Box Office: "Limitless" Returns, Limited Hits
Monday, March 21, 2011 at 12:08PM Yes, yes... we're irregular about box office reportage. It's a Battle New York staying regular-like about these things. Bear with us. (Updated to reflect tiny adjustments of actual grosses)
WIDE TOP TEN
top hits of the 600+ screen count club.
01 Limitless $18.9 new
Most reports suggest that this is an "okay" debut in a weak frame despite hitting #1 and having a stronger per screen average by a couple thousand from its closest competitors. Does that mean that Bradley Cooper is only half-fuckable? That he's a walk-of-shame type that you'll feel guilty about afterwards? Or that there were just too many arrogant blonde leading men types fighting for your dollars (#1,#3,#4... it's a blonde multiplex invasion.)
02 Rango $15.0 (cumulative: $92.3)
This'll be the top grosser of 2011 any second now saving us the embarrassment of Just Go With It holding that honor.
03 Battle Los Angeles $14.5 (cumulative: $60.5)
04 The Lincoln Lawyer $13.2 new
05 Paul $13.0 new
06 Red Riding Hood $7.1 (cumulative: $25.8)
07 The Adjustment Bureau $5.7 (cumulative: 48.6)
08 Mars Needs Moms $5.3 (cumulative: $15.4)
09 Beastly $3.1 (cumulative: $22.1)
10 Hall Pass $2.5 (cumulative: $39.5)
But the "Top o' the Charts" only tell such a small part of each week's stories. How about Jane Eyre and the like..
LIMITED TOP TEN
On less than 600 screens -- not including former wide releases that are on the fade.
01. Cedar Rapids $.5 (cumulative $5.4 on 462 screens)
02. Jane Eyre $.4 (cumulative $.7 on 26 screens)
Jane and Mr. Rochester are still packing them in big city arthouses, tripling any per screen average within the actual top ten. But when you're playing at so few screens it's still hard to rack up a gross equal to your buzz. Will Focus wait a long time to expand this on lose the buzz? These things are always tricky and the men in capes and tights (i.e. summer season) are right around the corner, generally sucking up every last bit of media oxygen. If so many of last year's Oscar movies can huddle around the $100 million mark, there's no reason why this movie shouldn't be at least a minor hit. We shall see.
03. Of Gods and Men $.2 (cumulative $1.6 on 94 screens)
04. Win Win $.1 new on 5 screens
After The Station Agent and The Visitor, writer/director Thomas McCarthy may well be three for three, critically speaking. Will this drama with Paul Giamatti as a wrestling coach also be as popular as his other movies with specialty crowds. The Station Agent won $5.7 in its US run plus a SAG nomination and The Visitor managed $9.4 million and an Oscar nod for lead actor Richard Jenkins. Thomas McCarthy was Oscar-nominated for co-writing Pixar's Up, but he break out soon in a larger way with so much goodwill behind him?
McCarthy and Binoche in limited release
05. Barney's Version $.1 (cumulative $3.8 on 114 screens)
06. Kill the Irishman $.1 new on 21 screens
07. Certified Copy $.1 (cumulative $.2 on 23 screens)
Abbas Kiarostami's engaging and provocative two-hander is opening and expanding like a French-language mirror of Jane Eyre though it isn't faring quite as well with only $237,000 so far. Hopefully it'll catch on with sophisticated moviegoers. Cross your fingers that this catches on at least as well as Michael Haneke's Caché which played for months in arthouses and racked up well over 3 million before hitting DVD. I bring up that film, also starring Juliette Binoche (what a filmography she's built) because though they're very very different films each is hugely rewarding: impressive filmmaking, hours of post-movie conversation fodder, and another chance to enjoy Juliette Binoche's mysterious magic and always moving tears.
08. The Grace Card $.1 (cumulative $2.1 on 114 screens)
09. Biutiful $.09 (cumulative $4.6 on 89 screens)
10. The Music Never Stopped $.08 new on 32 screens
WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
In other words: Whose economy did you support?
I tried to give Kiarostami & Binoche some money but ended up throwing it Verbinski & Depp's way (like they needed it post Pirates) for Rango. Blame the clock.
Reader Comments (17)
I'm crossing my fingers for Thomas McCarthy Oscar Breakthrough, he deserves it.
Nate, Battle LA is not a new release, it's in the second weekend.
