CinemaNerdz

Weekend Box-Office: The Hunger Games Can’t Be Stopped…On Top for Four Straight Weeks!

Seth Paul

Oscar Wilde wrote that life imitates art…that certainly seems to be the case, since The Hunger Games is bound and determined to destroy any and all competition. For four straight weeks it has remained the box office champ despite the typical decline of revenue, its estimated $21.5 million is still more than enough to hold off the debuts of the Farrelly Brothers’ The Three Stooges (estimated $17.1 million) and The Cabin in the Woods (estimated $14.9 million). The Hunger Games has done very well on its $78 million budget here and abroad, earning a worldwide total of $531 million, $337 million of that domestic. While The Three Stooges and The Cabin in the Woods aren’t approaching that level of success, both films reportedly cost $30 million to make, so their weekend totals are not as bad as they could be, especially against the PG-13 juggernaut. The Cabin in the Woods is getting high marks for its inventive twists and turns on the horror genre, while most critics are giving the Farrelly Brothers’ interpretation of Larry, Moe, and Curly mixed reviews at best.

Not that it matters too much to the film that went on to gross billions worldwide, but Titanic 3D has settled comfortably into fourth for the week with an estimated $11.6 million. Its $44 million in revenue now makes it the third highest-grossing 3D re-rerelease, just behind Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, though a distant place behind last year’s re-release of Disney’s The Lion King. While this could mean 3D as a whole isn’t quite the draw it has been, Titanic 3D still did better than last week’s second place finisher, American Reunion. With no 3D to speak of, the comedy sequel picked up an estimated $10.7 million and closed in on its $50 million in costs (though it has already turned a profit with its foreign earnings, with a worldwide total of $80.7 million). Mirror Mirror (estimated $7 million) is in a similar situation, with foreign box office pushing it into profitability ($89.5 million worldwide), though with an $85 million budget it has a lot further to go before its profits are meaningful.

Wrath of the Titans remains another domestic disappointment, but a big moneymaker overseas. It made an estimated $6.9 million this weekend and a three week domestic total of $71.2 million…but cost $150 million to make. But the weak reviews didn’t deter the foreign box office, giving it a worldwide total of $259.2 million, making it the third most successful film in the Top 10 this weekend. The second most successful overall goes to Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which landed in tenth with an estimated $3 million, a domestic total of $204.5 million, and $278.8 million worldwide. 21 Jump Street, in eighth, hasn’t done too poorly at all, making an estimated $6.8 million and $120.6 million domestically, and it did better than the debut of the action/sci-fi/prison thriller Lockout, which debuted in ninth place with an estimated $6.3 million. Getting mixed to poor reviews, Lockout still has a chance to stay afloat, as its disappointing start is tempered by the relatively low budget…a reported $20 million.

Weekend Box-Office (April 13th – April 15th)

  1. The Hunger Games…$21.5 million
  2. The Three Stooges…$17.1 million
  3. The Cabin in the Woods…$14.9 million
  4. Titanic 3D…$11.6 million
  5. American Reunion…$10.7 million
  6. Mirror Mirror…$7 million
  7. Wrath of the Titans…$6.9 million
  8. 21 Jump Street…$6.8 million
  9. Lockout…$6.3 million
  10. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax…$3 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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