Box Office

Dejana · April 6, 2014

A topic about the money that movies make, in the US and all over the world. Here are the weekend's numbers:

April 4–6, 2014 Estimates:

1 (N) Captain America: The Winter Soldier, $96,200,000
2 (1) Noah, $17,000,000 | $72,341,000
3 (2) Divergent, $13,000,000 | $114,029,000
4 (5) God's Not Dead, $7,726,000 | $32,520,000
5 (6) The Grand Budapest Hotel, $6,300,000 | $33,380,000
6 (3) Muppets Most Wanted, $6,285,000 | $42,142,000
7 (4) Mr. Peabody & Sherman, $5,300,000 | $102,202,000
8 (7) Sabotage, $1,908,000 | $8,767,000
9 (8) Need for Speed, $1,836,000 | $40,839,000
10 (10) Non-Stop, $1,827,000 | $88,138,000

In Limited Release:

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $698.4M Overseas Total | $1.097B Global Total
THE LEGO MOVIE: $160M Overseas Total | $410.6M Global Total
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER: $207.1M Overseas Total | $303.3M Global Total
300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE: $220.7M Overseas Total | $324.7M Global Total
MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN: $137.3M Overseas Total | $239.5M Global Total
NEED FOR SPEED: $143.7M Overseas Total | $184.5M Global Total
NON-STOP: $90.2M Overseas Total | $178.3M Global Total
NOAH: $106.2M Overseas Total | $178M Global Total
DIVERGENT: $22.4M Overseas Total | $136.6M Global Total
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: $54.3M Overseas Total | $87.7M Global Total
MUPPETS MOST WANTED: $10.1M Overseas Total (10 Territories) | $52.2M Global Total

Milburn Stone · May 3, 2014

I am always astonished to find out how much money certain movies don't make, especially when they are by "name" directors, star well-known actors, and come from major studios. For instance, how much money do you think the very funny 2006 movie Idiocracy made (written and directed by Mike Judge, starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph and Terry Crews, and released by 20th Century Fox)? I'm talking total domestic gross in its theatrical release. If you guessed $439,000, bingo.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Milburn Stone

Dejana · May 4, 2014

Some movies have a greater influence than their box office would indicate, especially over time. In many cases a movie is watched by the right people who write about movies and it makes them seem more popular than they were initially. A movie can be ahead of its time and get discovered once it's hit the home market or cable.

May 2–4, 2014 Estimates:

1 (N) The Amazing Spider-Man 2, $92,000,000

2 (1) The Other Woman, $14,200,000 | $47,345,000
3 (3) Heaven is for Real, $8,700,000 | $65,600,000
4 (2) Captain America: The Winter Soldier, $7,762,000 | $237,143,000
5 (4) Rio 2, $7,600,000 | $106,470,000
6 (5) Brick Mansions, $3,545,000 | $15,482,000
7 (9) Divergent, $2,175,000 | $142,662,000

8 (7) The Quiet Ones, $2,000,000 | $6,761,000
9 (11) God's Not Dead, $1,769,000 | $55,564,000
10 (13) The Grand Budapest Hotel, $1,735,000 | $51,506,000

Outside the Top 10:

NOAH: $880,000 | 929 Locations | $947 Avg. | $99,005,000
FADING GIGOLO: $508,000 | 110 Locations | $4,618 Avg. | $1,150,000
BELLE: $105,000 | 4 Locations | $26,250 Avg. | $105,000
IDA: $50,000 | 3 Locations | $16,667 Avg. | $50,000

WALK OF SHAME: $38,000 | 51 Locations | $745 Avg. | $38,000

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $786.9M Overseas Total | $1.169B Global Total

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER: $442.7M Overseas Total | $679.8M Global Total

RIO 2: $289.1M Overseas Total | $395.6M Global Total

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2: $277M Overseas Total | $369M Global Total

NOAH: $233.4M Overseas Total | $332.4M Global Total

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN: $158.2M Overseas Total | $266.7M Global Total

DIVERGENT: $107.6M Overseas Total | $250.2M Global Total

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: $89.1M Overseas Total | $140.6M Global Total

THE OTHER WOMAN: $45.8M Overseas Total | $93.1M Global Total

Edited May 4, 2014 by Dejana

methodwriter85 · June 7, 2014

Including it's 8.2 million haul Thursday night, The Fault in Our Stars opened to 26.1 million. Not bad for a movie that was made for 12 million!

Dejana · June 8, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars is an easy #1 but shows signs of massive frontloading, cooling off considerably on Saturday. Still, it cost $12 million, so the studio has to be pretty happy. WB has to be a little more concerned about Edge of Tomorrow, with its $178M budget. They'll have to hope it's huge overseas and bucks this year's trend of big budget movies with weak box office legs.

