In some sense, others have fared much worse. Studios injected obvious failures with tons of extra millions of dollars. Green Lantern had problems from the start and handing the film $250 million didn’t even seem like a good idea at the time.

Creature, however, now has the title for the second worst opening of a wide release film ever. Having only grossed a total of $331,00 over the weekend, it appears no one went to see this thing, not even hardcore lovers of bad B-movies. Technically, Proud American did worse with $128 dollars per screen, but it was only released on 750 screens. Creature settled into over 1,500 with a $220 per theater average

Creature is the story of kids in an unfamiliar part of town who hear the rumor of a half-man half-alligator monster. I’m wondering why this did so poorly. Sure it’s a bad horror movie, but that definitely has a niche audience. The plot isn’t particularly original, but what horror movie is? As I type this article, there is the fact that it’s currently sitting pretty on a hot 11% on rottentomatoes, but still.

To round out what is usually an under-performing weekend, Creature was actually better received by critics than this weekend’s other flop Bucky Larsen: Born to be a Star. The latter still managed to take in a poor $1.45 million. This may be because it was a Happy Madison production or that people know Nick Swardson. It sure wasn’t because the trailer showed promise.

Either way, though Contagion did over $23 million and The Help keeps over performing, this weekend was not a proud time to have released a film. Maybe next time studios will think about the trash that they are putting out. Probably not though.

Scared Intern: Mr. Spielberg, I have some disappointing news for you.
Steven Spielberg: Continue.
Scared Intern: Well, remember that Cowboys & Aliens movie you put a bunch of money into. It didn’t win the box office…
Steven Spielberg: Harry Potter and Captain America still pulling their weight, huh?
Scared Intern: Actually, it was The Smurfs.
Steven Spielberg: YOU’RE FIRED!

I didn’t see either, but, while at one time I had a minor interest in Cowboys & Aliens, The Smurfs hardly resonated. However, I wasn’t supposed to want to see it; it was not a movie made for those over fourteen. But it seemed a guaranteed success. Kids love bad movies like The Smurfs because they love adorable creatures getting into trouble and easily finding their way out of it. Turn on Saturday morning cartoons. (They still have those, right?) Turn on your six-year-old brain. YOU’D go see The Smurfs if it was X number of years ago. My point isn’t that it’s easy to entertain kids; it’s that it’s harder to entertain adults.

A sci-fi/western mash-up. While the idea sounds interesting(?) on paper, actually making it a worthwhile experience is another story. I love Harrison Ford because he was Han Solo and Indiana Jones when I was a kid. I see most of his movies, and will probably see Cowboys as well. Now, he’s 100 years old, and his characters also tend to act 100 years old. But pairing him up with (almost 100-year-old) Daniel Craig for a summer blockbuster (that’s not Bond or Indy) seems like a difficult feat. Again, a lot of respect for both actors, but in the summer season, a bigger draw must exist. Because these two actors are made for adults, not rambunctious teenagers, even if you add big booms and hot chicks. It still won’t add up correctly. (Maybe throw in Ashton Kutcher? That seems to be cool nowadays. Is now 2003? Hmm.)

I guess what I’m really trying to get across is this: Good job both films! You both are experiencing exactly what Movies 101 has taught us:

Children’s movies = big blockbusters
Adult-skewing films = not summer blockbusters

So today a couple things about Johnny Depp and his Captain Jack Sparrow character. For starters, they’ve got him in negotiations for a fifth Pirates. Clearly he’s doing something right because this character will not go away. In what is now his best known role, Depp, as you know, was the only one of the original three cast members to come back for a fourth. Well, it paid off literally. More on that in a minute.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides recently passed one billion dollars worldwide. As only the eighth film to do that (and second Pirates), it is clear Depp has the star power to carry a movie himself. Sure, Geoffrey Rush and Penelope Cruz are in it—and they are in no way ‘weak’ talent—but Depp was largely to blame for its success. And, you know what, he gets paid the big bucks to do so.

How much exactly? I would hold onto your seats. According to a close source, Depp has made roughly $350 million on the four Pirates movies. What?!?!? At this point he’s not even rich; he swims in money. I think he should start a cable channel reality series where he goes around and surprises random people handing them a million dollars for nothing. Solely because he doesn’t need it anymore. I’m not saying he’s not worth the money that they’re playing him since the franchise has made over $3.5 billion worldwide, but damn!

