Box Office Footnotes
[2011.05.01] SUKIE SHEK SAYS VONNIE LUI IS IN POOR SPIRITS
courtesy of takungpao.com
FRIDAY APR 29 BOX OFFICE NUMBERS: Fast Five Roars to the Top
Fast Five delivered for Universal with a $77 million opening and is on track for a final domestic tally of $169 million. This strong opening will push the weekend up around 50% versus the same weekend last year. The other openers, however, were ignominious flops.
And then there's the rest of the openers. Prom from Disney embattled Rich Ross regime utterly flopped with a $5.3 opening and will be lucky to total $13 million in North America. Ouch. Hoodwinked Too! from Weinstein, with its weirdly cheap animated look, belly flopped with a $4.5 million opening and might finish with $7 million domestically. More King's Speech and fewer lame animation attempts, please.
April 29-May 1, 2011 Pre-Wknd Wknd Showbuzz
(millions) Showbuzz Early Friday Domestic
Forecast Proj. Actual Final*
Fast Five (Uni) [$74.5] $77.0 $33.2 $169
Rio (Fox) [$16.5] $15.5 $ 3.6 $151
Madea's Big Happy Family [$11.5] $10.3 $ 3.1 $ 63
Water for Elephants (Fox)[$10 ] $ 9.5 $ 2.9 $ 57 ++
Prom (Dis) [$ 9.5] $ 5.3 $ 1.8 $ 13
Hoodwinked Too (Weins) [$ 9 ] $ 4.5 $ 1.1 $ 7 African Cats (Dis) [$ 4 ] $ 3.2 $ 1.0 $ 22
Hop (Uni) [$ 6 ] $ 3.1 $ 0.7 $114 --
Dylan Dog (Free) [$ 2.5] $ 0.7 $ 0.3 $ 2
Note: The table above summarizes an early look at the weekend. The first column is reminder of each film's ShowbuzzDaily Forecast for the weekend (in brackets). The second column, on which the films are sorted, displays the new weekend projection for each film, based on the Friday numbers (the third column). The final column is a preliminary estimate of the ShowbuzzDaily Domestic Ultimate number for the film's total run in North America. A "++" indicates the Domestic number has been upgraded; a "--" indicates a downgrade.
Fast and Furious Track
Fast and Furious Films (millions)
Critics Release Opening Domestic
Positive Date Weekend Total
Fast and Furious 27% 4.03.09 $71 $155
Fast Furious: Tokyo Drift 35% 6.16.06 $24 $ 62
2 Fast 2 Furious 36% 6.06.03 $50 $127
The Fast and the Furious 52% 6.22.01 $40 $144
Total Box Office Volume
The Top 12 Films this weekend are looking like $140 million total. This is a huge increase from the same weekend last year but somewhat lower than 2009 and before. (This weekend has traditionally had a very stronger anchor such as Iron Man or X-Men Origins: Wolverine but last year stumbled slightly with Nightmare on Elm Street 3.)
Top 12 Films: First Weekend of May/ Late April
(millions)
Volume
2011 $140 (-2% vs 2007-10 average; +53% vs 2010)
2007-10
Avg $144
Movies Opening That Weekend
2010 $ 92 Nightmare on Elm Street 3 $33, Furry Vengeance $6
2009 $150 X-Men Wolverine $85, Ghosts Girlfriends Past $15
2008 $151 Iron Man $99, Made of Honor $15
2007 $181 Spider-Man 3 $151, Lucky You $3
Next Weekend
Opening next week are Thor from Paramount, romantic comedy Something Borrowed from Warner Bros, and African-American comedy Jumping the Broom from TriStar. Thor will clearly dominate the weekend but not at the same level as Iron Man 2, which opened with $128 million the same weekend last year. (The documentary Babies also opened, whimpering with a little more than $2 million this weekend last year.)
Look for updates of the weekend box office on Sunday, based on the Saturday actual numbers.
[2011.04.30] LOUIS KOO MAKES SAMMI CHENG CRY
[2011.04.30] DONNIE YEN DEFENDS SHORT GUYS
[2011.04.30] BONNIE XIAN KEEPS LOW PROFILE AS GUEST STAR
Film Fan Fridays for Friday April 29, 2011
Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!
Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday April 29, 2011! It's a quiet week as we only 5 films in release, and and that used to be a pretty normal number of releases but this year it feels like it's usually in the 10 films range. So many films to choose from. We also have Hot Docs kicking in to gear, bringing us 199 documentary films to choose from over the next week and a bit. I'll be covering the festival at Movie Moxie, be sure to stop by and check it out.
In limited release this week we have just one release with The Conspirator, a dramatization of Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), a woman charged with conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The film also stars James McAvoy and is directed by Robert Redford.