June 6–8, 2014 Estimates:

1 (N) The Fault in our Stars, $48,200,000

2 (1) Maleficent, $33,523,000 | $127,370,000
3 (N) Edge of Tomorrow, $29,105,000
4 (2) X-Men: Days of Future Past, $14,700,000 | $189,101,000
5 (3) A Million Ways to Die in the West, $7,189,000 | $30,088,000
6 (4) Godzilla (2014), $5,950,000 | $185,043,000
7 (6) Neighbors, $5,201,000 | $137,801,000
8 (5) Blended, $4,050,000 | $36,509,000
9 (9) Chef, $2,600,000 | $10,362,000
10 (8) Million Dollar Arm, $1,822,000 | $31,347,000

Outside the Top 10:

HOLIDAY (2014): $413,000 | 144 Locations | $2,868 Avg. | $413,000

IDA: $227,000 | 87 Locations | $2,609 Avg. | $1,287,000

OBVIOUS CHILD: $81,000 | 3 Locations | $27,000 Avg. | $81,000

THE LUNCHBOX: $52,600 | 46 Locations | $1,143 Avg. | $4,052,700

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $844.4M Overseas Total | $1.245B Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $422.1M Overseas Total | $611.2M Global Total

RIO 2: $343M Overseas Total | $468.6M Global Total

GODZILLA: $208.7M Overseas Total | $393.7M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $208.1M Overseas Total | $335.4M Global Total

NEIGHBORS: $85.6M Overseas Total | $223.4M Global Total

THE OTHER WOMAN: $95.3M Overseas Total | $177.5M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $111M Overseas Total | $140.1M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $17M Overseas Total | $65.2M Global Total

A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST: $20M Overseas Total | $50.1M Global Total

Mars477 · June 9, 2014

It's a travesty that the cancer movie beat out Edge of Tomorrow in the NA box office. We have a brilliantly executed, original science fiction blockbuster with a kickass female lead that's also utterly hilarious and poignant at the proper beats, and nobody watches it. This is why we can't have nice things, America!

Now watch shit like Transformers 4 have a $60 million opening weekend.

Joe · June 9, 2014

We just had Godzilla and X-Men. While I saw Edge of Tomorrow, I felt a bit actioned-out. Even though I'm a fan of scifi-action. Perhaps other people felt like that beforehand. Also, it isn't entirely original, it's based on a book. And position 3 isn't exactly no one watching it.

Lonesome Rhodes · June 9, 2014

I'd much rather know how many full-price tickets were sold. That is a much better metric than gross dollars.

Oh well, we always think the latest and greatest is the bestest ever regardless the context.

When is the last time you saw daily lines for two solid weeks, or more, as were there for Jaws and the original Star Wars? Yes, there are more screens now. But, real sustained passion or even hysteria? Maybe one of the Batman movies?

So much has changed with the advent of personal computing.

Danny Franks · June 9, 2014

It's a travesty that the cancer movie beat out Edge of Tomorrow in the NA box office. We have a brilliantly executed, original science fiction blockbuster with a kickass female lead that's also utterly hilarious and poignant at the proper beats, and nobody watches it. This is why we can't have nice things, America!

Now watch shit like Transformers 4 have a $60 million opening weekend.

Yeah, don't worry. The next empty franchise movie, or another remake of something that was good in the 80s will solve all the problems. The fact that original scifi consistently tanks on the big screen, while crap flourishes, really depresses me.

Having said that, I don't think Tom Cruise can have helped the movie at all. I know I've had second thoughts about seeing it, because of his presence. But the reviews have been uniformly good enough, and I like Emily Blunt enough, that I'm going to see it anyway.

Dejana · June 9, 2014

If Edge of Tomorrow is humorous in any way, its ads/trailers failed to showcase that side of the movie. It just looked...not radically different from Oblivion, Source Code, and some sort of grim sci-fi Groundhog Day. The reviews for The Fault in Our Stars were very positive, too, but its studio did an infinitely better job selling it to its target audience, and there hasn't been a romantic or teen drama in a while.

I wouldn't mind having admissions data, too, but movies make studios money, and the dollar amounts sound more impressive. In ticket sales, a movie like God's Not Dead might seem more successful than it was in dollars, because it played better in areas with lower ticket prices, or sold more tickets at group rates. The studios would rather have a movie that sold the same number of tickets at NY/LA prices. If movies in IMAX or 3D make more money, studios are going to greenlight more movies like that. Maybe tickets for kids' movies cost less, but studios make up for that with 3D surcharges. Live-action children's films probably aren't such a big thing these days in general because there is more money to be made now in animation.

Edited June 9, 2014 by Dejana

ribboninthesky1 · June 9, 2014

We just had Godzilla and X-Men. While I saw Edge of Tomorrow, I felt a bit actioned-out. Even though I'm a fan of scifi-action. Perhaps other people felt like that beforehand. Also, it isn't entirely original, it's based on a book. And position 3 isn't exactly no one watching it.

It's possible that people were actioned out. Thankfully, the last recent action film I saw was Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I wasn't a fan, and it was long ago enough for me not to be overwhelmed. I'm not a fan of science fiction cinema in any way, but I loved it. Glad I that saw it. It's a shame that it may be drowned out in the midst of the better-known, more bombastic films of the season.

I'm usually ambivalent about marketing, because sometimes I feel like everything is given away for the audience draw. I appreciated not knowing a whole lot about the film going in. I think it helped with pure enjoyment and investment. Perhaps good buzz will get more movie-goers in seats, though I remember reading on TWOP that studios get the largest percentage of profit out of the opening weekend (which is what I assume all of the advertising is about). Doug Liman also directed The Bourne Identity, which I don't recall much buzz at the time of release. I thought it was one of those well-crafted films that got good word of mouth as well. But that was several years ago, and my memory may not be reliable.

Dejana · June 9, 2014

It's possible that people were actioned out. Thankfully, the last recent action film I saw was Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I wasn't a fan, and it was long ago enough for me not to be overwhelmed. I'm not a fan of science fiction cinema in any way, but I loved it. Glad I that saw it. It's a shame that it may be drowned out in the midst of the better-known, more bombastic films of the season.

I'm usually ambivalent about marketing, because sometimes I feel like everything is given away for the audience draw. I appreciated not knowing a whole lot about the film going in. I think it helped with pure enjoyment and investment. Perhaps good buzz will get more movie-goers in seats, though I remember reading on TWOP that studios get the largest percentage of profit out of the opening weekend (which is what I assume all of the advertising is about). Doug Liman also directed The Bourne Identity, which I don't recall much buzz at the time of release. I thought it was one of those well-crafted films that got good word of mouth as well. But that was several years ago, and my memory may not be reliable.

I feel that there can be a way to convey what a movie is about or how it's about, if that makes sense, without completely spoiling it in the ads/trailers. I was really surprised to see the reviews and comments from people who'd seen Edge of Tomorrow, that it had all this humor and wasn't so different in tone from the 2009 Star Trek. Marketing is an easy scapegoat when films do poorly, but the ads didn't make EoT seem anything like that.

Oscar bait might live or die by reviews, but when you're a $170+ million action flick starring Tom Cruise, marketing has to be a big part of getting people into theaters. It's like WB knew in advance that word-of-mouth would sink Godzilla, once audiences actually saw it, so they spent all their marketing muscle trying to get it a big opening weekend, and just didn't have any energy left to consider the best way to promote EoT. Frozen obscured that it was a Disney princess musical at first and marketed the goofy snowman heavily, hoping to get boys to watch it, too, but once it opened really well and word of mouth took off, there was an advertising shift to highlight the songs and sisterhood angles more heavily. It just seems much riskier to rely on that sort of strategy when a movie isn't exactly the first action/sci-fi option out of the block for the season.

The Bourne Identity had a $27.1M opening weekend and finished with $121.6M. Box office runs were leggier in 2002 and Matt Damon headlining an action movie back then was more of an unknown quality, so there wasn't a rush factor. I think Americans need more convincing these days about Tom Cruise outside the Mission: Impossible franchise, compared to audiences elsewhere, and the ad campaign fell down on the job. But if the world of mouth is really good, maybe EoT will buck the big-budget 2014 movie trend of not holding well in subsequent weeks.

ribboninthesky1 · June 9, 2014

I've not read all of the buzz around Edge of Tomorrow, but I'd disagree that it's similar in tone to 2009's Star Trek. Matter of perception, and all that. Part of the appeal of the film (for me) is that the first half or so turns Tom Cruise's persona on its head, and I'm not even sure how you could market for that. Especially for those who don't like Cruise or don't take him seriously. I feel like no matter how it was marketed, those who dislike the guy wouldn't be interested because he was in it. Not saying that's wrong, because there are certainly actors that put me off a film.

Godzilla didn't have a Tom Cruise headlining it, and if did, I have a feeling it would have impacted domestic ticket sales, even opening weekend. And I think your point about Frozen and The Bourne Identity is what I'm getting at - sometimes, movies have to get by on word of mouth rather than marketing. And given that the film is an original story in the sense that it's not based on a fairy tale, comic book, and some other well-known US pop culture phenomenon, I just don't know why the studio would spend a ton of money on marketing and promotion. It's no secret that Tom Cruise's reputation in the US has taken a significant hit, so other than not casting him to begin with, I'm not sure what else the studio could have done. I think audiences are a lot more cynical than in the past, so I often question how effective any original, particularly science fiction, film can be in advertising. I think it's a weakness of the genre, at least in the U.S.

Dejana · June 10, 2014

Tom Cruise isn't the draw he used to be but there aren't many of his movies post-2006 where I feel that his presence held them back from making more money stateside. Maybe if they'd had Will Smith (before everyone got sick of him for trying to make his kids celebrities). Jack Reacher, perhaps, if they'd a guy who really looked the part, but it could've come and gone with a whimper like The Punisher or Dredd. Some people avoid his movies now, but his presence still gives them more attention than they might get otherwise. His movies may not reach the monetary heights of his glory days, but they tend to have a floor and at most disappoint at the box office more than outright belly flop. I don't count things like Lion for Lambs (obviously busted Oscar bait) or supporting turns like Rock of Ages (carried on the charisma of Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta), which probably would've tanked anyway.

Even if you adjust The Bourne Identity's budget to 2014 dollars it comes out to about $80 million, which wouldn't pay for half of Edge of Tomorrow. Something like Frozen earns money on its soundtrack and merchandise and the ice/stage show potential. Perhaps Hollywood should start budgeting more wisely so that a movie doesn't have to have a gigantic opening weekend or make $500 million worldwide (not specifically EoT but in general) for the studio not to land in the red. I feel that if these hugely budgeted movies with hard-to-sell-to-the-general-public concepts starred someone besides white males that the studio purse strings would tighten up really quickly, but that's another post for another time...

ribboninthesky1 · June 10, 2014

I feel that if these hugely budgeted movies with hard-to-sell-to-the-general-public concepts starred someone besides white males that the studio purse strings would tighten up really quickly, but that's another post for another time...

No arguments from me on that account, though it's unlikely to change.

As for movie budgets, I don't think they'll get any smaller, especially when they have a fair share of special effects. I'm not sure at what point a studio considers a movie profitable. Do they look at domestic only? How many weeks it plays well at the box office? It'll be interesting to see how Edge of Tomorrow fares in the coming weeks.

Mars477 · June 10, 2014

The worst case scenario is that EoT fails and that turns studios off of original Science fiction entirely. This will only hasten the system's inevitable collapse, since there is only so far you can reboot Spider-Man, exploit more and more obscure Marvel properties, and make sequels of sequels of sequels before you hit fatigue and diminishing returns.

methodwriter85 · June 10, 2014

I'm thrilled Fault in Our Stars had such a great opening. I loved the book, and the movie did so well in capturing the tone and feel of the book. Shailene and Ansel were absolute magic.

ribboninthesky1 · June 10, 2014

The worst case scenario is that EoT fails and that turns studios off of original Science fiction entirely. This will only hasten the system's inevitable collapse, since there is only so far you can reboot Spider-Man, exploit more and more obscure Marvel properties, and make sequels of sequels of sequels before you hit fatigue and diminishing returns.

Heh, I thought we were already down that path, at least in the US market.

Edited June 11, 2014 by ribboninthesky1

Rick Kitchen · June 11, 2014

Turning Ant Man into a comedy is not going to help matters with the decline of SF films.

Dejana · June 11, 2014

All this talk of sci-fi films tanking reminds me of the debates that would flare up about Gravity on box office forums. It's a fictional story set in space about the human condition—that's the very definition of a science fiction movie! No, real sci-fi is more futuristic and speculative! And on and on. The movie was a success, of course: $274M domestically and $716.3M worldwide on a $100M budget.

Edited June 11, 2014 by Dejana

xaxat · June 11, 2014

io9 article on the possibility that fatigue has set in for the Chinese market with respect to American blockbusters.

A new report says that Chinese audiences are growing tired of the repetitive nature of imported films, which bodes poorly for Hollywood's penchant for sequels, remakes, and special effects-driven blockbusters.
While China's box office is growing at a rapid rate — 2013 was up 27.5% from 2012 — the majority of that money is going to homegrown Chinese films and not American imports. Chinese films grossed 2.06 billion of the box office in 2013, which is up 54.3 percent over 2012 and makes up 58.6 percent of the total. Imports, on the other hand, only saw 2.3% growth — the lowest since 2007.

It's not just the Chinese. I'm definitely getting tired of super hero movies. I probably saw all of them in the theater (Marvel and DC) until The Amazing Spiderman. I realized I wasn't interested in seeing a story that I had basically seen a few years prior. Now it's hit and miss for me.

I'll be interested in seeing what the new Transformers does. It will probably make a shitload of money, but that's a franchise that feels totally exhausted, Wahlberg and dinosaur transformers notwithstanding.

Dejana · June 15, 2014

June 13–15, 2014 Estimates:

1 (N) 22 Jump Street, $60,000,000
2 (N) How to Train Your Dragon 2, $50,000,000
3 (2) Maleficent, $19,008,000 | $163,525,000
4 (3) Edge of Tomorrow, $16,175,000 | $56,649,000
5 (1) The Fault in Our Stars, $15,725,000 | $81,700,000
6 (4) X-Men: Days of Future Past, $9,500,000 | $205,940,000
7 (6) Godzilla (2014), $3,155,000 | $191,301,000
8 (5) A Million Ways to Die in the West, $3,077,000 | $38,937,000
9 (7) Neighbors, $2,484,000 | $143,137,000
10 (9) Chef, $2,276,000 | $14,076,000

Outside the Top 10:

ALONE YET NOT ALONE: $462,000 | 103 Locations | $4,485 Avg. | $596,000

THE GRAND SEDUCTION: $276,000 | 104 Locations | $2,654 Avg. | $1,284,000

THE SIGNAL: $146,000 | 120 Locations | $1,217 Avg. | $146,000

THE ROVER: $70,000 | 5 Locations | $14,000 Avg. | $70,000

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $852M Overseas Total | $1.252B Global Total

