Obsessed clawed its way to the top of the weekend box office with a fierce $28.6 million, or nearly as much as the debuts of Fighting, The Soloist and Earth combined. Overall, the weekend was among the most attended ever for the end of April, and business surged 25 percent over the same timeframe last year.
Unleashed on approximately 3,000 screens at 2,514 sites, Obsessed boasted the highest-grossing opening on record for a psycho stalker, erotic or "blank from hell" thriller. That's because the sub-genres' heyday of the late '80s/early '90s, which included Fatal Attraction and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, was a period when movies played at fewer theaters and had less opening weekend emphasis than they do today. Obsessed, though, outdrew any recent comparable title by a vast margin, such as Lakeview Terrace, Perfect Stranger, SwimFan and Enough.
Brandishing the tagline "All is fair when love is war," Obsessed was marketed as an over-the-top Fatal Attracton redux, inviting audiences to proclaim "Oh, no, she didn't!" and root for Beyonce to take out the psycho (Ali Larter) who's after her man. As rote as the picture may be, this type of storyline is enduring and relatable, and the trailer clearly spelled out the entire movie. Distributor Sony Pictures' exit polling suggested that 58 percent of the audience was female and 51 percent was over 25 years old.
The other nationwide debuts weren't nearly as impressive as Obsessed, but they rated at least passable by the standards of their sub-genres. Fighting grabbed $11 million on around 2,400 screens at 2,309 sites, which was superior to Never Back Down and Annapolis among other fight movies. The picture was pushed as an urban underdog drama in which Channing Tatum slugs it out to get ahead. Distributor Universal Pictures' exit polling suggest that 58 percent of the audience was male, 66 percent was under 25, and Hispanics were the most represented ethnicity (39 percent).
The Soloist drew $9.7 million on close to 2,200 screens at 2,024 theaters, soaring past several pictures in the same vein, like Resurrecting the Champ and Reign Over Me, but lagging behind A Beautiful Mind, Ray, Radio, etc. as well as the recent output of lead actors, Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr.
Earth landed with a solid $8.8 million on nearly 1,900 screens at 1,804 locations, which was a bit more than March of the Penguins' seventh weekend peak of $7.1 million. Generating $14.5 million since its Wednesday start, the inaugural Disneynature release, which is a big screen variation of the television series Planet Earth, was sold on its anthropomorphized tale of three animal families as well as the spectacle of its nature photography.
The top movie of last weekend, 17 Again, wound up in second with $11.5 million, growing its total to $39.8 million in ten days. The body switch comedy's 51 percent drop wasn't quite as steep as 13 Going on 30's second weekend slide. State of Play also fell 51 percent from its opening, but, because it's an adult-appealing thriller, that was relatively worse than 17 Again. State claimed $6.8 million for $25.1 million in ten days, but past disappointing thrillers like Body of Lies and Fracture had better holds. Crank: High Voltage lost even more juice, off 62 percent to $2.6 million for $11.7 million in ten days. The first Crank slowed 53 percent at the same point.
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On Friday, Obsessed attracted an estimated $11.1 million on approximately 3,000 screens at 2,514 sites, which points to a weekend in the vicinity of $30 million. That would be one of the biggest debuts ever for a Fatal Attraction-type picture or an erotic thriller. Obsessed's opening day alone nearly matched the first weekend grosses of comparable titles Perfect Stranger and SwimFan.
While Obsessed was exceptional, the other three nationwide openers were passable by the modest standards of their sub-genres. Fighting drew an estimated $4.5 million on around 2,400 screens at 2,309 venues. The action drama fared respectably well, delivering more in its opening day than Never Back Down and Annapolis. It's on track for an over $11 million weekend.
The Soloist made an estimated $3.2 million on nearly 2,200 screens at 2,024 theaters, which could lead to a weekend of nearly $10 million. The music drama had a much greater start than similarly-themed pictures like Resurrecting the Champ and Music of the Heart, though it trailed Ray and Radio among others.
