Showing Out

Looks like the studio gals behind Sex and the City 2 will have plenty of petty cash to throw away on a new pair of Jimmy Choos. According to THR, the sequel to the big screen adaptation of the HBO series roped in an estimated $14.2 million on Thursday, putting the film on track to surpass the $60 million mark through Monday. The original, released the same weekend in 2008, grossed $26.8 million in its opening day and earned $62.6 million during the four-day frame. “Exceeding all expectations is the best way to open any film,” Warners domestic distribution topper Dan Fellman said. “Having $14.2 million in the bank at the start of a long holiday weekend is even better.” It’s going to be a couture-filled weekend, y’all.

In spite of all the horrible reviews it’s gotten, Sex and the City 2 still had all the girls flocking to the theater in their Jimmy Choos for last night’s midnight showings. According to THR, the sequel earned a healthy $3 million from nearly 2,000 theaters during the 12:01 A.M. showings, a 20% increase over the original film’s opening midnight run. The original film, which opened exactly two years ago, earned $57 million in its first four days and $152.6 million overall domestically, which puts the sequel on an even better track for an opening gross. The Michael Patrick King-directed film, which stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, is in theaters now.

We thought that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland had already run its course, but apparently, it’s still chugging along all over the world. According to a press release from Walt Disney Studios, the film has passed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, making it the sixth film to join the list and third most popular non-sequel in motion picture history behind only Titanic and Avatar. “We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to showcase such an amazing 3-D film from visionary director Tim Burton and the creative talents of Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, and Anne Hathaway,” said Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “Our marketing teams joined with our exhibition partners to find every opportunity to bring this creative masterpiece to fans around the world.” Fortunate is a good word here, considering we still haven’t seen this.

As if this came as any surprise, this summer’s second blockbuster film scored a pretty great opening weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, Shrek Forever After landed at number one with an impressive $71,250,000 - not a bad debut for a domestic release. But on the fellow newcomer tip, MacGruber was a certified flop, coming in at number six with a measly $4,100,000 in ticket sales. While that was expected, it must be a swift kick in the junk for Lorne Michaels, who probably had higher hopes for this film (even though when, upon the announcement it was coming into theaters, everyone collectively jeered). Iron Man 2 continued strong at number two with another $26,600,000, bringing its overall cume to $251,265,000. Robin Hood dropped from two to three with $18,700,000, upping its total gross to $66,100,000, and Letters to Juliet dropped to fourth with $9,100,000. Sucks to be you, Will Forte.

Each week, Showing Out will keep you up-to-date with a post giving the rundown of all the freshly released films. Some, you might have already known about, while others - well, not so much. So without further ado, here’s a look at some of the movies that might convince you enough to brave the outside world and head to the theater this weekend.

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In its opening weekend, Iron Man 2 grossed an impressive $128 mil, and while its second week gross is less than half of that amount, it’s still going strong. According to BoxOfficeMojo, Iron Man 2 took the top position once again, grossing an estimated $53 million and upping its overall cume to $212.2 million in just 10 days. Unfortunately (though expectantly), Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood debuted in second with a lukewarm $37.1 mil, a disappointing amount considering that the budget for the film was upwards of $200 million (the movie will probably make it all back in international ticket sales and through home entertainment releases, but still - yikes!). Coming in at number three was the sappy Letters to Juliet, which roped in $13.75 mil in its opening weekend, while the Queen Latifah-starring Just Wright bowed at number four with a faint $8.5 mil. How to Train Your Dragon kept strong at number five with $5.12 mil in ticket sales, upping its cume to $207,764,000. Not bad for the animated flick, but can’t say the same for the rest of the films in theaters.

Each week, Showing Out will keep you up-to-date with a post giving the rundown of all the freshly released films. Some, you might have already known about, while others - well, not so much. So without further ado, here’s a look at some of the movies that might convince you enough to brave the outside world and head to the theater this weekend.

Read the rest of this entry »

After Avatar broke the DVD/Blu-Ray record for first day sales and moved 6.7 million in the first four days in stores, it’s broken the three week record, too. According to Reuters, the James Cameron epic has sold 19.7 million copies in the DVD and Blu-ray format in the past three weeks, more than any other film during that same period. The closest that any other film has come was The Dark Knight in 2008, which sold 16 million copies in the first three weeks. Not only is that an incredible feat, but we’re going to go ahead and do the math here. At Best Buy, the Blu-ray costs $19.99 and the DVD costs $17.99, and if you average the two at $18.99, that equates to $374,103,000 in revenue. Cot damn!

As if this came as any surprise, the big winner at the box office this weekend was none other than Iron Man 2, the sequel to box office smash. This time around, Iron Man 2 debuted at the top spot with an estimated $133.6 million, surpassing the 2008 original’s bow at number one with only $98.6 mil. It came this close to beating out The Dark Knight for the biggest opening ever, with the Batman flick roping in $158.4 million in its first three days in theaters. A Nightmare on Elm Street came in a distant second with only $9.2 mil earned, upping its overall cume to $48.5 mil, while How to Train Your Dragon kept strong at number three with $6.8 mil in ticket sales, bringing its overhaul to $201.1 mil. Not bad at all for the iron-clad superhero. We’ll put down a dime to be that next week will be deja vu.

You would think that midnight showings wouldn’t be as popular as they are, but what do we know? Last night, Iron Man 2 dominated theaters across the country, blasting into domestic cinemas with an estimated $7.5 million earned from its 12:01 A.M. showings. Opening on more than 2,500 locations, the blockbuster will continue through the weekend by expanding to more than 4,000 domestic theaters, with estimates locked in at upwards of $140 million for the film through Sunday. Though this wouldn’t break The Dark Knight’s opening record of $158.4 million in July 2008, it would put the film ahead of the first Iron Man, which bowed with a respectable $98.6 mil. Stay tuned for updates on how this film smashes the competition at this weekend’s box office.