How I come I kept thinking that he got a nomination for The Visitor's screenplay? Damn, I was certain of that...
Sadly I watched Battle Los Angeles. As my father says, it was "bastante regular", or quite run-of-the-mill.
Zizo -- oopsie. typos. have fixed. thanks.
Robert -- i thought so too! i always forget it was for "UP' and not the visitor.
Pedro -- that's what i keep hearing which is sad because i was all set to enjoy Eckhart in something like that front and center.
I supported both the big and the little economies yesterday. Saw Certified Copy and Lincoln Lawyer and they both delivered what they promised. Can't believe I payed to see a Matthew McConaughey movie and it was pretty solid.
Juliette Binoche has approached that "I'll see anything she's in, no questions asked" category for me.
I saw Limitless, which was completely ridiculous but not a total waste of a late Saturday night. I really want to see Ava DuVernay's I Will Follow, but it isn't showing in my area. I've been waiting on that one for a while and Ebert's rave was the icing on the cake for me, it's so rare that a film like that even gets made let alone finds an appreciative audience.
I saw Paul and HappyThankYouMorePlease this weekend. Both were good enough. I wished the latter had more humor though.
Due to some last-minute work-related stuff, I only got to two movies this past weekend. "Certified Copy" was really good...I loved Binoche, as usual, and William Shimell reminded me of a British George Clooney. This is one to see again!
And then...I had to go see "Gnomeo & Juliet." What I was thinking, I don't know. At any rate, it was cute for the first little while, but then got awfully old awfully fast. I was actually thinking about walking out near the end...and I NEVER walk out of movies.
i saw cedar rapids and the lincoln lawyer
Cedar Rapids was fun. Give it a try.
Lincoln Laywer was solid but I was hoping to see Marisa Tomei to save the court room like My Cousin Vinny or at least to see her pretty face more.
I wasn't expecting Binoche being THIS great, specially after people saying her award in Cannes should have gone to Manville or Jeung-hie.
It's Binoche's greatest performance to date, I think, a slam dunk.
Just Go With It wasn't that bad.
thefilmjunkie -- yeah i should find that one too. it's probably here but i haven't noticed.
davinci -- but for #1 of the year? i mean really?
cal -- i'm waiting for a second viewing to determine how amazing she is in it but she's in the amazing vicinity all right.
Dying to see Certified Copy sometime soon. Give me an amazing performance by Binoche and I'm very happy. With every passing standout film, she's slowly becoming one of my all-time faves.
Saw Jane Eyre this weekend, it was about a B- for me. I wished Sally Hawkins had a bigger role but Dario Marianelli's music, the casting of those striking young children and Jamie Bell's gorgeous windblown paleness were some immediate highlights. Fassy was very good but it made me long for his other roster of movies coming last this year.
LOL @ Mars Needs Mom's awful intake. Please just stop making those creepy movies, Zemeckis and Co!
I like Bradley Cooper but I'm not seeing or paying for his movie. TRY HARDER COOP.
I am resisting Rango as long as I can. It just looks so UGLY. Also talking animals + westerns + Pirates re-team after the last two movies = NO.
"Should've happened already" re: Thomas McCarthy -- should've broken through with an Original Screenplay nod for The Station Agent back in 03. Like, DUH, Academy.
Amazing @ the Fassbender buck. What does that buy you here at The Film Experience? An awesome personalized screencap of Anne Heche in Birth? ;)
Saw "The Lincoln Lawyer" on Friday. Matthew McConaughey's best performance in YEARS. See it.
Well . . . considering what's been released thus far mainstream-wise ... it kind of makes sense that a decent Adam Sandler vehicle has been #1 pre-Rango . . .
Mark -- i think 3 personalized screencaps, easy.
Mikhael -- i was watching part of that "someone like you" movie with hugh jackman and ashley judd the other day and there again was marisa tomei being way way better than she has any reason to be. It's almost like the movies don't deserve her at all. stranger yet is that she's a hot respected actress that even the public likes and yet Hollywood barely seems to notice her.
True to that. I mean, did Hollywood see her dancing in The Wrestler? She’s a freaking Oscar winner and she’s a way better and hotter actress than Jennifer Aniston.
While I was watching Cyrus, I couldn’t stop imagining if I were his son instead of Jonah Hill.
I can’t wait for Crazy Stupid Love at least to get my combo dose of Julianne Moore and her.
Plus there is Ryan Gosling doing comedy.