Tag: box office numbers

Jan 27, 2009
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Valkyrie

‘Valkyrie’ takes the lead at Australian box office

Cruise back on a winning patch

PROVING once and for all that we should never underestimate the popular appeal of Tom Cruise in an eyepatch, his anti-Hitler thriller Valkyrie led the box office charge over the long weekend.

The film took $2.33 million, which was just barely enough to knock off Bride Wars, which managed a healthy $2.25 million in its second week, bringing its two-week total to a hefty $7.1 million.

All other debuts did very well. Another old-timer also proved he has not lost his edge, with Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino opening at No. 3 with $2.24 million, followed closely by the vampire/werewolf epic Underworld III, which netted $1.9 million. Revolutionary Road had to settle for No. 9 with $1.02 million. Not bad, though the chemistry Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet had in Titanic isn’t quite popping the second time around.

After a meteoric rise fuelled by powerfully positive word of mouth, the arthouse favourite and Oscar hopeful Slumdog Millionaire finally seems to be levelling out. At No. 5, the film, which took $1.5 million across its sixth weekend, added another eight screens but saw its audience grow by exactly 1 per cent.

(Source: The Age)

Dec 29, 2008
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Valkyrie

Happy holiday at box office

Businesses at the nation’s shopping malls were probably grateful for the crowds of potential customers that anchor-tenant multiplexes attracted over the Christmas holiday weekend.

Attendance was reportedly up nearly 8 percent over the same weekend a year ago, as several of the top films exceeded analysts’ expectations — by a lot. “It’s a very strong finish to the year,” Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers, told the Associated Press.

Twentieth Century Fox’s Marley & Me led with an astonishing $51.7 million for the four-day holiday and $37.0 million between Friday and Sunday, according to studio estimates.

Paramount’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button came in second for the four-day weekend with about $39 million and $27.0 million for the three-day weekend.

Disney’s Bedtime Stories finished third with 38.6 million from Thursday to Sunday and $28.1 million from Friday to Sunday.

Yet another surprise was the solid ticket sales for MGM-UA’s Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise, which several analysts had predicted would bomb. Instead it raked in $30.0 million for the holiday and $21.5 million for the weekend.

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Dec 28, 2008
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General, Valkyrie

Star-Filled Releases Draw Well at Box Office

LOS ANGELES — An unusual alignment of top stars brightened Hollywood’s holiday box office as Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Adam Sandler, as well as Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson and a dog, pushed new movies to strong openings. (…)

Still, the weekend’s most significant victory may have been scored by Tom Cruise, the director Bryan Singer and the distributor MGM with their “Valkyrie,” which for the last year has been chewed over as one of the most difficult bets in the movie marketplace.

The film, in which Mr. Cruise plays a German officer who tried to kill Hitler, placed fourth for the holiday with $21.5 million in sales for the three days and about $30 million since opening on Christmas.

“We’re really happy here,” said Erik Lomis, who oversees worldwide film distribution for MGM. Mr. Lomis said the film, currently playing in about 2,700 theaters, will probably add locations this week as it capitalizes on strength in midsize markets where Mr. Cruise’s star power is helping it keep pace with films for which prospects seemed brighter. (…)

(Source: NY Times)

Dec 28, 2008
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General, Valkyrie

Box Office Guru Wrapup

Tom in Valkyrie

MGM performed a Christmas miracle this weekend. The studio took what was long considered a surefire flop anchored by a star on the decline and turned it around and into a big hit. That film, Tom Cruise’s war drama Valkyrie, debuted in fourth place with an estimated $21.5M over the weekend and a terrific $30M since its Thursday launch. Invading 2,711 venues, the thriller about a plot to assassinate Hitler averaged a sturdy $7,942.Valkyrie‘s debut was in the same vicinity as other Cruise pics like Collateral ($24.7M opening) and The Last Samurai ($24.3M) although those films opened on Fridays during non-holiday frames.

Valkyrie took advantage of a void in the marketplace and seized the opportunity. Emotional dramas like Marley and Button skewed female and Bedtime appealed more to kids leaving adult men with very few films to be excited about. Studio research showed that the PG-13 film pulled in an audience that was 55% male and 66% over 25. Backed by decent reviews, the World War II flick now has a shot at becoming yet another $100M hit for Cruise capping off a major comeback year for Suri’s old man who also delivered one of the summer’s most memorable performances with his Golden Globe-nominated turn in Tropic Thunder.

(Source: Rotten Tomatoes)