Box Office "The Help" Still Gainfully Employed.
Monday, September 5, 2011 at 12:55PM 
The stars of The Help are actually in France at the moment (Venice isn't the only festival happening as I type: Telluride and Deauville are also attracting celebrities). They've been posing with a champagne bottle. Corporate sponsorship sitch aside, they have every reason to break out the bubbly with the longest time lodged at #1 since... Inception (!!!) With a budget of only $25 million, The Help is going to prove hugely profitable for all involved. So congratulations to Tate Taylor and team.
The movie shows no signs of slowing down, dropping only 2% this week while most movies fell about 25% (everyone got a small holiday boost). It might end up outgrossing pre-sold brands like The Smurfs and god knows what other huge budgeted would-be blockbusters when it's done. Maybe that Best Picture nomination could actually happen after all. [Please note: I'll be updating all the charts on September 13th... to kick off our busy season. And given what's happening at Telluride and Venice, there's a lot of changes to be made.]
Box Office (U.S.) Baker's Dozen -actuals
01 THE HELP [review] $14.6 (cum $118.9)
02 THE DEBT new $9.9
03 APOLLO 18 new $8.7
04 SHARK NIGHT 3D new $8.3
05 RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES [articles] $7.9 (cumulative $160.1)
06 COLOMBIANA $7.4 (cum $22)
07 OUR IDIOT BROTHER [review] $5.4 (cum $15.7)
08 DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK $5.1 (cum $16.5)
09 SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD $4.8 (cum $29.2)
10 THE SMURFS $4.1 (cum $132)
11 CRAZY STUPID LOVE [thoughts] $3.3 (cum $74.5)
12 HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART TWO $2.4 (cum $374.6)
13 CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER [review] $1.9 (cum $171.6)
What did you see over the weekend?
Did you love it?
Best Picture, Oscars (11), The Help, box office
Reader Comments (9)
I'm saving all my milk money for Drive.
I saw The Whistleblower, which was just so punishing and medicinal as to be completely off putting. Noble and well intentioned, obviously, but I think I would've just rather read a good magazine article on the subject. Weisz was very good, though.
Also saw Super on blu ray - didn't care for that one either. It had its moments, but the ending is a cop out. Rainn Wilson is very good. Ellen Page is super annoying. Bla bla.
I actually have no desire to see The Help (although I probably will on Netflix at some point), but I'm nonetheless glad to hear about it's box office. I'm hoping that this film and Bridesmaids together put paid to the notion that "women can't open a movie." (Or the notion "general -i.e. "white" - audiences won't go to see a movie featuring black women".)
Probably not, though. Hollywood execs (and the public in general) have such short attention spans. Every once in a while, every decade since the 1980's, a movie headed by women or at least appealing to a largely female audience becomes a huge or at least surprise success, (Titanic, Room with a View, Sister Act, etc); and everyone acts terribly surprised for a few months, then go right back to green-lighting testosterone driven projects.
I didn't see anything this weekend, btw. I can't remember the last time I was inside a movie theater. (Australia? Star Trek the reboot? Avatar?)
Janice -- it's not just every once in awhile. It's quite regularly. But they never notice. Almost every summer has some huge hit starring a woman and yet the summer remains for the boys (mostly). AND GET THEE TO A MOVIE THEATER. ARE YOU CRAZY? ;)
/3rtfull -- wise choice.
Who would have predicted that in a year when the world seems about to collapse financially, people would spend their few bucks watching the latest Woody Allen or Viola Davis in a non-escapist story? Let's hope Viola Davis becomes a recognizable name for big audiences so she gets some power to lead more projects.
In other local news, The Skin I Iive in is Almodóvar's second biggest opening. €1,2 in 280 screens.
I saw 30 minutes or Less on Friday. It wasn't a great film but it was the funniest comedy I saw this summer. Admittedly, though, none of the comedies I saw this summer left much of an impact on me.
Good weekend to be Jessica Chastain.
//AND GET THEE TO A MOVIE THEATER. ARE YOU CRAZY? ;)//
No, just unemployed (and without a car, to boot, so where ever I go has to be on the bus line, but the buses don't run after a certain hour, so it's impossible to even get to a movie theater without twisting the S.O.'s arm to go as well...You get the idea. I'd love to be in NYC - even if I can't afford to live there - and be able to just walk or hop on the subway etc to go to any theater in the city.)
Janice -- i understand actually believe me. Once very recently i had to turn around and go back home when heading ot a movie because i realized i was out of money. Horrible feeling.