Box Office | featured news

Hollywood blockbusters appeared poised last year to take over China’s box office, but something unexpected happened on the way to the bank: demand tapered off sharply.

The weekend was very kind to last week’s one and only new release, Oblivion. Otherwise, the charts have remained more or less static since last weekend. Oblivion did quite well in the box office, making over $38.1 million; while this is at the bottom end of its predicted range for its opening weekend gross, it’s still a respectable sum, and the film can probably expect similarly impressive numbers in later weeks.

Both of last week’s new releases did very well in the box office this weekend—even despite the arguably vast disparity in quality between the two releases. Making the top of the charts is 42, which outdid its modest expectations (even for a heartwarming based-on-a-true-story yarn), earning revenues in the ballpark (ha) of $27.2 million on its opening weekend.

...Top earnings over the weekend went to last week’s classic horror film reboot: Evil Dead, which made a tidy sum of $26 million. Next in line for revenues was G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which made another $21.1 million, for a total of $86.6 million so far.

This weekend’s box office turnout yielded a bit of a surprise for this last week’s new releases—whether or not this was a good surprise certainly depends on who you ask. What didn’t come as a surprise was the continued success of Oz: The Great and Powerful, which earned another $42.2 million over the weekend, for a tidy sum of $145 million so far.

"The Call" could near $17 million in its debut; "Oz the Great and Powerful" will again top the chart with a $42 million-plus weekend.

Oz: The Great and Powerful made the most over the weekend by far, earning just over the top of its predicted range of revenues at $80.2 million.

Though the sky’s not the limit, the opening weekend gross for “Oz the Great and Powerful” is certainly over the rainbow. Disney’s fantasy prequel earned $24.1 million Friday, and is looking at a three-day take close to $80 million. This is great news for the Mouse after last weekend’s domestically disappointing “Jack the Giant Slayer”...

Last week’s new releases did relatively well at the box office this weekend—they at least made it to the top spots on the charts, which is more than can be said for some of the groups of releases of previous weeks. Of the new releases, Jack the Giant Slayer fared the best at the theaters, making a sum of just over $28 million. Given its lukewarm reception, this is certainly a respectable showing.

Hollywood is bracing for another down weekend as new entries "21 and Over" and "Last Exorcism Part II" also turn in soft performances, while independent thriller "Phantom" is looking at one of the worst openings of all time. read more