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Posted April 22, 2013 by Seth Paul in News
 
 

Box Office Weekend: Living in Oblivion Not Such a Bad Thing

OblivionTom Cruise may have been the best thing going for the science fiction action film Oblivion, which has only been getting lukewarm critical reception, but it still took the box office weekend easily.

Costing $120 million, it made an excellent head start against its costs domestically with an estimated $38.2 million, though foreign box office has already made it a success with an additional $112 million, so anything it gets from here on out should be putting smiles on investors’ faces. 42, on the other hand, has not been released overseas yet, but it’s much lower $40 million budget has already been topped, thanks to a strong estimated $18 million haul for its second week and $54.1 million overall.

The Croods, meanwhile, has found a nice, comfy spot in third place for a second week in a row, earning an estimated $9.5 million. It is certainly good news for star Nicolas Cage, as it is his highest earning film since 2007’s National Treasure: Book of Secrets (and his third best moneymaker in his career).

Scary Movie 5 is winning no fans, falling from second to fourth and an estimated $6.3 million. It has still managed to eke out a slim profit ($22.9 million over a $20 million budget), but poor overseas box office and a major dip in revenue compared to its predecessors may finally spell the end to the critically-panned series. However, the critics may not have their say for the only slightly better reviewed G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Though it has yet to succeed domestically ($5.8 weekend estimate, $111.2 million total against a $130 million budget), foreign box office has been twice as good, bringing in $211.7 million and the potential for a third film in the series.

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The Place Beyond the Pines saw a jump in revenue and placement, placing sixth after barely making the list last weekend. Though it has spent four weeks in theaters, it saw very wide release this weekend and an estimated $4.7 million…still not enough to make it profitable just yet, but the $15 million Focus Features production has received excellent reviews and given the independent studio a likely winner. Olympus Has Fallen (weekend estimate $4.5 million) needs no proving, earning $88.8 million over a $70 million budget despite mixed reviews, nor does Evil Dead (weekend estimate $4.1 million), which has earned positive reviews and a solid $48.4 million over a $17 million budget.

Bringing up the rear, Jurassic Park 3D did well on its own terms with its $4 million estimate for the weekend bringing its totals to $38.5 million. However, it remains the lowest earning 3D live action re-release in recent years, and whether it is simple disinterest in 3D re-releases, an oversaturated market, or something else entirely remains to be seen. Oz the Great and Powerful no longer holds the sway it did seven weeks ago, but at an estimated $3 million, it was enough for the $215 million Sam Raimi-directed prequel to the beloved children’s classic to make a domestic profit, and an equally strong performance in foreign box office.

Weekend Box Office (April 19th – April 21st)

  1. Oblivion…$38.2 million
  2. 42…$18 million
  3. The Croods…$9.5 million
  4. Scary Movie 5…$6.3 million
  5. G.I. Joe: Retaliation…$5.8 million
  6. The Place Beyond the Pines…$4.7 million
  7. Olympus Has Fallen…$4.5 million
  8. Evil Dead…$4.1 million
  9. Jurassic Park 3D…$4 million
  10. Oz the Great and Powerful…$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."