Earth (2009) took in an estimated $2.9 million on close to 1,900 screens at 1,804 locations, and could pull ahead of The Soloist by weekend's close with over $10 million. That would be more than nature documentary benchmark March of the Penguins ever made on a given weekend, but that picture was a platform release, not nationwide out of the gate. Prior to the weekend, Earth posted a strong $4 million in its Wednesday debut, and its total is $8.5 million in three days.
Last weekend's champ, 17 Again, came in third on Friday with an estimated $3.9 million, down a typical 59 percent. With $32.2 million in eight days, the body switch comedy continues to follow the path of the last one, 13 Going on 30.
After a so-so start last weekend, State of Play had a relatively more severe drop than 17 Again, falling 55 percent on Friday to an estimated $2.1 million. That was a steeper decline than Body of Lies, and adult-oriented thrillers usually maintain much more of their audience in their second weekends.
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Success for the latest "what if?" comedy became a reality. 17 Again enrolled $23.7 million to lead a solid weekend at the box office. Overall business was up 15 percent from the same timeframe last year and maintained April's blistering pace relative to past Aprils.
Playing on approximately 4,200 screens at 3,255 sites, 17 Again's debut sold about as many tickets as the last major body switch comedy, 13 Going on 30, which opened in April 2004 (the two pictures also have practically the same poster designs), and was strong among "what if?" comedies in general. On its first day alone, the picture drew more patrons than the entire run of the similarly themed and titled 18 Again from 1988, and its weekend tally alone was about the same as the final total of another 1988 body switcher, Vice Versa, adjusted for ticket price inflation.
17 Again was sold on its clearly-presented premise of a man reliving his youth and experiencing his children's lives firsthand (the kind of sentiment that has fueled past hits like Big and Freaky Friday) as well as the presence of High School Musical actor Zac Efron. It marks Efron's third theatrical winner in a row, following Hairspray and High School Musical 3: Senior Year, though his first as the sole, above-the-title-billed attraction. According to distributor Warner Bros.' exit polling, 75 percent of 17 Again's audience was female and 43 percent was under 18 years old.
State of Play landed in second place, reporting $14.1 million on around 3,200 screens at 2,803 locations. That was better than Body of Lies from last fall and initial attendance was on par with Runaway Jury among comparable titles. In other words, State of Play's opening wasn't special but was within the average range among high-profile political thrillers. The marketing depicted a polished-looking thriller and rattled off a big-name cast amidst general murder and conspiracy intrigue, though it would have needed to show a central character to get behind or a distinct storyline that rises above television fare to go further. Distributor Universal Pictures' research indicated that 55 percent of the audience was female and 75 percent was 35 years and older, and poll respondents' main reasons for seeing the picture were Russell Crowe (66 percent) and the story (52 percent).
Ranking sixth for the weekend, Crank: High Voltage yanked $7 million from around 2,400 screens at 2,223 venues, which was more than Shoot 'Em Up but far below the first Crank ($10.5 million) among like-minded movies. This type of gruesome but cheeky action picture rarely fares well, and High Voltage's advertising displayed the movie as essentially a rehash of the first Crank. A modest amount of moviegoers already had their fix with that picture and there was no compelling reason to have a second injection.
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On Friday, 17 Again drew an estimated $9.5 million on approximately 4,200 screens at 3,255 theaters. That was a bigger opening day than the last major body switch comedy 13 Going on 30, which began with $7.4 million at 3,438 sites back in April 2004. 17 Again also made more in a single day than the similarly-titled and themed 18 Again from 1988. If it follows the pattern of previous movies of its ilk, it will wind up with a $25 million plus weekend.
Recording an estimated $4.6 million on around 3,200 screens at 2,803 sites, State of Play had a slightly below average start for a political thriller but was a bit better than Body of Lies. Though it came in second on Friday, its final weekend ranking is too close to call as Hannah Montana The Movie and Monsters Vs. Aliens weren't far behind on Friday and each is on track for a weekend gross in the $13 to $14 million range, based on comparable movies of the past.
