The Agency's Posts

'Dark Knight Rises': Christopher Nolan opens up about Bane choice: There’s nothing sentimental or soft about Gotham City, and that seems to suit....
Read More>

'Dragon Tattoo's' Rooney Mara on fans expectations: David Fincher's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" doesn't hit theaters until Dec.....
Read More>

Holiday music:All the stars and more..: The late, great Hunter S. Thompson once said, “When the going gets weird,the weird turn....
Read More>

SAG Awards: The Weinstein Co. leads the studio race: With "The Artist," "My Week With Marilyn" and "The Iron Lady,"....
Read More>

'Bridesmaids' cast learned to roll with the laughs: Bring up the year's surprise hit comedy "Bridesmaids" and most moviegoers think....
Read More>

The Hulk. The Avengers. Discuss..: The Hulk will appear in his third feature film next year whenOscar-nominatedactor Mark....
Read More>

Really? The Claim: Coffee Can Prevent Some Medications From Working: THE FACTS For many Americans, the thought of a morning without coffee is unbearable. More....
Read More>

Capturing a Tradition, Blow by Blow: THE big, bald man at the end of the bar extended a huge hand and introduced himself as the....
Read More>

Live review: Sting at the Wiltern: Stinghas long been a card-carrying member of rock’s aristocracy, so even turning up....
Read More>

Album review: Amy Winehouse's 'Lioness': “Why did God take the homie? I can’t stand it,” raps Nas on “Like....
Read More>

Grammy nominations concert on CBS tries to find its rhythm: 'Grammy Nominations Concert Live,' in its fourth year, airs Wednesday on CBS with Lady Gaga,....
Read More>

Photographer Lindsay McCrum documents 'Chicks With Guns': The title "Chicks with Guns" evokes visions of Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane or a....
Read More>
Box Office: 'Dolphin Tale,' two other holdovers beat four new films
Posted on: 10/03/11
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

Four new movies debuted at the box office this weekend, but it was "Dolphin Tale" that swam to the front of the pack.

The 3-D family film, which has been in theaters for two weeks, was one of three holdovers to maintain strong ticket sales this weekend. "Dolphin Tale" took the No. 1 spot with $14.2 million, raising its domestic total to $37.5 million, according to distributor Warner Bros. It was followed by the baseball drama "Moneyball," which raked in $12.5 million and now has grossed $38.5 million. A 3-D version of 1994's "The Lion King," which took the top spot at the box office for the last two weekends, came in third with $11.1 million. The animated re-release has now collected $79.7 million.

Of the films that opened in theaters this weekend, the Christian drama "Courageous" got off to the strongest start. The ultra-low-budget film played in at least 1,000 fewer theaters than any of the other new releases but still sold $8.8 million worth of tickets. "50/50," a comedy about cancer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen, also made a decent $8.8 million, while the far more costly supernatural thriller "Dream House" brought in a disappointing $8.2 million. The Anna Faris romantic comedy "What's Your Number?" flopped with a paltry $5.6 million.

"Courageous," made by sibling minister-filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, had a budget of only $2 million. The movie, about four police officers who look to religion when affected by a tragedy, had a budget of only $2 million. The film was produced by Affirm Films, the Sony division that acquires works with religious themes.

Audiences who saw the movie loved it, giving it an average grade of A+, according to market research firm CinemaScore. "Courageous" is only the fourth movie this year to earn a perfect grade, joining "The Help" and two other movies that resonated faith-based audiences, "Soul Surfer" and "Dolphin Tale." It was an older crowd that went to see "Courageous" this weekend, with 77% of the audience over 25.

The movie got off to an even better start than "Fireproof," the Kendricks' 2008 film featuring "Growing Pains" star Kirk Cameron as a firefighter struggling to keep his marriage together. That movie, also inexpensive to produce, opened to $6.8 million and ultimately collected $33.5 million worldwide.

"50/50" was produced by Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures for about $8 million, so its financial backers may ultimately end up in OK shape. Still, the movie came in on the lower end of industry expectations, as pre-release audience surveys had indicated the film would start off with about $12 million.

The film, about a 25-year-old who relies on his best friend when diagnosed with cancer, could make up some ground in the coming weeks if it benefits from strong word of mouth. Indeed, those who saw the well-reviewed movie this weekend liked it a lot, giving it an average grade of A-. Summit had been hoping that young males who are fans of Rogen would buy tickets to the picture, but the audience skewed slightly more female and 65% of the crowd was over the age of 25.

"Dream House" stars Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz as a couple who move into a haunted home. The film, distributed by Universal Pictures, was not inexpensive to produce: It was financed by Morgan Creek Production for about $50 million.

Though the movie features respected actors and was directed by six-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan, the picture was not screened for critics before its release. That's a sign that a studio is nervous about how a movie will be received -- rightly so in this case. As of Sunday morning, the film had earned the worst reviews of any of the weekend's new debuts with a dismal 5% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences didn't hate it as much as critics, though, assigning the film an average grade of B.

"What's Your Number?" is being distributed by 20th Century Fox but was produced by New Regency Pictures for about $20 million. The film, about a single woman who frets over the number of men she has slept with, was seen mostly by older women this weekend. -- 63% of the crowd was female and over the age of 25. Audiences gave the movie a grade of B.

Faris' latest movie opening falls far behind that of her 2008 comedy "The House Bunny." That movie, in which the actress played a ditzy sorority house leader, opened to $14.5 million and ultimately collected $70.4 million worldwide.

COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal