Jason Bateman expresses his confusion at being in a hit movie to Will Smith, a pro at being number one.
There were two things you could count on this weekend–Hancock would win the box office and somewhere there would be a fireworks display. And the former might have been even more likely than the second.
Variety estimates that the fractured superhero film took in an estimated $107.3 million over a five and a half day period (Tuesday night previews through Sunday night). The weekend accounted for about $66 million. That’s good enough for third best July 4th opening, after Transformers and Spider-Man 2. And it’s the eighth straight Will Smith movie to open at number one. So if you need a sure thing to bet on, keep this in mind: Will Smith movie, good bet; Will Smith movie opening on July 4th, even better.
(Oh, and btw, Hancock won the international box office as well with $78.5 million. No word yet on its performance on other planets.)
Wall*E landed in second place with $33.4 million and has already broken the $100 million mark; it’s up to $128.1 million. Wanted, with its target audience busy seeing Hancock, dropped to third with $20.6 million. Get Smart was fourth with $11.1 million. Kung Fu Panda came in fifth with $7.5 million and is getting close to crossing the $200 million mark.
A couple of interesting specialty movies came out this week and did well in limited runs (they were attended by all the “We’re not seeing Hancock crowd). The Wackness played in six theaters with a $24,177 per location average. French movie Tell No One, with subtitles and everything, averaged $21,250 per location from eight theaters and Gonzo, the Hunter S. Thompson doc, averaged $19,000 from 25 locations.
So that’s that. The next big event is The Dark Knight on July 18th, and buzz is ridiculous around it. Advance ticket sales are supposed to be through the roof so that’s set to blow away a number of box office records (best opening on July 18th by a movie with three words in its title! best opening on a non-holiday summer weekend by a movie whose title rhymes with The Park Light!). This weekend, though, figures to be all about how well Hancock and Wall*E hold up, with Hellboy II coming in as a wild card.