“You’ll never believe how much more I’m making than you, kid.” – Johnny Depp in the picture above

Some people are saying this number is inaccurate, which realistically could be true. (It has to be, right? That’s too much…?) But still no one’s revealing any other figures. At this point, why wouldn’t he make another movie? No one’s ever doubted his sincerity. No one’s ever called him a sell out. After this he can make every indie art house movie he’s ever dreamed of, but why not grab one more fat paycheck (or two more, or three more, or…)

In second place was last week’s number 1 movie ‘Super 8′ taking in $21.3M while the other new release this weekend, Jim Carrey’s ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’ came in 3rd place with only $18M in total. My guess is releasing a kid themed movie wasn’t the best idea during Father’s Day weekend as most fathers would rather be having a barbecue than heading to the movies. Rounding out the top 5 is ‘X-Men: First Class’ in 4th place with $11.5M and The Hangover, Part II in 5th place with $9.6M. It should also be noted that ‘The Hangover, Part II’ has made $232.7M in total since its release making it the highest grossing movie of the year so far. I guess it should come as no surprise then that the ‘The Hangover, Part III’ is already in the works.

Next weekend sees the release of two pretty big summer movies, ‘Cars 2′ and ‘Bad Teacher.’ If I had to guess I’d say ‘Cars 2′ will take the number 1 spot (family/children films always seem to win the weekend) and “Bad Teacher’ will end up with a moderate box office intake at number 3.

Take a look at the complete box office results for the top ten movies according to studio estimates on Sunday…

1. Green Lanter…$52.7M

2. Super 8…$21.3M

3. Mr. Popper’s Penguins…$18.2M

4. X-Men: First Class…$11.5M

5. The Hangover, Part II…$9.6M

6. Kung Fu Panda 2…$8.7M

7. Bridesmaids…$7.5M

8. Pirates of the Caribbean…$6.2M

9. Midnight in Paris…$5.2M

10. Judy Moody…$2.2M

Happy Father’s Day Banters!

According to thewrap.com, The Hangover: Part II had a big Thursday opening of $31.7 million. As long as less than favorable reviews do not deflate the momentum of the film, it will be sure to hit the $100 million mark by the time we all start the work week on Tuesday. However, Box Office Mojo offers a forecast for the Memorial Day weekend:

The Forecast, May 27-30 (4-day Memorial Weekend)

1. The Hangover Part II – $88 million ($122 million 5-day)

2. Kung Fu Panda 2 – $85 million ( $100 million 5-day)

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – $47 million

4. Bridesmaids – $17 million

5. Thor – $10 million

From a business standpoint, Kung Fu Panda 2 has a bit more pressure on it to perform only because CGI sequels historically cash-in compared to their original titles. Box Office Mojo says “It needs around $90 million in its five-day launch to ensure it out-grosses its predecessor, because that’s the new norm for animated sequels in its position, especially with the supposed 3D boost.” Comedies like The Hangover won’t feel the heat as much but will definitely be expected to dominate the weekend at the box office.

However, when I saw The Hangover yesterday, the only non-debuting movie that was sold out was Bridesmaids and not Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I think Bridesmaids definitely has long lasting appeal and will continue to see people turn up at the theater on pure word-of-mouth alone.

Which film are you seeing.

This weekend Kristen Wiig’s comedic hit Bridesmaids gave Thor a run for its money by taking the second spot at the box office with $24.5 million estimated, an outperformance from analyst estimates. Thor won the weekend with $34.5 million.  Bridesmaids is directed by Paul Feig and is produced by none other than notorious Hollywood funnyman Judd Apatow, once a roommate of Adam Sandler.

The last 10 produced Apatow films were Get Him to Greek, Funny People, Year One, Pineapple Express, Step Brothers, Drillbit Taylor, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Superbad and Knocked Up. The earliest of these film Knocked Up, came out in 2007, making Apatow a pretty busy guy the last couple years, I’d say.

Anyhow, not since Superbad has an Apatow film done so well opening weekend. Superbad, the Cera and Jonah Hill smash hit, took in $33 million opening weekend, despite being rated R, and took in a grand total of over $160 million. Bridesmaids $24.5 million is greater than the the 8 previous films (Get Him to Greek to Walk Hard) as listed above.  Pineapple Express came close with just over $23 million in its opening weekend and Forgetting Sarah Marshall made about $18 million opening weekend.

