Box Office: Princess Merida, Bear Hunter
Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 4:41PM Princess Merida's aim was true, hitting the Pixar bullseye this weekend. $60 million plus means BRAVE can stand proudly with the studio's most successful opening weekends. Some worried that Pixar's first female lead might not prove nearly as big of an immediate draw as cars, toys and boy robots... forgetting that Princesses have never exactly hurt parent co's Disney's box office tallies. Abraham Lincoln's box office aim was messier but then axes can miss their mark and still do bloody damage.
TOP TEN PRIDE WEEKEND
01 BRAVE new $66.7
02 MADAGASCAR 3 $20.2 (cum. $157.5)
03 ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER new $16.5
04 PROMETHEUS $10 (cum. $108.5) Oscar Chances?
05 ROCK OF AGES $8 (cum. $28.7) Review
06 SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN $8 (cum $137.1) Review
07 THAT'S MY BOY $7.9 (cum $28.1)
08 THE AVENGERS $7 (cum $598.3) Review
09 MIB 3 $5.6 (cum. $163.3)
10 SEEKING A FRIEND AT THE END OF THE WORLD new $3.8
Talking Points: To Rome With Love was strangely timid about its opening weekend given the renewed Woody Allen love post Midnight in Paris but had a strong per screen average anyway. Had it opened wider it surely would have outperformed Seeking a Friend... which couldn't find an audience; Moonrise Kingdom continues to be a strong performer in limited release just outside the top ten; Two months into its run The Avengers is finally losing screens but should cross the astounding $600 million mark by Tuesday, only the third film in history to do so (when not adjusted for inflation).
Regarding The Avengers. Given the screen loss it'll be tough to pass Titanic to claim the all time #2 spot -- another $60 million is required. I was just at brunch at Harlem's Red Rooster and a little tiny barely verbal boy at the next table was veritably surrounded by superheroes -- Thor lunch box to the left of him, Spider-Man backpack to the right of him, as he excitedly pointed at an ancient comic book in glass behind him in the restaurant's wall of historic memorabilia. They indoctrinate them young into Marvel Mania. When he's a teenager he'll be buying opening weekend tickets to The Avengers holographic reboot (2025)
What did you see this weekend?
Or is your weekend still raging? If so, Happy Pride!
Reader Comments (16)
I saw Madonna live in concert. Still can't get over it. I love that woman!
Saw Dark Shadows. Enjoyed it, though I think the movie puts itself very limiting boundaries (maybe it''s because of the original material), so somehow it never takes off completely.
Enjoyed Pfeiffer looking hungry for a meatier role as the protective matriarch, and even though I got tired of Depp's shtick two Pirates ago, I must say he still can make some bad jokes look funny, which is proof of his talent.
Saw 2 Days in New York. Chris Rock is utterly believable and fanciable as a romantic lead. Delpy' has done an inverse Midnight in Paris with French stereotypes visiting New York, but these stereotypes are a whole lot funnier.
Saw Seeking a Friend... and laughed quite a bit. Some very funny moments as well as difficult and touching moments. I think it will gain fans as time passes.
My friends were evenly split, however, on whether or not Keira Knightley's face looks weird.
I saw "Rock of Ages" which was ok if a bit long ( well the big strip club production number was horrendous ) the problem were the two juvenile leads who are to bland to carry the picture. If you have a taste for creepy horror than check out Mike Flanagan's micro budget indie "Absentia".
The Robber. Dude likes to run, but complete lack of interior life hurts the film.
Her face does look weird. Her acting is even weirder.
Saw Jiro Dreams of Sushi and it was absolutely delightful, and it made me very hungry, and also very glad that my father isn't the best sushi chef in the world.
I saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It over indulges in its style and is unevenly paced but I found it surprisingly (albeit mildly) entertaining. Wanted to see Brave and Seeking Friends At The End Of The World but I couldn't find the time (maybe I'll try to see them over the next two days or so).
Saw Brave. Brave doesn't really feel like a Pixar movie for me, but rather a Disney movie (at its best).
Also watched Nurse Betty, and while it's funny in parts. I found the whole film is so sad and depressing, but maybe it's just me.
Speaking of the first picture and the last picture, have you read this article http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/06/24/pixar-brave-gay-merida/? What do you think?
Also I'm broke so I've been watching 80's and 90's stuff like Little Drummer Girl, Dominick and Eugene (also homoerotic), and the two Babes.
Re: Keira Knightley - You all say "weird" like it's a bad thing. I like weird, better than bland.
I also saw Seeking A Friend. It really could've been a MUCH better movie than it was. The first half, had a zany energy that was very pleasant but still presented itself as a dark comedy. The second half was a bit more aimless and stagnant.
i saw and loved THE RAID
i saw and i didn't laugh in front of THE DICTATOR (but i liked Ed Norton cameo)
I saw Dark Horse, the new Todd Solondz movie. I liked it very much. The first half is what I'd imagine most people think of when they think of Solondz - a gallery of grotesques or near-grotesques squirming under the microscope - but eventually it makes a turn toward something a good deal more sad and soulful. I found it all very moving by the end. For me it was his best film in a long time.
Watched "Aliens" for the first time in ages after watching the first one and "Prometheus" recently. Man, Cameron cannot write good dialogue (except for the classic "Stay away from her, you bitch!") and there's a lot in there that connects directly to what he did in "Avatar," but it was still fun and sometimes exciting. The first one was better, though. As much as I love Weaver, I'm not sure how she got a nomination for that, but I don't know the context of that year.
Your Merida/Abe/Hulk picture is god-damn-adorable, Nathaniel!