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2: $501.9M Overseas Total | $700.3M Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $457.6M Overseas Total | $663.5M Global Total

RIO 2: $344.6M Overseas Total | $471.2M Global Total

GODZILLA (2014): $248.3M Overseas Total | $439.6M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $272.9M Overseas Total | $436.4M Global Total

NOAH: $251M Overseas Total | $352.1M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $181M Overseas Total | $237.6M Global Total

THE OTHER WOMAN: $97.5M Overseas Total | $180.2M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $39.3M Overseas Total | $121.6M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $20.6M Overseas Total | $80.6M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $26.5M Overseas Total | $76.5M Global Total

Edited June 16, 2014 by Dejana

Rick Kitchen · June 15, 2014

Wow, The Fault in Our Stars fell quickly.

Dejana · June 17, 2014

Some of the studio estimates were a little generous (by nearly $3 million in the case of 22 Jump Street). The worst estimate in terms being off from the real amount that I can recall was for Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones, whose actual opening weekend of $80 million was considerably lower than the $86.1 million reported on Sunday morning for all the media outlets. If a studio can hit a nice round number or beat some sort of existing record with an...optimistic estimate, they just might go for it. They'll get all the positive PR and by the time the real numbers are out, the news cycle, more often than not, has moved on. Sometimes rival studios will call foul if an estimate seems too far off from reality and if the top movie changes from estimates to the actual numbers, that usually gets a bit of coverage.

June 13–15, 2014 Final Numbers:

1. 22 Jump Street, $57,071,445
2. How to Train Your Dragon 2, $49,451,322
3. Maleficent, $18,504,997 | $163,021,529
4. Edge of Tomorrow, $16,527,215 | $57,001,698
5. The Fault in Our Stars, $14,791,933 | $80,767,200
6. X-Men: Days of Future Past, $9,816,449 | $206,256,610
7. Godzilla (2014), $3,311,185 | $191,457,194
8. A Million Ways to Die in the West, $3,246,400 | $37,107,020

9. Neighbors, $2,369,250 | $143,022,215
10. Chef, $2,187,526 | $13,987,981

11. Blended, $1,739,108 | $40,387,337
12. The Amazing Spider-Man 2, $953,927 | $198,386,221
13. Million Dollar Arm, $804,423 | $33,471,302
14. Alone Yet Not Alone, $534,626 | $668,172
15. Belle, $510,282 | $8,569,624
16. Rio 2, $415,628 | $126,666,670
17. Words and Pictures, $394,064 | $1,065,352
18. Divergent, $382,468 | $149,621,275
19. Heaven is for Real, $334,518 | $89,402,432
20. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, $274,842 | $256,334,467

Edited June 17, 2014 by Dejana

Danny Franks · June 19, 2014

The worst case scenario is that EoT fails and that turns studios off of original Science fiction entirely. This will only hasten the system's inevitable collapse, since there is only so far you can reboot Spider-Man, exploit more and more obscure Marvel properties, and make sequels of sequels of sequels before you hit fatigue and diminishing returns.

That's generally my main fear, with movies like Dredd, Pacific Rim and Edge of Tomorrow. If the audience isn't big enough, then it will naturally start to turn studios off original scifi scripts and projects. Rather than looking at them and trying to figure out why they weren't huge successes (marketing, casting, just bad scripts or direction, bad reviews, whatever), I think studios would be more likely to just pass on ideas they might otherwise think were good.

And then they'd remake The Abyss or something.

The more Hollywood homogenises into just a few different types of movie, the less they're going to attract a diverse audience. There are only so many costume dramas or gangster movies anyone can watch. You need as big a variety as possible.

All this talk of sci-fi films tanking reminds me of the debates that would flare up about Gravity on box office forums. It's a fictional story set in space about the human condition—that's the very definition of a science fiction movie! No, real sci-fi is more futuristic and speculative! And on and on. The movie was a success, of course: $274M domestically and $716.3M worldwide on a $100M budget.

I would say that Gravity is science fact, rather than science fiction. To me, science fiction needs to have fantastical, speculative elements to it that make it, in some way, otherworldly. I think it needs more than just, 'this story takes place in space'. Gravity is a very good movie about the real dangers of very localised spaceflight. It's more comparable to Apollo 13, in my view, than it is to Star Trek.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Danny Franks

Dejana · June 22, 2014

June 20–22, 2014 Estimates:

Outside the Top 10:

THE ROVER: $500,000 | 599 Theaters | $835 Avg. | $590,000

IDA: $254,000 | 125 Theaters | $2,032 Avg. | $2,051,000

VENUS IN FUR: $26,200 | 2 Theaters | $13,100 Avg. | $26,200

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $858.4M Overseas Total | $1.259B Global Total (#1 in Japan for 15 weeks)

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $475.2M Overseas Total | $692M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $335.6M Overseas Total | $521.5M Global Total

GODZILLA: $282.4M Overseas Total | $477.3M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $218.3M Overseas Total | $292.8M Global Total

NEIGHBORS: $92.3M Overseas Total | $238M Global Total

THE OTHER WOMAN: $100.8M Overseas Total | $183.8M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $76.3M Overseas Total | $171.4M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $64.6M Overseas Total | $163.3M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $38.2M Overseas Total | $149.6M Global Total

Edited June 23, 2014 by Dejana

xaxat · June 22, 2014

Kevin Hart really benefits from some smart scheduling. Despite the relatively modest totals, his movies are now consistent contenders to win the weekend.

