This year more studios were willing to place films during Super Bowl weekend, even if it meant they would plummet up to 70% on game day. Chronicle and The Woman in Black were rewarded, while Big Miracle, the only film that actually tried to capture the un-Super Bowl audience, floundered. Overall, receipts were up 36% from last year, a clear sign that Super Bowl weekend no longer signals a lackluster box office.
The found-footage superhero movie Chronicle skyrocketed to first place with $22 million. The low-budget production only cost half that to make, so Fox is probably already in the green. 61% of audience members were under 25, a valued demographic that hasn't been showing up in force lately. Their presence elicited a sigh of relief for the industry as a whole.
The "Harry Potter factor" helped out The Woman in Black considerably this weekend, as it soared to an estimated $21 million. Young female viewers eager to see Harry Potter...er, Daniel Radcliffe...turned out in force for the haunted house flick. CBS Films only paid $3 million for the movie, so this definitely counts as a win for the up-and-coming distributor.
Big Miracle failed to attract audiences, earning $8.5 million and landing in fourth place, behind the second weekend of Liam Neeson-starring The Grey. However, good audience response may make the whale-saving picture a strong holder. Echoing my feelings after seeing the surprisingly charming movie, audiences gave the movie an A-, the highest score of any new release.
Madonna-directed W.E. debuted to $45,000 per screen in four locations. Her star power has given the historical romance plenty of publicity, though some journalists are probably less interested in her movie than in landing a Madonna interview. The star's Super Bowl halftime performance will increase awareness even further.
The leaders in Oscar nominations all showed strong holds. George Clooney-led The Descendants dipped 28% to $4.6 million, even while playing in just over 2,000 locations. The Artist, for which I've also seen an increase in television ads, had a gentle decline of 22% to $2.5 million, while playing in 1,000 locations. Hugo topped them all, dipping just 8% to $2.3 million.
This Friday will be busy. In advance of Valentine's Day, romantic weeper The Vow will release, fanboys can check out the re-release of Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace in 3D, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island will entice families, and Safe House adult males.
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