Box Office: The Slightly Mighty Thor
Monday, May 9, 2011 at 9:57AM 
Thor discovers he isn't as strong as he looksOnline coverage of weekend box office is often dry, repetitive and facty. We respond to it as we do to sports stats, with curiousity that people care so much. This week is slightly different. Thor's box office take is actually a case study in how flexible numbers are, how perception is everything. FACT: Thor did not break box office records, did less impressive numbers than many summer heroes (if you want a comparison he's slightier mightier than The Incredible Hulk or Fantastic Four but far far weaker than Iron Man -- which no one remembers that people were nervous about in terms of audience interest until the trailer arrived since history tends to rewrite itself after huge successes -- or Wolverine and such. FACT #2 Just last week, Fast Five was a bigger draw with less of a marketing push in a franchise you'd think would be weakening. Yet many online reports, or at least the headlines, were all about Thor's "super" box office weekend or how it "hammered", "smashed" and "crushed" its competition or somesuch. LESSON LEARNED: the web roots for superheroes like young children clap for fairies in Peter Pan, in a show of enthusiastic solidarity.
USELESS FACT #3 The theater I saw it in had no more than 20ish people in it. Admittedly it was a morning show and for some reason people don't go to movies in the morning (Why not? Start the day off right!) but still... opening day.
The Box Office (Actuals)
01 THOR new $65.7 [my review]
02 FAST FIVE $32.4 (cumulative $139.7)
03 JUMPING THE BROOM new $15.2
04 SOMETHING BORROWED new $13.9
05 RIO $8.5 (cumulative $115.2)
The success story of the weekend is Jumping the Broom; it's opening take was more than double its budget! FACT #3 I really wanted to see it given the Loretta Devine / Angela Bassett face off. But then I saw the trailer. Interest dwindled.
In other box office news, the new limited releases had a really difficult time: The Beaver and Last Night failed to find much of an audience despite big stars in the lead roles. If you have big stars who are typically bigger box office shouldn't you risk a wider opening with more advertisements? It seems strange that a movie starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster is going to make less than a period piece with no typically bankable names like The Conspirator (which opened much much wider). Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff, just discussed on the podcast, is also having a rough time. It's up to just $200,000. That's more than Wendy & Lucy (the previous Reichardt/Michelle Williams combo) had made at this point but the per screen average is much lower indicating it will probably not have that earlier film's very sturdy legs despite similarly ecstatic reviews. Wendy & Lucy neared the million dollar mark at the end of its long run.
What did you see over the weekend?
Jumping the Broom, Thor, box office, superheroes
Reader Comments (26)
I saw Last Night, The Beaver, and The Strange Case of Angelica this weekend. Color me surprised that the one I liked the most was The Beaver. The acting is VERY good in Last Night, but I feel like that film showed me more of one story than I needed and not enough of the other. The Strange Case of Angelica has gotten some pretty decent reviews, but I found it pretty dull and unaffecting. The Beaver is actually a pretty decent movie. I think the script is really clean, and you should know that it feels like Anton Yelchin is in more of the movie than Mel Gibson is.
I was supposed to take my mother to see "Jumping the Broom" for Mother's Day, but that plan didn't work out the way we had hoped. It has gotten much better reviews than I had originally anticipated, which does give me some hope that it is at least mildly enjoyable.
I finally saw Iron Man 2 (a worthy sequel) and Robin Hood over the weekend. Wow, I'm shocked RH did not get any nominations at the Oscars, particularly in the editing category...loved all the players in the film...Mark Strong, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, and Oscar Isaac (this guy is soooo talented and HOT!) And Russell Crowe deserved to considered for Best Actor, not for RH, but for The Next Three Days.
And I was inspired to watch The China Syndrome because of the 1979 Best Actress post several days ago...whoa...what a film! Talk about energized and edge-of-your-seat! Fonda was accomplished and believably good as a broadcast journailst...but Oscar win? No. Nomination? Yes! Jack Lemmon rocked even though some moments were borderline hammy. He had no chance beating Dustin Hoffman's star Kramer vs. Kramer performance.
And Jane with red hair looks uncannily like Amy Adams in this film!
Thor is probably on the agenda for me this week and I have Last Night in my iTunes rental queue but can't seem to get around to it. I'm trying to get ready for a trip to your neck of the woods, Nathaniel! What's the weather in NYC like in May?
Also love that cartoon Lola is in the banner! Where has Franka Potente BEEN lately?
I had a movie-less weekend. Theatre instead - Jerusalem on Broadway, don't recommend it unless you like obtuse, long plays that act IMPORTANT. Mark Rylance though was fantastic and the ensemble was mostly strong
I saw Thor on a Friday night and my theater was not full at all...still, I thought it was very funny! I enjoyed it. I don't know what's next for superheroes, but Green Lantern looks dreadful...Captain America will probably do very well because of the pro-USA spirit in the country right now. X-Men has the pedigree and the best actors, so it may have better legs than any of them.
Saw "In a Better World" and "Win Win" over the weekend. Two great films! See them ASAP. They need the support. No blockbuster crap for me!
I'm beginning to think that the audience you see a film with really affects your perception of the film. We saw a matinee of Thor, and the audience was full of 10 year old boys. It was strange looking at row after row of little round heads. They were noisy at the beginning with their snacks, but then they were utterly attentive. So I was really aware of how PG the movie was. I just thought, well it really is geared for them, not for me.
I didn't see any movies in theatres, but I re-watched Adventureland Saturday night, and I was surprised at how much I still really liked it. It's one of my favorite movies of 2009.
