Spider-Man 3, unsurprisingly, easily kept it’s box office crown against weak competition. However, receipts fell 60% from the first weekend, to around $60 million. This is not exactly unexpected, and more or less matches the percentile fall suffered by many big sequels, including 53% for X2: X-Men United, 54% for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, 63% for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and 67% for X-Men: The Last Stand.
However, it looks like, at least domestically, that S-M3 will squander its early lead over the first two Spider-Man films and end up making a bit less than either of them. The first weekend the third chapter was 35% ahead of the second film. After this weekend, it’s 20% ahead. Given the current rate of decrease, it should fall behind before the film leaves theaters.
However, the film is still the most successful of the three in overseas markets. In international markets, the film picked up another $84 million this weekend, with an overseas gross already of $380 million. In total, the film has already collected $622 million. Following next weekend, the film should top the international grosses of the first film ($418 million) and the second ($410). At this rate, it could finish up with a worldwide gross over the $900 million mark.
Expect S-M3 to tumble further next week with the release of Shrek 3.
The attempted counterprogrammed films released against the web-slinger this week did not fare well. Zombie sequel 28 Weeks Later came in at the number two spot, feasting upon a so-so $10 million, for an OK $4,300 per screen.
Chick flick Georgia Rule drew under $6 million (about $2,300 per screen) at the box office, and was seen by a total of 14 guys nationwide, eight of whom were gay and six of whom had girlfriends that wanted to get back at them for something. Obviously that’s a joke, but supposedly the audiences for the film were, in fact, 81% female. (!!) It’s worth remembering that the Diane Keaton-Mandy Moore film Because I Said So, which garnered simply awful reviews (a 5% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating), still brought in over $14 on its opening weekend earlier this year.
Other holdovers saw marginal slides, but partly because they hadn’t made much previously. Disturbia was only down 18%, adding about another $5 million for a $66 million domestic gross. Hot Fuzz was down 25%, adding another $1.7 million and approaching the $20 million mark. That sounds bad, but compare it to the much higher budgeted Nick Cage sci-fier Next, which has drawn under $15 million total so far and looks to add not much more to that figure.
Two new comedies bombed this week also. Hick laugher Delta Farce reaped a pathetic $1,800 per screen for $3.5 total, and the Zach Braff / Amanda Peet comedy The Ex didn’t even crack the top ten, reaping only $1.3 million and drawing a dismal $1,300 per screen. I guess Braff will be signing that Scrubs contract with some alacrity now.
