0
Posted January 20, 2013 by Seth Paul in News
 
 

Box Office Weekend: Ghost Over Guns and Mama is the Big Winner

MamaWith Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first starring role on the big screen since his political career ended (not including his ensemble role in The Expendables 2) and a noir thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe, the top draw was…a PG-13 rated ghost story? Yes, with a cast and crew whose biggest name is Gullermo del Toro as an executive producer, Mama led the box office, with an estimated $28.1 million, already making the $15 million production a success. Broken City, on the other hand, got a rough start with numerous poor reviews and fifth place on the list, scoring only an estimated $9 million, well below its $35 million costs. Still, it can be readily assumed it did much better than the new Schwarzenegger vehicle, The Last Stand, whose mixed reviews did not turn in box office success as it debuted in last place with an estimated $6.3 million. Needless to say, with a budget estimated between $30-$45 million, the big guy has not brought in the numbers he once did.

Zero Dark Thirty was unable to hold the top spot despite its Oscar buzz, but its second-place finish did not fare poorly either, with an estimated $17.6 million still enough to give the film strong numbers in its fifth week. Silver Linings Playbook, on the other hand, got an advertising boost and the box office to match, the ten week veteran landing in the top three for the first time with an estimated $11.4 million. Gangster Squad weathered its poor reviews well enough, but the estimated $9.1 million it earned this weekend still puts it in the “struggling” category as it will most likely fail to earn back its $60 million price tag.

A Haunted House had the biggest drop, falling to sixth with an estimated $8.3 million, but the poorly reviewed parody flick has still made good on its investment, with a domestic haul of $30 million over its $2.5 million costs making the genre still viable financially (if not critically). It even topped the critically acclaimed Django Unchained, though the estimated $8.2 million it made this weekend is hardly a showstopper, as Quentin Tarantino’s epic of violent revenge has already made $138.4 million. Nor should Les Misérables be concerned, as its estimated $7.8 million belies its $130.4 million domestic take. And finally, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey held just above the bottom of the list with an estimated $6.4 million, but of the last big hits of 2012 to remain on the top ten it remains the strongest, with a domestic take of $287.3 million and a worldwide box office of $895.4 million.

Weekend Box Office (January 18th – January 20th)

  1. Mama…$28.1 million
  2. Zero Dark Thirty…$17.6 million
  3. Silver Linings Playbook…$11.4 million
  4. Gangster Squad…$9.1 million
  5. Broken City…$9 million
  6. A Haunted House…$8.3 million
  7. Django Unchained…$8.2 million
  8. Les Misérables…$7.8 million
  9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey…$6.4 million
  10. The Last Stand…$6.3 million
Seth Paul

Seth Paul

When not failing to write novels and screenplays, box-office guru Seth writes humorous comedy tracks for films under the name "The One Man Band" that can be found at Rifftrax.com. Although, he has recently succeeded in writing the novella "Jack Alan and the Case of the Not-Exactly Rocket Scientists," available as an eBook on Amazon. He is also the English voice of Zak in "Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space."