The performance of Bridemaids makes Kristen Wiig an official A-lister in the comedy world. Not only is she funny, but has the ability to churn that into dollar signs. Hollywood gold ay!

Click here for our review of the film.

While ‘Fast Five’ managed to out gross ‘Thor’s opening by close to $20M, it dropped like a rock in it’s second week losing 62% of it’s audience, however, it still managed to come in 2^nd place with $32.5M. This brings the film’s total domestic gross to $140M after only 10 days in theaters, not too shabby at all. I’ve also heard some extremely positive buzz about this film as well so it should make quite a hefty amount when all is said and done.

The other mainstream film releases this week were two ‘meh’ looking films ‘Jumping the Broom’ and ‘Something Borrowed’ both wedding-themed films. ‘Broom’ took in $13.7M while ‘Borrowed’ wracked up $13.2M. This comes as no surprise as both films had awful reviews and probably would’ve had a lot more success if they weren’t competing against one another. I mean they both are so similar in plot why release them the same weekend? And why not release these the same weekend as the Royal Wedding, which definitely would’ve increased the numbers as well!

Next weekend sees the release of ‘Priest’ as well as the very funny ‘Bridesmaids’, which I had the pleasure of reviewing earlier this month:

http://www.themoviebanter.com/2011/04/snap-review-bridesmaids/

Everyone should definitely check it out as it was an awesome flick.

Here are the complete box office results for the top ten movies according to studio estimates Sunday-

1. THOR…$66 million
2. FAST FIVE…$32.5 million
3. JUMPING THE BROOM…$13.7 million
4. SOMETHING BORROWED…$13.2 million
5. RIO…$8.2 million
6. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS…$5.6 million
7. MADEA’S BIG HAPPY FAMILY…$3.9 million
8. PROM…$2.4 million
9. SOUL SURFER…$2.1 million
10. HOODWINKED TOO!…$1.9 million

Jumping all the way to third place, there’s director Joe Wright’s Hanna, starring Saoirse Ronan as a kid assassin on a European intelligence operative given to her by her father (Eric Bana, of course.) The film opened with $12.3 million, the biggest bow yet of Wright’s career, and giving the increasingly auspicious Ronan yet another impressive notch in her belt. Behind that the PG-rated Soul Surfer made $11.1 million playing at just over 2,200 sites, because I guess Hollywood really didn’t want kids to accidentally find anything close to quality at the movies this weekend. It’s about a girl who gets her arm eaten by a shark, but I think it’d save everyone time if James Franco just came in and cut if off for her.

Speaking of Mr. Franco, his latest medieval fantasy (they’re all the rage these days, you know) Your Highness started all the way down at #6 with $9.5 million at around 2,800 sites, not even scratching the $23.2 million bow of director David Gordon Green’s Pineapple Express in 2008. And yeah, this one was pretty critically smashed, too. Bummer, man.

In limited release the Morgan Freeman-narrated IMAX documentary Born to be Wild cashed in $850,000 at 206 sites, and by headlining a star-studded cast (James Caan, Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga) the comedy Henry’s Crime opened to $7,500 at two sites. However the real indie crowd was jamming with Wendy and Lucy director Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff, giving it $22,300 at two sites well as the highest per-screen average of the weekend with over $11,000.

Here are the complete box office results for the top ten movies according to studio estimates Sunday-

1. 1. Hop…$21.7 million
2. 2. Arthur (2011)…$12.6 million
3. 3. Hanna…$12.3 million
4. 4. Soul Surfer…$11.1 million
5. 5. Insidious…$9.7 million
6. 6. Your Highness…$9.5 million
7. 7. Source Code…$9.1 million
8. 8. Limitless…$5.7 million
9. 9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules…$4.9 million

10. The Lincoln Lawyer…$4.6 million

Hollywood needs Easter money folks, and surprisingly, there aren’t any out there to accurately reflect that desire. So hold that smirk and smile when I assure you that Hop, a holiday flick starring (yes, of course) a bunny who’s voiced by Brand, opened right on target with $38.1 million this weekend showing at over 3,500 sites. Last March’s release of How to Train Your Dragon had a bigger opening though, as did Hop director Tim Hill’s Alvin and the Chipmunks in 2007, but again, its staying power on the charts in coming weeks rests in that I’m hard-pressed to recall a time when theaters played an Easter movie you could drag your entire family to. Unless you count The Passion of the Christ, though its implications were subtle.

