'Zombieland' Takes a Big Bite Out of the Friday Box-Office
Michael Moore's 'Capitalism' fails to capture audience attention
Photo: Sony Pictures
Looks like Laremy's predictions are back on track, at least at the top spot, as Zombieland had one hell of a Friday debut to the tune of $8.5 million according to Steve Mason's early Friday estimates. To top it off, should Mason's three-day prediction of $21.3 million come to pass it would mean Laremy actually hit the number right on the button. You'd have to ask him, but I'm not sure if that's ever happened.
Battling for second place is a pair of 3-D animated features as Sony's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs remains strong with $3.5 million on Friday, but the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 double feature is hot on its heels actually besting Meatballs by the slimmest of margins taking in $3.7 million. However, Mason sees Meatballs ending the weekend $2 million over Buzz and Woody, so we'll see if parents are more inclined to take their kids to a three-hour double feature or prefer the 81-minute Meatballs.
The very disappointing Ricky Gervais vehicle, The Invention of Lying managed a meager $2.2 million on Friday and Mason predicts a $6.5 million three day, a number that would have it coming in behind Touchstone's Surrogates. Not sure how that plays into WB's plans.
Finally, we come to a pair of disappointments as Drew Barrymore's critically well received Whip It earned only $1.7 million on Friday and is looking at a $4.4 million weekend from 1,720 theaters. However, as Mason points out, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story is a losing effort after it earned $57,000 per theater last weekend when it was only showing on four screens, but this weekend there wasn't much carryover as it earned $1.3 million on Friday and looks to manage just shy of $4 million for the weekend. Capitalism is screening in 962 theaters, which means it's looking at a $4,100 per theater average, a number that will look better than Whip It, but certainly not what Overture was counting on.
Laremy had Capitalism earning $6.7 million and projected it would win the per theater average for the weekend, but with the number Zombieland is looking to post it would manage over $7k per theater. I guess no one wants to know how miserable our situation in America really is, I can't say I blame them, but will a dismal box-office performance provoke Moore to end his documentary battle or only encourage him more?
Below are Mason's early Friday estimates, Laremy will be here on Sunday with the full recap.
- Zombieland (Sony) – $8.5 million
- Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (Disney) -$3.7 million
- Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony) – $3.5 million
- Surrogates (Disney) – $2.3 million
- The Invention of Lying (Warner Bros) – $2.2 million
- Fame (MGM) – $1.5 million
- Whip It (Fox Searchlight) – $1.7 million
- Capitalism: A Love Story (Overture) – $1.3 million
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Not surprised by Zombieland. I think you'll see a good sized surge in both Toy Story and Meatballs on Saturday. As for Capitalism failing to catch on, I guess no one wants to hear the truth about things in this country.
The problem I see with Capitalism is that going to the movies is about escapism. You go there for entertainment and to escape your life for 90 minutes.
I wouldn't doubt that Capitalism is entertaining like Moores other features.
Does anyone else find it funny that Michael Moore (or at least Overture Films/Paramount Vantage) is trying to make money at the box office with a movie about the negative aspects of capitalism?
No not really, I actually have some admiration for Moore and company for not being the ones to sit on there ass while a flawed system fails this country. Just cause they've achieved success from the system doesn't mean they can't point out the flaws in it.
Simply put the reason why Capitalism isn't going as well as other Moore films is that there isn't all that such we can do about it. Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko discussed big complex issues but there was an idea that things can change. While I haven't seen the film taking on the entire capitalist system just seems unrealistic and really doesn't offer much to a viewer to get excited about. That's my theory but then again any other documentary that doesn't have Al Gore or birds in tuxedos would consider a $4 million weekend a smashing success.
BTW, it's actually $9,4 million for Zombieland. So I guess we should anticipate $25+ million weekend gross.
I don't know why "Capitalism" is considered a bomb. It looks like it'll end the weekend with over $5000 per theater. That's not bad at all for a documentary. The numbers just look small because it's only in 962 theaters.
Let's put it this way: Anything above $10 million for a documentary is fantastic. There are very few people who want to see a documentary in theaters, period. It has nothing to do with the fact that people "don't want to hear the truth about our country." It just has to do with the fact that people don't want to pay $8 for something they think they can get for free on the Discovery channel.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" was a phenomenon. It may be 50 years until another documentary bests it. Michael Moore may never even reach a quarter of what F9/11 did, but his documentaries are still, by documentary standards, wild successes. Yes, even "Capitalism."
I do want to see Capitalism but I am not interested in seeing it in the theatre. Seems more like a rental to me personally. So it will get my money someday, just not at the moment.
Apparently people do have brains to put "Zombieland" at number one. I mean how cool does it look when Wooden Harrelson is shooting zombies from the seat of a moving roller coaster? Not to mention the humor, the short running time to avoid dragging on…this whole movie is probably perfect from start to finish.
We already saw Toy Story and 2…we don't need to sit there for 3 hours again unless Pirates Of The Carribean; At Stranger Tides comes out this week…