'Gran Torino' to Become Biggest Eastwood Flick Ever While 'Underworld' Likely Takes the Weekend
Get off his lawn and give him your money while you're at it
Photo: Warner Bros.
I didn't necessarily like Gran Torino and as a result have received my fair share of email telling me how stupid I am as a result. However, that doesn't mean I will fail to recognize the fact people seem to have an interest in what may end up being Clint Eastwood's final screen performance as it is sure to become the actor's biggest box-office success as an actor by the middle-end of next week.
Steve Mason brings us the early Friday box-office estimates from his new home at Breitbart's Big Hollywood blog and while Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (my review) is set to take the weekend, Gran Torino is showing a meager 29% drop from last weekend and will likely end the weekend with a $97.1 million cume.
To date, as an actor, Eastwood's largest box-office return was the 1993 political thriller In the Line of Fire earning $102 million, a number Torino will easily surpass despite not receiving a single Oscar nomination on Thursday even though many (including yours truly) predicted it would. Torino managed an estimated $4.2 million on Friday and Mason predicts it will hit $15.53 million for the weekend coming in third to Underworld and Paul Blart in its second weekend.
Underworld, the prequel story to the 2003 and 2006 vampire vs. werewolf films, opened to an estimated $7.6 million on Friday and is looking to make upwards of $19.7 million for the three-day weekend. Our very own Laremy Legel, a.k.a. the Box-Office Oracle, predicted it would hit $23.8 for the weekend but he too had it finishing first followed by Blart, Torino, newcomer Inkheart and Slumdog Millionaire, which received 10 Oscar nominations on Thursday including one for Best Picture.
Blart has proven to be a winning kid's flick and earned an estimated $5.5 million on Friday and will end the weekend with over $60 million in its 10-day run. Inkheart, however, isn't having as much luck as it opened to only $2.1 million on Friday earning it the eighth spot for the day, which is where it is likely to finish the weekend with only $7.5 million. It's only fitting considering the movie isn't that good and it appears fantasy films need a larger audience than an obscure bestseller that didn't hit the mainstream can pull in.
Friday's top five is rounded out by My Bloody Valentine 3-D ($2.9 million) and Notorious ($2.8 million), both in their second weekend and Mason predicts both will fall out of the top five by the end of the weekend as Hotel For Dogs and Slumdog Millionaire are likely to make better use of the weekend crowds.
One number Mason doesn't have is how much The Dark Knight mustered as it saw a limited re-release in a reported total of 350 theaters domestically and a few more internationally. As of publishing the film remains at $997,035,412 worldwide and while I don't think it will be able to hit the $1 billion mark now that it is on Blu-ray and DVD it will be interesting to see where it ends — especially if I am proven wrong.
Below are Mason's early Friday estimates, stay tuned for Sunday when Laremy brings you the three-day totals.
- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony) – $7.6 million
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop (Sony) – $5.5 million
- Gran Torino (Warner Bros) – $4.2 million
- My Bloody Valentine 3-D (Lionsgate) – $2.9 million
- Notorious (Fox Searchlight) – $2.8 million
- Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) – $2.6 million
- Hotel For Dogs (Dreamworks/Paramount) – $2.4 million
- Inkheart (Warner Bros) – $2.1 million
- Bride Wars (Fox) – $1.9 million
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount) – $1.6 million
Links from Other Sites You May Like
Showing 5 Comments
~ PLEASE NOTE ~
If, in any way, your comment is an attack on the author of this post or a previous commenter, your comment will be deleted without question.
Add a New Comment |
Click to Read Our Commenting Rules & Guidelines
Hi Brad. Yes, Gran Torino will be Clint's biggest grossing movie (in North America). Adjusting for inflation, Every Which Way But Loose will remain number one.
I was very disappointed that Clint did not get an Oscar nomination for his performance in Gran Torino. I was also surprised to learn that the movie's title song was not nominated.
By the way, I finally saw Slumdog Millionaire last night. While not perfect, it is a fine film. It is definitely in my top 10 for 2008 releases.
Take care.
Hi everybody. I just wish that when reporters talk about boxoffice they would talk about acutal numbers, adjusted for inflation, just like Allan points out. It´s plain silly to compare movies any other way. The No 1 all times movie (Gone With the Wind) was made in 1939. Then the ticket cost about 10 cents. Now it´s close to 10 dollars. The No 1 movie in 2008 (Dark Night) makes it at no 30 on the all times list, the real one. It´s about as popular as Bambi was, and doesn´t even rech the heights of The Godfather (1972), let alone movies like Jaws and Star Wars, which made about the double amount of money as Dark Night did this year. All other talk is silly and nothing but hyperbole for the living moment, but that just doesn´t give the right picture.
as for dark knight i know people at my school who own it that went just to see it at IMAX last night.
I'm constantly surprised at the resurgent directorial and acting performances by an elder Eastwood. I mean, since 2003, the guy can do no wrong:
1. Mystic River ('03)
2. Million Dollar Baby ('04)
3. Flags of Our Fathers + 4. Letters from Iwo Jima ('06)
5. Changeling + 6. Gran Torino ('08)
Wow! There are many director's who would be proud to have that list of films as their lifetime achievements; Eastwood has done it in 5 – all while receiving 3 nominations for Best Picture (with 1 win), 3 for directing (with 1 win) and 1 for Best Actor.
I gotta admit, Eastwood has firmly secured himself as a living legend; who else could still be directing AND "ACTING" in brilliant films at this stage in his life? Gran Torino, in my humble opinion, is tied for Best Picture of 2008 with Revolutionary Road. SCREW YOU ACADEMY!!!
Quake: Agreed, it's amazing to see him in this stride. Quality films.