In wide release this week we have four films to choose from, starting with one that I'm actually a little embarrassed to admit it but I'm really looking forward to it: Fast Five. Yep. The fifth in the Fast and the Furious the series that features with fast cars, small clothing, a reprisal cast of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster plus new addition of Dwayne Johnson (Faster). We also have the Disney film Prom (was I the only one that thought it was a doc? ), which seems like it shows the chastest prom ever, although looks very cute nonetheless. We also have animated sequel Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil and Bollywood release of Chalo Dilli.
Be sure to check out my Hot Docs previews (overview, reviews of Superheroes, Family Instinct, At Night They Dance and A Simply Rhythm, Imagining Emanuel and The Future is Now!) and swing on by Movie Moxie for coverage throughout the festival.
Have a great weekend!
Shannon
Festival Watch
Hot Docs
Canadian International Documentary Film Festival
April 28 - May 8, 2011 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday April 29, 2011 Releases
Chalo Dilli
Dir: Shashant Shah (Dasvidaniya)
Cast: Lara Dutta, Yana Gupta, Akshay Kumar
India
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page
The Conspirator
Dir: Robert Redford (Lions for Lambs, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Quiz Show)
Cast: Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel, Johnny Simmons, Danny Huston
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Fast Five
Dir: Justin Lin (Finishing the Game)
Cast: Vin Diesel , Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
Dir: Mike Disa (Dead Space: Aftermath)
Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, David Andy Dick, Brad Garrett, Patrick Warburton
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Prom
Dir: Joe Nussbaum (Sydney White)
Cast: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, De’Vaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang, Kylie Bunbury, Nicholas Braun, Jared Kusnitz, Jonathan Keltz
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of April 29, 2011**
Film Fan Fridays for Friday April 29, 2011
Hello Film Fans and Fanatics!
Welcome to Film Fan Fridays for Friday April 29, 2011! It's a quiet week as we only 5 films in release, and and that used to be a pretty normal number of releases but this year it feels like it's usually in the 10 films range. So many films to choose from. We also have Hot Docs kicking in to gear, bringing us 199 documentary films to choose from over the next week and a bit. I'll be covering the festival at Movie Moxie, be sure to stop by and check it out.
In limited release this week we have just one release with The Conspirator, a dramatization of Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), a woman charged with conspiring to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The film also stars James McAvoy and is directed by Robert Redford.
In wide release this week we have four films to choose from, starting with one that I'm actually a little embarrassed to admit it but I'm really looking forward to it: Fast Five. Yep. The fifth in the Fast and the Furious the series that features with fast cars, small clothing, a reprisal cast of Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster plus new addition of Dwayne Johnson (Faster). We also have the Disney film Prom (was I the only one that thought it was a doc? ), which seems like it shows the chastest prom ever, although looks very cute nonetheless. We also have animated sequel Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil and Bollywood release of Chalo Dilli.
Be sure to check out my Hot Docs previews (overview, reviews of Superheroes, Family Instinct, At Night They Dance and A Simply Rhythm, Imagining Emanuel and The Future is Now!) and swing on by Movie Moxie for coverage throughout the festival.
Have a great weekend!
Shannon
Festival Watch
Hot Docs
Canadian International Documentary Film Festival
April 28 - May 8, 2011 at various locations in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Friday April 29, 2011 Releases
Chalo Dilli
Dir: Shashant Shah (Dasvidaniya)
Cast: Lara Dutta, Yana Gupta, Akshay Kumar
India
Official Film Site & Trailer, IMDb Page
The Conspirator
Dir: Robert Redford (Lions for Lambs, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Quiz Show)
Cast: Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel, Johnny Simmons, Danny Huston
USA
Limited Release
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Fast Five
Dir: Justin Lin (Finishing the Game)
Cast: Vin Diesel , Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Sung Kang
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil
Dir: Mike Disa (Dead Space: Aftermath)
Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, David Andy Dick, Brad Garrett, Patrick Warburton
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
Prom
Dir: Joe Nussbaum (Sydney White)
Cast: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, De’Vaughn Nixon, Danielle Campbell, Yin Chang, Kylie Bunbury, Nicholas Braun, Jared Kusnitz, Jonathan Keltz
USA
Official Film Site, IMDb Page, Trailer
**please note this list of releases reflects first run film released in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as of April 29, 2011**
FAST FIVE: Boxoffice Express
[2011.04.29] HACKEN LEE FEELS HONORED TO PERFORM JOSEPH KOO'S WORK
courtesy of singtao.com
Frances Yip Lai Yi, Joseph Koo Ka Fai, Chow Yun Fat, Ann Hui On Wa
courtesy of mingpao.com
courtesy of takungpao.com
[2011.04.29] AARON KWOK HINTS ABOUT TAKING A FEMALE TO SEE THE DETECTIVE II
courtesy of mingpao.com
courtesy of takungpao.com
[2011.04.29] DONNIE YEN DRIVES FAST TO REDUCE THE LOST BLADESMAN STRESS
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE PREDICTIONS APR 29-MAY 1: The Third Up Weekend in a Row
The other opening films should have minimal impact. Prom from Disney will struggle to get to a $10 million (and a below average $3,700 per theater opening weekend). This could be yet another black eye for the Rich Ross regime and the beleaguered Disney marketing group. Similarly, Hoodwinked Too! will struggle with a below average $3,400 per theater opening weekend. Let's face it, the animated film just does not look like it is in the same league as animation from DreamWorks or even Universal/ Illumination and Fox (at least based on the television spots). Finally, Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (a horror comedy from Freestyle releasing) is opening at only 1,000 theaters, with a very weak expected per screen average of $2,400. But Fast Five is strong enough to carry the load and deliver the third strong weekend in a row.
