By Chris Kavan - 06/03/13 at 01:10 AM CT
After an adrenaline-fueled Memorial Day weekend, audiences sure turned down the volume with last week's film taking some big drops and the new releases posting a modest success and big disappointment. The good news is that even if some films didn't live up to expectations, compared to last year the overall box office was still up 13%. It's not going to totally save the day, but any news is good news compared to the weak start to 2013.
1) FAST & FURIOUS 6
After a blistering opening weekend, the sixth entry in the cars and crime franchise took a steep 65% drop - but that's about in line considering the massive Memorial Day take. The first place $$34.5 million still raised its domestic total to $170.3 million and it should still be able to top Fast Five's $209.8 million total. Given its substantially larger budget, however ($160 million vs. $125 million) it will probably wind up about the same as the previous film in terms of final numbers. But with a more hefty international market as well, the series isn't going anywhere.
2) NOW YOU SEE ME
The best news over the weekend was for the magic-infused crime film Now You See Me. With $28 million, the deftly-cast film exceeded expectations (by upwards of $10 million) to take second place. It turns out that a great cast and an interesting premise can compete with major blockbusters. Audiences were pretty much split by gender and age - with an overall A- cinemascore - meaning the film should have a decent run, but it probably won't have enough steam to cross the $100 million mark. Still, considering how much audiences seem to hold disdain for films starring magicians (see Burt Wonderstone's epic failure earlier in the year) - you have to hand it to the amazing cast (including the always-popular Morgan Freeman) for elevating this to the next level.
3) AFTER EARTH
On the other end of the spectrum, After Earth has to be seen as the summer's first major disappointment. In third place with $27 million, the film starring Will Smith and son Jaden landed squarely between the notorious John Carter (#30.2 million) and Battleship ($25.5 million). With a $130 million budget - all hopes of making any money are going to depend on the international market being more kind than the domestic. The movie couldn't shake the stigma of the M. Night Shyamalan curse (despite being left out of major marketing efforts) or Smith's attempt to elevate his son to a next-level action movie star. I would wholeheartedly agree with the B CinemaScore - the movie is basically bland sci-fi - there's no other way to put it. Even with two Smiths - it's going to be forgotten in a couple weeks.
4-5) STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS and EPIC
The sci-fi sequel edged ever closer to the $200 million mark, taking in $16.4 million in its third week (off 56%) to wind up with $181.1 million. The animated film Epic was in a virtual tie also posting a $16.4 million to raise its box office take to $65.1 million. Into Darkness is still trailing the original film by about $10 million domestically, but internationally it's posting a much better result meaning that it should wind up doing better overall once the final numbers are in. Epic, on the other hand, only has two weeks until Monsters University steals its thunder and it is looking like it is going to wind up behind Robots $128.2 million as Blue Sky Animation's lowest-grossing film to date.
Outside the top 10: The Hangover Part III dropped from second to sixth place (off 61.8%) with $15.9 million added to its $88.1 million total. It's not going to come anywhere close to the previous film's $250+ totals and a much more modest $120 million total is expected. It's a sad exit from such a promising franchise.
Next weekend The Internship casts Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as a dynamic duo looking to make a big splash at Google surrounded by much younger competition. Also on tap, the horror film The Purge in which a family has to fight to survive during a 12-hour period where any and all crimes are legalized. I have a feeling that Fast Six may just repeat again.
