Aliens gone mild: "MIB 3" tiptoes into summer.
Here’s what we’ve got:
1. Men in Black 3 3D (Columbia/Sony) NEW [4,248 Theaters] PG13
Friday $17.9M, Saturday $19.4M
3-Day Weekend $55M, 4-Day Holiday $70M
2. Marvel’s The Avengers 3D (Disney) Week 4 [3,918 Theaters] PG13
Friday $9.6M, Saturday $14.1M
3-Day Weekend $36.9M, 4-Day Holiday $48.5M, Cume $523.8M
3. Battleship (Universal) Week 2 [3,702 Theaters] PG13
Friday $3.0M (-65%), Saturday $4.1M
3-Day Weekend $10.7M, 4-Day Holiday $13.3M, Cume $44.2M
4. The Dictator (Paramount) Week 2 [3,014 Theaters] R
Friday $2.7M (-51%), Saturday $3.3M
3-Day Weekend $9.6M, 4-Day Holiday $11.5M, Cume $43.3M
5. Chernobyl Diaries (Alcon/Warner Bros) NEW [2,433Â Theaters] R
Friday $3.5M, Saturday $2.3M
3-Day Weekend $8.0M, 4-Day Holiday $9.2M
6. Dark Shadows 3D (Warner Bros) Week 3 [3,404 Theaters] PG13
Friday $2.0M, Saturday $2.8M
3-Day Weekend $7.5M, 4-Day Holiday $9.4M
[Numbers courtesy of Deadline; I included "Dark Shadows" because it's may flip with "Chernoby Diaries" by the time this is all over.]
The good news for Sony Pictures is that “Men in Black 3″ is number one at the box office, finally taking down “The Avengers.” The bad news is that the $70 million is a far cry from the $85-90 million people had been projecting. That’s not great for any aspiring summer blockbuster, but it’s particularly bad when you consider that “MIB 3″ cost at least $225 million (according to Sony) but more likely close to $300 million (according to everyone else). Right now the other good news Sony is trumpeting is that the film is doing pretty well overseas–but again, that’s pretty well, not fantastic. This isn’t like last year when “Pirates of the Caribbean 4″ had a barely okay opening in the US then earned hundreds of millions on top of hundreds of millions worldwide. It’s more like, “MIB 3″ was number one in a few places but lagged behind “Battleship” and “John Carter’s” openings in others.
Deadline says that the underperformance of “MIB 3″ has the industry in a tizzy, as it’s the latest in a series of disappointments early in this summer season. Everyone in Hollywood is frantic: “What’s wrong?! Why didn’t anyone go to see ‘Battleship’? Why did ‘Dark Shadows’ flop? What’s wrong with audiences? Is it the Internet? Is it video games?” It’s so simple it makes you want to cry: Dear Hollywood–even five year olds thought “Battleship” sounded dumb. “Dark Shadows” didn’t have a big enough fan base to carry it and by the way, it wasn’t a spring movie. No one asked for a “Men in Black” sequel. Why did so many people go to see “The Avengers?” They heard it was good. Come on, it’s not that difficult.
As for the other new release, “Chernobyl Diaries” not only didn’t make money, but it got a D+ Cinemascore, so forget any word of mouth bounce there.
With all that in mind, let’s just move on. Next week! “Snow White and the Huntsman.” And “Piranha 3DD.” Wow, now that’s an interesting test case. “Snow White,” I mean, not “Piranha 3DD.” I’m looking forward to seeing how the second “Snow White” fares…