(millions)
New Films Critics Opening Domestic
April 29-May 1 Positive Weekend Total*
.
Fast Five Uni PG13 81% $74.5 $165
Prom Dis PG 53% $ 9.5 $ 27
Hoodwinked Too! Weins PG 18% $ 9 $ 20
Dylan Dog Free PG13 n/a $ 2.5 $ 5
Note: Although critic reviews are not related to the size of the opening weekend, they are significantly correlated with the size of the declines in the opening weeks of a movie.
* The Domestic Total is a very early ShowbuzzDaily projection of the total North American gross, based on the Weekend Forecasts.
Fast and Furious Film Track
Fast and Furious Films (millions)
Critics Release Opening Domestic
Positive Date Weekend Total
Fast and Furious 27% 4.03.09 $71 $155
Fast Furious: Tokyo Drift 35% 6.16.06 $24 $ 62
2 Fast 2 Furious 36% 6.06.03 $50 $127
The Fast and the Furious 52% 6.22.01 $40 $144
Rio will have another good weekend, while Madea's Big Happy Family should drop almost 55% (not unexpected because of the front-loaded nature of Tyler Perry's movies and the soft weekday business discussed Wednesday). In contrast, Water for Elephants and African Cats will have lower second weekend declines, as indicated by their relatively solid weekday business.
(millions)
Major Returning Films Change This Domestic
Rio Fox -37% $16.5 $152
Madea's Big Happy Fam. LG -54% $11.5 $ 58
Water for Elephants Fox -41% $10 $ 46
Hop Uni -49% $ 6 $125
African Cats Dis -33% $ 4 $ 19
Box Office Volume
For the past four years, the top 12 films in the comparable weekend have averaged $144 million total, ranking 16th of 52 weeks. Last year this weekend's total was $92 million, and May 1-3, 2009 was $150 million. This weekend is looking like $150 million: the third up weekend in a row versus last year.
LIMITED RELEASE: "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold"
WEEKDAY BOX OFFICE UPDATE APR 25-26:
The magic number for mid-week box office (Monday-Tuesday combined) is 20% of the opening weekend, an indicator of better than average long-term playability. Based on Monday-Tuesday's numbers, Madea's Big Happy Family fell short of this benchmark, while Water for Elephants and African Cats hit the mark.
Read on after the jump.
First Monday-Tuesday of Release
Apr 25-26, 2011 Mon-Tue % of Opening
African Cats (Dis) $1.21 20%
Films Comparable to
Madea's Big Happy Family
Apr 5-6, 2010
Too? (LG)
[2011.04.28] SAMMI CHENG IS IN A HURRY TO RETURN TO HONG KONG AND SUPPORT ANDY HUI
Louis Koo Tin Lok, Sammi Cheng
courtesy of takungpao.com
[2011.04.28] ALEX FONG LIK SUN FEARS DROWNING FROM EASON CHAN'S SPIT
Alex Fong Lik Sun, Stephy Tang Lai Yun, Sitar Tan (Tam Wai Wai), Kenny Bee, Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Karen Mok Man Wai, Eason Chan Yik Shun, William So Wing Hong
Kenny Bee (Chung Chun To), Jeff Lau Chun Wai
[2011.04.28] CARINA LAU DENIES DRUG RUMORS
courtesy of singtao.com
Hilary Tsui Ho Ying
Bosco Wong Chung Chak does not dare to claim to be TVB's number 1 star
Carina Lau Ka Ling, Chingmy Yau Suk Ching, Sandra Ng Kwan Yu, Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi
Julian Cheung Chi Lam is the best at ignoring Anita Yuen Wing Yi when she either incessantly nags or scolds him.