Dejana · June 23, 2014

Kevin Hart really benefits from some smart scheduling. Despite the relatively modest totals, his movies are now consistent contenders to win the weekend.

Honestly, Think Like A Man Too probably would've done better if it hadn't been the third Kevin Hart comedy this year (one had some of his TLAM2 co-stars as well). It opened smaller than the first one ($33.6 million). The trailers made the sequel seem like less of an ensemble, and more The Kevin Hart Show, than the first, plus the plot screamed "lazy cash grab".

Edited June 23, 2014 by Dejana

Dejana · June 24, 2014

Shailene Woodley is having a good year:

Divergent passes $150 million.

The Fault in Our Stars crossed the $100 million mark yesterday.

Ansel Elgort, too, though he's more of a supporting player in Divergent.

Dejana · June 29, 2014

If the Transformers estimate holds, it will be the first $100 million opener in 2014. The franchise has a bit of history with convenient accounting (see note at end of page) to hit certain box office milestones, so it may actually stick the landing.

June 27–29, 2014 Estimates:

Outside the Top 10:

Obvious Child: $556,000 | 196 Theaters | $2,837 Avg. | $1,285,000

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: $320,000 | 274 Theaters | $1,168 Avg. | $200,183,000

Snowpiercer: $162,100 | 8 Theaters | $20,263 Avg. | $162,100

Begin Again: $148,000 | 5 Theaters | $29,600 Avg. | $148,000

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $863M Overseas Total | $1.263B Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $491.2M Overseas Total | $714.5M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $383.7M Overseas Total | $585.5M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $234.5M Overseas Total | $318.6M Global Total

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION: $201.3M Overseas Total | $301.3M Global Total ($90M just from China)

NEIGHBORS: $95.3M Overseas Total | $242.5M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $107.3M Overseas Total | $229.1M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $85.7M Overseas Total | $195.2M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $54.2M Overseas Total | $194M Global Total

Edited June 29, 2014 by Dejana

AimingforYoko · June 29, 2014

As I said after the last installment, we are never getting rid of Michael Bay.

Rick Kitchen · June 29, 2014

I see six Michael Bay productions on his imdb page, which are filming or in post- or pre-production. No, he's going to be around a while.

Dejana · June 30, 2014

With the actual numbers, Transformers: Age of Extinction does indeed become the first $100M opener of 2014...or does it? Gitesh Pandya, who runs long-running site Box Office Guru (the weekly archives go back to mid-1996!) is one of many box office watchers calling foul:

Gitesh Pandya @giteshpandya · 2h

Paramount claims opening wknd on #Transformers #AgeOfExtinction was $100,038,390. Other studios tell me it was really $98M.

Gitesh Pandya @giteshpandya · 2h

Truth is, studios can report whatever #s they want to media. But journalists shd cut thru PR BS & find the real truth.

Gitesh Pandya @giteshpandya · 2h

How Paramount's #Transformers daily actuals changed from estimates: FRI +$268k, SAT +$285k, SUN -$514k.

Here's an article on Yahoo. The vast majority of domestic theaters are part of a tracking system that sends real-time data to Rentrak (not totally different from Soundscan with music sales), so box office can't be completely fabricated out of thin air, otherwise no studio/star would ever have a flop movie. The theater chains would also speak up if the studio tried claiming that After Earth, for example, was this $200 million sensation, when the reality was a large amount of empty seats.

However, not every theater is part of the system, and there can be a certain amount of leeway in which box office is considered domestic vs. international, like when you're dealing with the Caribbean or certain US territories. The numbers reported for the national (US) box office also include Canada, but Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands can be considered overseas...unless you need your movie to hit a certain milestone ($100M, $200M, etc.). Then those theaters can go back into the domestic column for a week or two. As long as the money isn't counted twice, the other studios will generally look the other way (because a time might come when they'll try similar accounting tricks).

Another move is taking a bit of money from a film that's been in theaters for a few weeks or already and shifting it to the new release to boost its fortunes, or vice versa, when a movie has been out for months suddenly gets over a major milestone the same weekend that studio releases a new blockbuster—Disney pushes the 300-400 drive ins still around to show the new Pirates of the Caribbean as a double-feature with Tangled, which pushes the latter above $200 million in its 26th week of release. Transformers seems to be Paramount's only big release now, so they probably didn't goose the box office that way.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Dejana

xaxat · July 1, 2014

I think it's interesting that Transformers did so well in China. I posted a link above to an article speculating that the Chinese were becoming tired of American blockbusters. I wonder if this result is just the power of Bayhem, or were those concerns premature?

