Monday, July 29, 2013

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'The Wolverine' Attacks Top Spot Despite Weaker X-Men Franchise Opening




















There was no surprise that The Wolverine would claw its way to the top spot at the box office this weekend, however the standalone mutant film starring Hugh Jackman debuted weaker than every other X-Men film in the franchise with the exception of the first film from 2000.

The Wolverine transports adamantium-clawed superhero halfway around the globe to Japan to reunite with an industrial tycoon whose life he saved during World War II. Despite being based on a popular 80's X-Men arc, a $55 million opening for The Wolverine is startling for a franchise that has boasted higher numbers in the past.   

Last week's top film, The Conjuring and previous two-week champion Despicable Me 2 continued to hold strong in the face of competition. The James Wan scare fest closes in on a successful $100 million run, while Illumination Entertainment's animated spy flick became to second film of 2013 to cross $300 million domestically.


Note: These #'s are based on Sunday's projections and can change with Monday's actual #'s 

#1 The Wolverine (NR)
$55.0 million / $55.0 million total

Over the course of six films in the franchise, X-Men films tended to debut either in the $50 million or $80 million range. Opening up to a semi-successful $55 million start, The Wolverine is the weakest opener for the franchise since the original film from 2000. With Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel breaking box office records earlier in the summer, The Wolverine was simply lost in the shuffle with its late July release.  

#2 The Conjuring (1)
$22.1 million / $83.9 million total

Typically horror films plummet over 60% in their sophomore frame, however James Wan's The Conjuring dropped a shocking 47 percent with another $22 million added to its $84 million 10-day cume. Positive word-of-mouth will be sending the demonic horror flick over the century mark by the end of next weekend. 

#3 Despicable Me 2 (2)
$16.0 million / $306.4 million total

2013 finally has itself another blockbuster that crossed the $300 million milestone. After 25 days of release, Despicable Me 2 joins superhero juggernaut Iron Man 3 as the second movie to do so this year and is only the sixth animated film in history joining: Shrek 2, The Lion King, Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo and Shrek the Third.  

#4 Turbo (3)
$13.3 million / $55.8 million total

While Illumination Entertainment is celebrating their triple century success this weekend with Despicable Me 2, DreamWorks Animation continue to propel their super fast snail to a potential $100 million run. In its second frame, Turbo dropped a respectable 37 percent, bringing its 12-day-cume to nearly $56 million. While Turbo didn't immediately bolt out of the gate for its release, it's a positive sign that legs that starting to show.

#5 Grown Ups 2 (4)
$11.5 million / $101.7 million total

Adam Sandler failed wow the critics with his fart jokes and juvenile humor in Grown Ups 2, but the sequel to successful 2010 comedy still managed to break $100 million over the weekend giving the comedian his 14th film to do so. Grown Ups 2 will still fall short of the $160 million finish of the original.   

Opening Next Week: The Smurfs 2 (Wednesday), 2 Guns

SOURCE: Box Office Mojo

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