequel hype behind it.
What also doesn't make sense is the whole "kids weren't out of school on Thurs/Fri" argument. If that's so, then why did Ice Age 2 (opened in late March) open so well?
Yeah, I never thought it would be just $2m ahead of Megamind. Also, it's right on par with Shark Tale and the first Madagascar (both $47m) which is just embarrassing. And it trails them as far as attendance. I agree it could make a run at $200 million but that's no achievement when your predecessor was much more successful and everybody loved it.
As far as Ice Age, well if I had to guess I'd say because it was the first major animated film in a long time and kids were starving for it. But I agree the argument still makes little sense.
I haven't seen The Hangover, Part 2 yet so will have to reserve judgement on it's quality until next weekend probably………but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anticipating a straight rehash because that what the most common word of mouth online seems to be about it. I won't be expecting to enjoy it first time around as much as the last one, but certainly a third film seems guaranteed.
I am wondering, with (if it pans out) $138 million in 5 days where it may end up though. Could it top the first film's $277 million after all, or will the drops be harder and faster. It would seem almost impossible for it to finish on LESS than $200 million US anyway but how far past that might it go?
When it comes to 'Thor' – for a long time now I honestly can't make my mind up why I (and others) even debate whether a film like 'Thor' is even a success or not. I think it's a totally pointless discussion sometimes, I really do. It's on $410 million worldwide, it will probably get to within spitting distance of $450 million when all is said and done. Even on a $150 million budget with maybe another $50 plus is that result bad?
How can it be? In 2009 Star Trek made $385 million on a likely similar budget and P&A and is getting a sequel. That's a 'worse' performance and final result than Thor. G.I Joe made $302 million on a $175 million budget and gets a sequel. I'd call that a pretty poor performance and yet a sequel is coming.
So, to be honest, I have no idea how to categorise a film's box-office take right now, be it good, bad, or ho-hum.
Even this year, Pirates 4 supposedly cost $420 million between budget ($250) and rumoured marketing ($170) so even at $650 million so far, that's still a lot to yet make before a profit would be seen. I'd hardly call that awesome when the very high costs are factored, even though it's no small change tally. There will be a fifth film, but that just shows how global that franchise is, that now being the poorest perfomer in the US side of the market doesn't mean end of franchise anymore.
Here's a good article from Slate that goes into how the major studios spend more to release a film into theaters than they'll ever get back from Box Office receipts, and why they're okay with that:
http://www.slate.com/id/2124078/
Really, it seems the goal of any blockbuster these days is to prove that there's an audience that will reliably show up for more, thereby justifying spending limited development budget on a sequel, rather than rolling the dice with some other concept. On something like Thor (or Cars as you noted before, or any other Disney property) there are so many money-making angles that only an accountant with all of the books open could figure out where the black begins.
It does seem though that the $375-400m worldwide range seems to be the area where a film earns a sequel, provided it's not part of a series on a downward trend or was obscenely expensive.
I love The Hangover Part II.
Looking forward to seeing Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life expand. Still need to see Bridesmaids as well.
So what do you think are the chances of Midnight in Paris being Woody Allen's biggest domestic film since Hannah and Her Sisters? Having seen the film yesterday, I think its the best he's made since that film and the limited release and critical response has agreed with me. Its not going to be Black Swan big but I see a solid $45-55 million total when all is said and done.
I forgot to mention though – very nice results for Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life.
Does anyone wonder if Midnight in Paris could maybe have the potential to become Woody Allen's highest grossing film ever (unadjusted, of course) if it continues to perform well as it expands?
I'm also happy to have predicted Midnight in Paris to hit the top ten when not many others did. Yay!
I thought The Hangover was pretty ho-hum. Not a terrible movie, but not a particularly good one either. Yeah it had some funny moments, but it wasn't remotely as funny as the first one. I expect it to fall off hard, but it should get to $250 million domestic simply due to the strength of this weekend alone. And I have no idea what the hell happened with Kung Fu Panda. I don't know that 3D alone is to blame, unless people are clueless enough that they didn't know it was also available in 2D in most places. I checked a bunch of theatres within a 50 mile radius of where I live and most of them offer at least a 50/50 ratio on 3D vs. 2D shows for Panda, and some offered more 2D shows. And according to BOM, Panda's 3D percentage was only 45%. Animation has been hitting 60% 3D like clockwork (except for Despicable Me, and that was due to being in the wake of Toy Story), so between this and Pirates I think 3D may actually be starting to head downhill. And if it does, all these tentpoles that are being shot in 3D right now (Spider-Man, The Hobbit, etc.) are going to make filmmakers look pretty dumb if this mini-trend continues. At the very least they're going to have to be marketed as "shot in 3D," but I don't even know if that'll be enough. People may have just had it with the format. Which is great.
Surprised to see Pirates hold up relatively well. (A 56% drop is relatively well now? I think so for this franchise). Still impressed with Bridesmaids, and of course Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life. It'd be great to see Midnight in Paris start to go wide now, especially since the next few weekends have only one tentpole each, and each one seems to be at least somewhat limited in its appeal. This would seem to be the perfect time to get a smaller film out there before behemoths Cars, Transformers, and Harry Potter come along. Hopefully The Tree of Life will continue to do well and be able to accelerate its schedule as well.
Next weekend X-Men wins, but I'm not sure what the potential is. The reviews are very good so far and that will help if they stay there, but there's also bad will from X3 and Wolverine. I guess somewhere around $60 million sounds right.
'is it really worth $100 to see a talking Panda Bear?'
I don't really understand that statement. KFP 1 + 2 are great movies. It may be animated (which i'm sure is the factor that made you sneer at it in the first place) but they truly are great pieces of cinema. I mean, what IS worth seeing for $100m?
Thor. is it really worth $100 to see a man with a big hammer?
Clash Of The Titans. is it really worth $100 to see a bunch of greeks fighting?
How To Train Your Dragon. is it really worth $100 to see an animated viking fly around?
Avatar. is it really worth $100 to see a bunch of blue aliens?
Tron legacy. is it really worth $100 to see some guy ride bikes in a computer?
You can do that for every movie, the 'dumbing down the synopsis' thing doesn't work and is quite insulting really.
I look forward to your description of a Godfather re-release. is it really worth $100 to see an italian guy mumble?
As you quoted, I didn't say $100 million, I said $100, which is how much it would likely cost a family to go see Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D. Hopefully that helps you understand my point.
Oh sorry, i didn't mean $100m, i meant $100. I did get your point but i'm just unsure why you described KFP2 in such a broad, negative light. It seems like you're not much of a fan of animated films with talking animals (?)
But i do agree with you on the whole. Forking out $100 for 1 film is pushing it a bit.
The comment wasn't intended to put the film in a negative light, just the price gouging of the audience.
Yeah, of course you can "dumb down the synopsis", but what he's trying to say is that Kung Fu Panda 2 lacked that "event" feel that other big films/sequels usually have when they arrive in theaters.
To many, KFP2 might have seemed more like a rental a couple weeks down the road. It lacked that whole "you must see this in theaters" hype that stuff like Avatar or even Transformers 2 had.
Also, maybe some families couldn't justify the expensive ticket prices and want their kids to see Cars 2 in 3D instead. Who really knows?
That's really rough for ol' Po the Panda. Even with 3D surcharges it fell $12 million short of it's predecessor, and that was on a non-holiday weekend. It was also a big step down from the first one in terms of quality of the movie, and the advertising was really weak, so in retrospect it was silly to predict a huge opening weekend. People are sick of 3D, and hopefully the fad will fade away soon.
On the other hand, that's a huge start for Hangover 2, and with that sizable of an opening it should be able to manage its way over $250 million. With Fast Five about to pass $200 million and with Pirates looking like a lock to even if it continues to hold weakly against X-Men and Super 8, Hangover 2 will be the third movie to cross $200 million of the summer. Cars 2, Transformers 3 and Harry Potter 7 are all locks as well I think, but Cars 2 I start to worry about when looking at the performance of Kung Fu Panda 2. But even that movie could muster its way across $200 million if it shows legs like Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. My Predictions for top-grossing movies of the summer:
1. Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon- $430 million
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2- $350 million
3. The Hangover: Part 2- $260 million
4. Cars 2- $245 million
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides- $230 million
6. Fast Five- $210 million
7. Thor- $185 million
8. Kung Fu Panda 2- $180 million
9. X-Men First Class- $155 million
10. Super 8- $150 million
I really like your predictions, though I would personally put X-Men above Thor and maybe Fast Five.
You can take Fast Five out as it's technically a Spring release.
Its sad to see that kinda of return on Panda since the first one did well. However, the first one only had to compete with You Don't Mess With The Zohan which anyone knows that didn't do as well as the Hangover did this weekend. Hopefully with school ending it will be able to leg itself out until Cars opens on the 24th.
True, but Kung Fu Panda was, at the time, a beginning of a franchise; it wasn't an established, anticipated sequel to one of Dreamworks' biggest non-Shrek films. Also, I'm not sure if there's a ton of overlap between Hangover II's audience and Panda 2's audience. Pirates 4 having a similar audience as Panda 2, I can buy.
and tree of life life has the highest per screen average of the weekend. Suck on that bitches! So what if hangover has the biggest weekend. Work with the audience that's out there. Borderline retards will come out in droves, so give them something stupid that they can follow. God bless America, and god bless the incompetent who will lead this country into the ground.
…Alrighty then.
Why are so many people hating on The Hangover 2? I thought it was great. Yeah, it has the same plot but what do you expect? The situations were completly different though. I came out of the movie satified and thought it was even better than the first. Its starting to sound like people are hating it just to hate it. The movie is meant to entertain and thats just what it did. Some people are saying it wasn't good because it was the same as the first or it was too hateful or it was too offensize? Its meant for laughs. If you dont think it was funny,Ii dont know why you even bother watching it because that means you didnt like the first either.
Next weekend predictions:
1) X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
U$62M
2) THE HANGOVER PART II
U$40M (-54%)
3) KUNG FU PANDA 2
U$29M (-40%)
4) POTC: ON STRANGER TIDES
U$19M (-50%)
5) BRIDESMAIDS
U$10M (-39%)
Aparently The Hangover II does have a shot at 300 million total, right??
Doing 140 million in just five days, I'm sure this is frontloaded, but come on, it's not Twilight or Harry Potter frontloaded is it??
Sure it will, the previous Hangover made $467 million globally without brand recognition.
People are sick of 3D, especially in animated movies, which will only burden families because the kids want them…
I guess the only way to stop 3D is by having great movies perform will without it…The Hangover Part II is a big example…that will shush the studios, regardless of the quality of the film.
Thor is a "small" success…
toff phillips :D
Tree of Life's per theater average would be more impressive if Midnight in Paris didn't do more.