Dejana · July 1, 2014

I think it's interesting that Transformers did so well in China. I posted a link above to an article speculating that the Chinese were becoming tired of American blockbusters. I wonder if this result is just the power of Bayhem, or were those concerns premature?

The latest Transformers was designed to play well in China:

From the start, the $200 million “Age of Extinction” was envisioned as a global blockbuster, with a clear intent to score big in the People's Republic.

The studio, Di Bonaventura Productions and Hasbro brought on CCTV's China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises as co-producers. Chinese star Li Bingbing was cast in a key role and the film was shot in Hong Kong and Shanghai and features national landmarks as the Great Wall and well-known skyscrapers as its backdrops. Director Bay and star Mark Wahlberg spent a lot of time in China before and after the film's world premiere there.

Still, some of the locals thought the product placement was a bit much. The movie has a good shot at making more in China than it will domestically.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Dejana

Dejana · July 6, 2014

July 4–6, 2014 Estimates:

Snowpiercer, $999,000 | 250 Theaters | $3,996 Avg. | $1,502,000

Obvious Child, $383,000 | 202 Theaters | $1,896 Avg. | $1,942,000

Belle, $190,000 | 123 Theaters | $1,545 Avg. | $10,000,200

The Rover, $10,700 | 21 Theaters | $510 Avg. | $1,019,400

Global Totals:

FROZEN: $867.1M Overseas Total | $1.267B Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $497.6M Overseas Total | $724.6M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $416.3M Overseas Total | $630.2M Global Total

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION: $400.9M Overseas Total | $577.7M Global Total ($212.8M from China)

RIO 2: $354.7M Overseas Total | $483.5M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $248.6M Overseas Total | $339.4M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $153.2M Overseas Total | $294.4M Global Total

NEIGHBORS: $99.7M Overseas Total | $247.7M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $69.7M Overseas Total | $228.9M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $104.2M Overseas Total | $220M Global Total

Edited July 6, 2014 by Dejana

xaxat · July 7, 2014

Doesn't the Fourth of July typically feature the opening of a blockbuster over the long weekend? Does anyone know why that wasn't the case this year?

Dejana · July 7, 2014

Doesn't the Fourth of July typically feature the opening of a blockbuster over the long weekend? Does anyone know why that wasn't the case this year?

Normally, yes and this is one of the least-attended July 4th weekends since the mid-eighties. At one point Maleficent was scheduled to open on July 2 but it was moved up because of major delays with The Good Dinosaur, a Pixar film Disney had planned to release on May 30 (a date the Angelina Jolie movie ended up taking). Fast & Furious 7 was also supposed to be a July opener, but was pushed back after Paul Walker's death. The second and third Transformers movies opened the last week of June, just like this one, but they just made a lot more money than Age of Extinction will.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Dejana

Dejana · July 13, 2014

July 11–13, 2014 Estimates:

Outside the Top 10:

America (2014), $2,450,000 | 1,105 Theaters | $2,217 Avg. | $8,268,000

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, $401,000 | 101 Theaters | $3,970 Avg. | $401,000

Boyhood, $359,000 | 5 Theaters | $71,800 Avg. | $359,000

Obvious Child, $239,000 | 134 Theaters | $1,784 Avg. | $2,365,000

Ida, $145,000 | 85 Theaters | $1,706 Avg. | $3,117,000

Belle, $135,000 | 107 Theaters | $1,262 Avg. | $10,247,000

Global Totals:

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION: $543.5M Overseas Total | $752.5M Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $504.3M Overseas Total | $733.4M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $447M Overseas Total | $668.9M Global Total

RIO 2: $360M Overseas Total | $489.6M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $198.8M Overseas Total | $350.9M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $256M Overseas Total | $350.5M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $81.7M Overseas Total | $253.6M Global Total

NEIGHBORS: $103.2M Overseas Total | $251.8M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $118.4M Overseas Total | $237.9M Global Total

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: $31.3M Overseas Total | $104.1M Global Total

Transformers: Age of Extinction has made more in China ($262.6 million) than any 2014 movie has in the US this year (the current domestic #1 is Captain America: The Winter Soldier at $258M).

Edited July 13, 2014 by Dejana

Dejana · July 20, 2014

July 18–20, 2014 Estimates:

Outside the Top 10:

Boyhood, $1,198,000 | 33 Theaters | $36,303 Avg. | $1,848,000

Chef, $1,129,000 | 552 Theaters | $2,045 Avg. | $25,941,000

Persecuted, $959,000 | 736 Theaters | $1,303 Avg. | $959,000

Wish I Was Here, $495,000 | 68 Theaters | $7,279 Avg. | $495,000

Global Totals:

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION: $659.1M Overseas Total | $886.2M Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $507.9M Overseas Total | $738.3M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $468.8M Overseas Total | $697.2M Global Total

RIO 2: $362.1M Overseas Total | $492.3M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $225.5M Overseas Total | $386.1M Global Total

EDGE OF TOMORROW: $261.3M Overseas Total | $357.9M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $88.3M Overseas Total | $268.8M Global Total

NEIGHBORS: $105.4M Overseas Total | $254.5M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $127.9M Overseas Total | $249.4M Global Total

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: $102.9M Overseas Total | $241.8M Global Total

JERSEY BOYS: $12.2M Overseas Total | $56.6M Global Total

Edited July 20, 2014 by Dejana

Rick Kitchen · July 20, 2014

What happened to Dinesh D'Souza's America? It wasn't in very many theaters, but it was doing good money per screen.