At #2, the modest budget and big ideas of Duncan Jones’ Source Code paid off with crowds seeking escape and to have their minds numbed in all the right ways. It debuted expectedly with $15.1 million on a budget of $32 million, finally giving Jake Gyllenhaal something to cheer about after his previous two films, Love & Other Drugs and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, bowed pretty harshly. It also showed that Jones could tote a movie in a wide theatrical release; his first effort, 2009’s Moon, played at most at 252 sites. To sum it up, great job, considerate viewing public. Let’s see more of this.

The last film to start at over 2,000 areas this weekend was Insidious, a relatively well-received ghost story about a kid who gets possessed and the parents that hire a medium or something along those lines. Though its Rotten Tomatoes score probably wasn’t the reason why I had to fight leagues of teenagers for an open urinal at my local theater midst bathroom breaks during Source Code. (It’s 60%, by the way.) No, the reason for that was most likely due to Insidious having snagged both the co-writer and director of Saw, well as the producer of Paranormal Activities 1 and 2. The movie grossed $13.5 million in third place, and if the kids at my theater have any say it should be kept in the top ten for at least a few more weekends.

In quasi-limited release, a PG-13 version of The King’s Speech drummed up $1.2 million at about 1,000 sites, bringing whatever MPAA reading of the film to a domestic total since opening in November to around $137 million. Elsewhere, writer-director James Gunn’s violent comic book spoof Super, which premiered at the SXSW festival a few weeks ago, made $52,800 at 11 sites, while Oscar winner for best foreign feature In a Better World did $35,400 at four sites. Would have had the highest per-screen average of the weekend too, but Hop stole that away from it, sadly.

Here are the complete box office results for the top ten movies according to studio estimates Sunday-

1. 1. Hop…$38.1 million
2. 2. Source Code…$15.1 million
3. 3. Insidious…$13.5 million
4. 4. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules…$10.2 million
5. 5. Limitless…$9.4 million
6. 6. The Lincoln Lawyer…$7.1 million
7. 7. Sucker Punch…$6.1 million
8. 8. Rango…$4.6 million
9. 9. Paul…$4.3 million
10. 10. Battle: Los Angeles…$3.5 million

But that still wasn’t enough to spook away outside competition, especially from the Wait-There-Was-a-First-One sequel Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. That flick ended up winning the weekend with a resounding $24.4 million over the dust-settling $19 million of Sucker Punch in second place. That’s about $2 million more than the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid debuted to last year. Looks like I was wrong about no one caring enough about this second-run franchise to fork it over money. I guess there’s always that whopping number of dads so bummed out as to drag their kids to something that’s hey, actually not a cartoon, turns out. You guys watched that Onion video I linked to a few weeks ago, right?

At least Diary of a Wimpy Kid wasn’t as scorned critically as Sucker Punch was. Snyder, after he and his trademark production companion baseball cap were mistaken for Michael Bay by so many would-be fans, saw a modest start to his film considering, well, how small that forgettable little animated owl thing he did in September cranked out to be. After all, it’s hard to echo 300 and Watchmen numbers, no matter how many post-Comic Con months their titles were plastered all over Sucker Punch promos. That new Superman reboot’s sure gonna suck though, huh?

Expanding to 18 more sites was Tom McCarthy’s Win-Win, which scored another $471,000 now at a total of 23 venues, and the highest per-screen average of any other film this weekend, breaching $20,000.

Elsewhere in limited release, things were relatively quiet. The only new notable work was Miral, Julian Schnabel’s drama about the struggle of a Palestinian schoolgirl midst Arab-Israeli fighting. It stars Willem Dafoe and Slumdog Millionare actress Freida Pinto, in the title role, and raked in $65,000 at four sites.

Here are the complete box office results for the top ten movies according to studio estimates Sunday-

1. 1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules…$24.4 million
2. 2. Sucker Punch…$19 million
3. 3. Limitless…$15.2 million
4. 4. The Lincoln Lawyer…$11 million
5. 5. Rango…$9.8 million
6. 6. Battle: Los Angeles…$7.6 million
7. 7. Paul…$7.5 milllion
8. 8. Red Riding Hood…$4.3 million
9. 9. The Adjustment Bureau…$4.2 million
10. 10. Mars Needs Moms…$2.2 million