Also opening nationwide, Crank: High Voltage packed a soft estimated $2.7 million on around 2,400 screens at 2,223 theaters, which was less than the first Crank's $3.3 million opening day back in 2006. The action sequel's headed for over $7 million this weekend, placing it among the weakest debuts for a Jason Statham movie.
Hannah Montana The Movie was off 77 percent from its bloated Good Friday start to an estimated $4 million. With $47.5 million in eight days, it continues to out-gross the Hannah Montana concert movie. Fast and Furious dropped 64 percent to an estimated $3.8 million, which was a less-attended third Friday than the first two movies in the franchise but the picture's $128.3 million tally in 15 days still tops them. Monsters Vs. Aliens made an estimated $3.6 million, down 61 percent for $153.4 million in 22 days.
Last weekend's disappointing new releases, Observe and Report and Dragonball Evolution, did not turn the tide on Friday. Observe bled 70 percent to an estimated $1.4 million, while Dragonball slipped 77 percent to an estimated $500,000.
Moviegoers ponied up a sizable $32.3 million for Hannah Montana The Movie over the weekend, marking the second-highest grossing Easter debut ever behind Scary Movie 4. Hannah combined with Fast and Furious and Monsters Vs. Aliens led to the second busiest April weekend on record, behind last weekend, and a 40 percent bump in overall business from the same timeframe last year.
Hitting approximately 4,200 screens at 3,118 venues, Hannah Montana rode past the debut of the franchise's previous movie, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour ($31.1 million at 683 3D sites), and outdrew the starting gross of the more comparable The Lizzie McGuire Movie by $15 million. According to distributor Walt Disney Pictures' exit polling, 79 percent of the audience was female, and 60 percent was under 18 years old, skewing younger and more female than the last Disney Channel success High School Musical 3: Senior Year. The studio also noted that parents and their children comprised 66 percent of the audience, and teenagers made up 28 percent. By promoting how the main character must choose between being Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana's marketing made the movie an event for fans of the relatively popular Disney Channel show on which it's based. What's more, the premise appealed as fish-out-of-comedy with Hannah Montana going from a posh pop star life to working on a farm.
On Friday, Hannah Montana raked in $17.4 million, which typically would have led to a weekend of well over $40 million, but the picture tumbled 40 percent on Saturday, ranking second to Fast and Furious on that day. With 54 percent of its weekend business coming from Friday alone, Hannah eclipsed Twilight as the movie with the most Friday-loaded first weekend on record. Hannah's weekend pattern was due to a fervent fan base and the fact that its first day was the Good Friday holiday with nearly three quarters of all schools off.
After its blazing start last weekend, Fast and Furious decelerated 62 percent to $27.2 million. The action sequel lost momentum at a rate close to 2 Fast 2 Furious, and its tally climbed to $116.5 million in ten days. Monsters Vs. Aliens hatched a solid Easter hold, mustering $21.8 million for a $140.2 million total in 17 days. Its 33 percent drop was smaller than Ice Age and Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! among other animated titles on past Easter weekends. 3D presentations comprised 60 percent of the weekend gross, including $2.4 million from IMAX venues, which were down 22 percent.
Debuting in fourth place, Observe and Report collected $11 million on around 3,000 screens at 2,727 venues, which was in the same range as Seth Rogen's last movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno but about a third of Paul Blart: Mall Cop's opening earlier this year. Now, Paul Blart is a light action comedy and Observe is an R-rated dark comedy, but to the public at large they are both mall cop comedies, and the marketing for Observe paled in comparison. Observe came off as a foggier, crazed version of Paul Blart without the relatable main character, and ads lacked pronounced punch lines, relying on the presence of Rogen to carry the day. The premise wasn't as broadly appealing as Rogen's Knocked Up or even Pineapple Express, and its passive and bland title didn't help. By dark comedy standards, though, Observe had a mid-range start, and distributor Warner Bros.' research indicated that 59 percent of the audience was male and 74 percent was in the 17 to 29 age range.
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Thursday, 23 July 2009 12:12 | 
Author: Brandon Gray | 