Dejana · July 20, 2014

What happened to Dinesh D'Souza's America? It wasn't in very many theaters, but it was doing good money per screen.

It finished twelfth this week:

12 (12) America (2014), $1,725,000 | 1,030 Theaters | $1,675 Avg. | $11,469,000

Dejana · July 27, 2014

July 25–27, 2014 Estimates:

Outside the Top 10:

Boyhood, $1,725,000 | 107 Theaters | $16,121 Avg. | $4,126,000

The Fluffy Movie, $1,314,000 | 432 Theaters | $3,042 Avg. | $1,314,000

Wish I Was Here, $1,110,000 | 625 Theaters | $1,776 Avg. | $1,835,000

America (2014), $875,000 | 760 Theaters | $1,151 Avg. | $13,214,000

Magic in the Moonlight, $426,000 | 17 Theaters | $25,059 Avg. | $426,000

Global Totals:

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION: $730M Overseas Total | $963.3M Global Total

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: $510.3M Overseas Total | $741.5M Global Total

MALEFICENT: $482.9M Overseas Total | $715M Global Total

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2: $260.1M Overseas Total | $425.7M Global Total

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: $183.8M Overseas Total | $355.8M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $92.5M Overseas Total | $278.8M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $134.9M Overseas Total | $257.5M Global Total

NEIGHBORS: $107.3M Overseas Total | $256.8M Global Total

HERCULES: $28.7M Overseas Total | $57.7M Global Total

PLANES: FIRE AND RESCUE: $21M Overseas Total | $56.1M Global Total

SEX TAPE: $10.2M Overseas Total | $36.6M Global Total

Edited July 27, 2014 by Dejana

methodwriter85 · July 27, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars has made close to the global total of Divergent at a fraction of the budget. Whoever betted on the former won pretty damn big there.

Edited July 27, 2014 by methodwriter85

AimingforYoko · July 27, 2014

So Lucy trounces Hercules. Is it that Scarlett Johansson is a bigger star than the Rock? Or is it that Lucy is a better movie?(It is.) Or as Grandpa Simpson would say, a little from Column A and a little from Column B?

Rick Kitchen · July 27, 2014

I think it might be because Hercules is just rehashed stuff, at least Lucy looks new from the previews.

Dejana · July 27, 2014

There was already a Hercules movie this year (The Legend of Hercules). The new one has already made more but perhaps there's not a huge market for Hercules movies at the moment. Hercules and Lucy aren't that far apart on Rotten Tomatoes (both hovering around the rotten/fresh line).

Dejana · August 3, 2014

August 1–3, 2014 Estimates:

Outside the Top 10:

Boyhood, $2,522,000 | 311 Theaters | $8,109 Avg. | $7,566,000

Magic in the Moonlight, $770,000 | 65 Theaters | $11,846 Avg. | $1,353,000

Wish I Was Here, $614,000 | 753 Theaters | $815 Avg. | $3,058,000

The Fluffy Movie, $530,000 | 432 Theaters | $1,227 Avg. | $2,370,000

Snowpiercer, $110,000 | 100 Theaters | $1,100 Avg. | $4,139,000

Calvary, $72,800 | 4 Theaters | $18,200 Avg. | $72,800

Global Totals:

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION: $763.8M Overseas Total | $1.049B Global Total

GODZILLA: $307.3M Overseas Total | $507.4M Global Total

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: $260M Overseas Total | $449.3M Global Total

22 JUMP STREET: $101.4M Overseas Total | $289.8M Global Total

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: $140M Overseas Total | $263.3M Global Total

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: $66.4M Overseas Total | $160.4M Global Total

HERCULES: $56.5M Overseas Total | $108.7M Global Total

THE PURGE: ANARCHY: $19.3M Overseas Total | $101.6M Global Total

PLANES: FIRE AND RESCUE: $30M Overseas Total | $77.6M Global Total

SEX TAPE: $17.8M Overseas Total | $51.7M Global Total

Edited August 3, 2014 by Dejana

xaxat · August 3, 2014

Wow, Marvel really can do not wrong. I thought a combination of super hero fatigue and movies featuring more obscure characters would slow down the machine, but I was clearly wrong.

Snowpiercer is making almost as much from video on demand as it is at the box office.

Rick Kitchen · August 3, 2014

It would be nice if they would open Snowpiercer somewhere, anywhere, near where I live.

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