CinemaNerdz

Weekend Box Office: The Expendables 2 Still Knocking Off the Rest

Seth Paul

They still have pull, though probably not as much as they would like…The Expendables 2 held the crown of the top draws at the box office, but at an estimated $13.5 million this week and $52.3 million in domestic success, it probably wishes it was doing much better to help offset its $100 million costs. Still, it was the only film this weekend to break into double digit earnings, which was enough to differentiate it from the rest of the pack…less than $5 million separated the second-place earner (The Bourne Legacy with an estimated $9.3 million) from tenth place (newcomer Hit and Run with an estimated $4.7 million), meaning little else, even the new movies, did much to stand out. In fact, the top four films remain in the exact same standings, with ParaNorman staying in third with an estimated $8.5 million and The Campaign with an estimated $7.4 million.

The Dark Knight Rises…well, rose a spot from sixth to fifth, though with a drop in revenue to an estimated $7.2 million. It remains the second highest-grossing film of the year domestically, but in total worldwide earnings still trails its predecessor The Dark Knight by $60 million…which might sound like poor earnings for a sequel if The Dark Knight had not earned $1 billion worldwide. Not doing so well is The Odd Life of Timothy Green, whose estimated $7.1 million puts the sentimental family film at $27.1 million in total sales, well below its $40 million budget. Still, it had a stronger start last weekend than the much better reviewed Premium Rush had for its debut this week. The “courier-on-the-run” film may be more famous for the on-set, 31-stitch injury of Joseph Gordon-Levitt than anything else, since it opened to a meager $6.3 million on a $35 million budget.

Despite its eighth-place standing, the only film that might be turning heads is 2016 Obama’s America. Although in its seventh week in theaters, the documentary opened to wide release this week to an estimated $6.2 million…well over its reported $2.5 million costs and two-thirds of its total earnings. While it falls short of the top five political documentaries of all-time (all of which were made by filmmaker Michael Moore), it is possible it could break into that spot within a week or two. In an ironic twist considering the film’s subject matter, just below 2016 Obama’s America lies Hope Springs, which made an estimated $6 million, and held off the above-mentioned newcomer Hit and Run, which landed at the bottom in both earnings and critical reception. However, it is notable that even this poor showing has already been a good one for Hit and Run, as the comedy only cost $2 million to make.

Weekend Box-Office (August 24th – August 26th)

  1. The Expendables 2…$13.5 million
  2. The Bourne Legacy…$9.3 million
  3. ParaNorman…$8.5 million
  4. The Campaign…$7.4 million
  5. The Dark Knight Rises…$7.2 million
  6. The Odd Life of Timothy Green…$7.1 million
  7. Premium Rush…$6.3 million
  8. 2016 Obama’s America…$6.2 million
  9. Hope Springs…$6 million
  10. Hit and Run…$4.7 million

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."
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