I saw Thor (here's my review) on Saturday night at 34th Street and the theater was so crowded there were people sitting in the aisles. I didn't see it in 3D - thanks to your suggestion not to, Nat - and I'm curious about how its numbers play out 3D versus non-3D. That is, I'm curious whether it's gotten talked up enough for enough people to be actively rejecting post-converted 3D, and if this had any effect on the money Thor made versus the number of people who saw it compared to other recent big 3D movies.
We're not even given the option. Be grateful. 3D of Thor or nothing. Small-town livin' for ya.
I did not get to go to the movies this weekend! Instead I watched 'Fish Tank', which we all know is excellent.
I finally saw Source Code which I quite liked even though I didn't understand the ending. Jake Gyllenhaal is very good and Vera Farmiga is her usual extraordinary self. My bf wants to see Last Night tonight but I've no interest in it and, thanks to the unenthusiastic reviews here and elsewhere, I'll be able to skip it with no guilt (well, a little guilt).
Holly French, New York in May is wonderful. The weather's been great so far, warm during the day and cool at night, no humidity. And try to get to as many parks as you can, the trees and flowers are absolutely gorgeous right now. This is the perfect time of year.
I saw Thor yesterday. The action sequences - while still enjoyable - weren't particularly well-shot but the story was solid and the acting pretty strong (In fact, I would say that Thor is the best acted Marvel film since X2 or Spider-Man 2). Overall, it was pretty enjoyable. It isn't as good as the first two X-Men films, Spider-Man films or the first Blade but it's better than every other Marvel movie of the last three or four years.
Saw The Green Hornet. Not half bad. Yeah, the script's a bit stupid and it REALLY didn't need to be in 3-D, but the production certainly didn't fall into the "three big traps" of modern action films: Over-editing, over-acting and under-plotting. Overall: B-.
daniel -- do you understand what even happened in that last battle on the rainbow bridge. i was discussing this with my brother last night and both of us were entirely baffled. Loki spilt his image into several images and then there was a flash of light and he was just one person again? where di the flash of light come from? did thor his something with his hammer? for a second we both thought that Odin had intervened with lightning.
very confusing action direction.
Weird of me, but I couldn't help but make 'Enchanted' comparisons to 'Thor' while I was sitting there. The fantasy/real world joke was done so much better by Amy Adams & James Marsden.
I saw "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" which turned out to be not so bad as the reviews made it out to be. Yes, it was kinda predictable, and the CGI was too obvious, but the interplay between Routh & Huntington (who are pals in real life!) was what made it memorable.
I also saw "The Pleasure of His Company" on Netflix, which was all right. Had some funny moments, and it was nice seeing Debbie Reynolds & Tab Hunter in their younger days.
peter --awwwww. she's even in the new banner :)
On Saturday, bf and myself did a film marathon that started with "A little princess", followed by "The Girl who played with Fire" and ended with "Hanna". I think I hadn't seen ALP in like a decade. It was one of those movies that I would play when I was younger in order to cheer me up, it was magical and perfect for me back then. Funny how perspectives change with time. It's still good and cute, but now I found the script to lack depth and the ending, in particular, feels rushed.
The Girl who played with Fire and Hanna were my favourites. Lisbeth Salander must be new hero, and I want to be like her. Minus the rapes and all that, of course. Hanna was a thrill! The story worked for me on so many levels, but who really stood out was Saoirse Ronan. That girl got talent, and star.
Nathaniel --It probably was Thor using his hammer to knock out the real Loki. It's my best guess as I'm already starting to forget things about the movie.
Sorry but I can't help but focus on the "going to the cinema in the morning" thing. I can't imagine *not* seeing a movie in the evening. Walking out of the cinema while the sun is still up would totally kill any kind of magic there once was. Plus, who wants to have a whole day left after seeing a movie, as if it's some kind of afterthought.
I hereby solemly vow never to go to the movies in daylight in my life!
Aw, Nat, I couldn't figure out who it was on the far right of the banner till I read these comments! I was like, I know that princess, I love that princess, but I can't place that princess! Giselle, of course! I guess I just always remember the human part of that movie much more vividly, though the animated section is a hoot.
On theater-going in the day, I'm a big fan, but it's gotta be the right film cause it sets my mood for the day. A poorly chosen noon Revolutionary Road screening ruined a lovely Saturday. It all seemed so futile!
I find it a bad sign that I have little interest in seeing Thor in theaters, when I normally see all the big comic book movies. No idea why, I'm even more excited for the probable train wreck of Green Lantern than this.
Do you read gawker, nathaniel? they had this really funny comment about Thor's box office success that totally sounded like something a TFE commenter would say or even on the TFE podcasts, plus it made me chuckle, so i decided to reprint it here:
"Who knew that an English Shakespeare dork could take the reins of a behemoth superhero explode-a-thon and make it work? Good for him! I'd kind of thought the blossoming trend of having smaller artsy directors do big, grand event movies like this was snuffed out when Ang Lee managed to make a movie about a quiet, pensive Incredible Hulk, but I guess not. I know, I know, several of Branagh's earlier films, like Henry V and Frankenstein, weren't exactly tiny, but they weren't exactly Michael Bay movies either. I say we go further down the list of indie directors and do some really against-type hiring. Think about Mike Leigh bringing us a chatty, ambiguously ended Jubilee movie, or an acerbic-yet-wistful take on Aquaman from Nicole Holofcener! They could just work."
Saw Thor...it's really good. Kind of odd that it's underperforming. The action sequences were great, albeit short...but it gets the point across that Thor is THAT much more powerful. I think it's the best superhero movie I have seen, including such films like The Dark Knight, Spider-man or X-men. Thor may not have the fanbase to support a massive box office gross, but it is among the better films to come out recently.
Oh, wow. I had never ever heard of Jumping the Broom before this. How odd!