Box Office Breakdown:  Star Trek Beams Its Way to #1

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros, Action, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Music, Science Fiction, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Lists, New Releases,

Based on these numbers, a Star Trek sequel would seem like the logical response.

After a five-month delay, the highly-anticipated J.J. Abrams feature finally unspooled to an eager crowd. And though it didn’t outearn last weekend’s office champ, the science fiction adventure appeared to be in a galaxy far, far away.

Since it’s debut late Thursday night, Trek grossed approximately $79.2 million. (That’s nearly $3 million more than was estimated a day ago, but still $6 million less than Wolverine‘s premiere.) Around $8 million of Paramount’s haul came from IMAX ticket sales alone. (That figure bests the $6.2 million raked in by The Dark Knight last year.)

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Box Office Breakdown: Wolverine Claws Its Way to the Top

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Music, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Despite a growing list of hurdles (leaked footage, swine flu, mediocre reviews), X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved it was a force to be reckoned with last weekend. Although it failed to surpass X-Men: The Last Stand (that 2006 entry debuted at $122.9 million), the Fox feature trounced the competition with an $85.1 million open. In other words, Wolverine earned over $20 million more than the other Top Ten entries…combined.

Sitting far back in second place was Ghost of Girlfriends Past, Matthew McConaughey’s attempt to bring a little muscle into the box office. The romantic comedy, costarring Jennifer Garner, grossed $15.4 million on the weekend before Mother’s Day. (That’s less than a million more than what Made of Honor pulled in at this same time last year.) Meanwhile, last Friday’s only other wide release, Battle for Terra, raked in a disappointing $1.1 million for a 12th place finish.

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Box Office Breakdown: Audiences Drawn to Obsessed

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Documentary, Drama, Family, Musicals, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

It was a battle between two Dreamgirls stars at the box office this weekend.

After back-to-back roles in music-related dramas, Beyonce Knowles proved she could deliver without having to sing a note. Obsessed, a thriller produced for approximately $20 million, pulled in nearly $29 million for a 1st place finish. The film, also featuring two NBC stars (The Office’s Idris Elba and Heroes’ Ali Larter), more than doubled last week’s champ, 17 Again.

Meanwhile, an Academy Award winner and an Iron Man joined forces for a surprising fourth place finish. The Soloist, costarring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., didn’t even cross the $10 million mark. Although it was once considered as a pre-Oscars release, the film’s debut grossed less than last week’s nominee-filled entry, State of Play.

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Box Office Breakdown: 17 is the Lucky Number

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Animation, Drama, Horror, Music, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Zac Efron may be cute, but he’s no Hannah Montana.

This weekend the Disney veteran got a chance to prove his worth in his first starring role. And though he managed to hit #1, Efron pulled in approximately $8.6 million less than Miley Cyrus did last week. The premiere of 17 Again also opened to $18.3 million less than High School Musical 3 did last October. (Then again, those two family-friendly films were a bit more accessible with their G-ratings.)

Russell Crowe, in the meantime, had far much more to groan about. The Oscar winner found his new movie, State of Play, sandwiched in between the two tween idols. The thriller, costarring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams, earned nearly $10 million less than the age-reversal comedy for a second place finish.

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Box Office Breakdown: Another Win for Miley Cyrus

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, Lionsgate, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Animation, Drama, Family, Horror, Music, Sequels, Comedy, Thrillers, Box Office, Lists,

Miley Cyrus got a big treat in her goodie basket this weekend.

Just over a year after breaking a record for Super Bowl weekend releases, the tween idol has made waves again. The 16-year-old’s new film is now the 2nd best Easter opener ever. Hannah Montana: The Movie slowed down last week’s hot property, Fast & Furious, to win the holiday frame. Cyrus’ 2-D offering pulled in $32.3 million and earned the best first-day ever for a live-action G-rated feature.

The only other wide releases last weekend were Observe and Report and Dragonball: Evolution. Although Paul Blart debuted to a surprising $40 million, Seth Rogen’s mall comedy earned only $11 million and a fourth place-finish. (Observe did do slightly better than Zack and Miri‘s $10.1 million premiere.) Dragonball, in the meantime, barely went noticed with its $4.7 million take. That was just enough for a Top Ten appearance.

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In Theaters This Weekend: April 10, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Independent, Music, Science Fiction, Comedy, Lists, New Releases,

Here are some possible suggestions for your upcoming weekend:

• Dragonball: Evolution (PG): starring Chow Yun-Fat, Justin Chatwin, James Marsters (directed by James Wong)
• Hannah Montana: The Movie (G): starring Miley Cyrus, Emily Osment, Jason Earles (directed by Peter Chelsom)
• Observe and Report (R): starring Seth Rogen, Anna Faris, Ray Liotta (directed by Jody Hill)

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This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: February 3, 2009

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks, Disney, Sony, Weinstein Company, Adaptation, Animation, Family, Romance, Sequels, Comedy, Home Entertainment,

Here are some of the DVD and Blu-ray options available this Tuesday:

• Bottle Shock: DVD
• Clerks II: Blu-ray
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: DVD, Blu-ray (avail. on Feb. 6)
• Napoleon Dynamite: Blu-ray
• Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist: DVD, Blu-ray
• Office Space: Blu-ray
• Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous: DVD
• The Secret Life of Bees: DVD, Blu-ray
• Sideways: Blu-ray
• Space Buddies: DVD, Blu-ray
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno: DVD, Blu-ray

Click here to see the TV-on-DVD options for this week.

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