Box Office Results 12/06/09

Aw, Geez, Leftovers Again?

By William Goss | Posted Under Box Office Round-Ups | Comments (23)

The week after Thanksgiving is never big for new offerings at the movies. Last year, for example, gave us Punisher: War Zone, Cadillac Records and Nobel Son, but Four Christmases and Twilight remained tops at the box office. So this week’s number one and number two were last week’s number one and number two — The Blind Side with a hearty $20.4 million, and New Moon with $15.7 million. By this logic, half-assed though it may be, first and second place at the box office this time next year will be a Warner Bros. release followed by whichever Twilight they crank out by then — although the Warner Bros. release will likely be the next Harry Potter they crank out, so … yeah. People will probably go see that.

Of the new releases, the melodrama-sold-as-thriller Brothers made a decent enough opening with $9.7 million in third place (review forthcoming), with nothing new ranking behind it until Armored in seventh place with $6.6 million. In between? Number four — A Christmas Carol with $7.5 million; number five — Old Dogs with $6.9 million, and number six — 2012 with $6.6 million, which means it and Armored could switch spots once the genuine totals come in.

Ninja Assassin clung onto eighth place with $5 million, Planet 51 hung on in ninth with $4.3 million and the newly-opened De Niro dramedy, Everybody’s Fine, took 10th with a paltry $4 million on over 2,000 screens. (In comparison, Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air brought in $1.2 million at just 15 theaters.) I guess if people wanted to watch family members keep secrets from one another, they could always just stay at home.

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Comments

So my $4 at the dollar theater didn't boost Zombieland back into the top 10, huh? Oh well, it was still a kick-ass movie. Everything I hoped it would be. A great movie to see in the cheap theater with sticky floors and water-stained ceiling tiles on a Friday Night.

Posted by: Yossarian at December 6, 2009 3:41 PM

I don't get all the hate for twilight. It's got go look dreamy guy this even haircut can want to decide. I would have not forget to without my downsydrom need to even twice a day. I think i'm if go lazy eye like. FML

Posted by: Adventureman at December 6, 2009 3:53 PM

I know I had a real comment a minute ago but how am I supposed to keep up with Adventureman? That's some kind of Dadaist masterpiece.

Posted by: Optimus Rhyme at December 6, 2009 4:02 PM

Between the insane and indecipherable comments and the incredibly odd gail.com link I'm thinking Adventureman is come kind of viral marketing game. Just not sure for what, probably "Chipmunks the Squeakquel".

Posted by: TylerDFC at December 6, 2009 4:17 PM

At first I thought Adventureman was an alt for meowsaidthedog, but his is a different brand of nutty.

Posted by: greg at December 6, 2009 4:34 PM

he only good thing in that list is that Twilight isn't in the top spot.

Last movie I watched at the cinema (this week) was the Firm. Probably it wasn't released in the U.S (since it's about soccer hooliganism,a very British subject) and probably didn't even make the top 10 box office list in the U.K. Which just goes to show that I have taste and the majority of the population doesn't. It's a remake, but a great one of an 80s thing originally made for T.V. Very violent, as are all Nick Love's films. The violence is realistic though. It's got a wry sense of humour, speaks of how boring life can be and how shitty soccer wear (oh god those red track suits) is. Check it out (dunno why the imdb rating is so low. It deserved better. Oh, and it's got a killer soundtrack

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313113/

Posted by: barf at December 6, 2009 4:36 PM

I've made an annual tradition out of taking my nieces to the movies over the December holiday. I do what I can to help raise them right, but the oldest suggested to me the other day that we should see The Squeakquel. I wanted to start weeping.

Posted by: DarthCorleone at December 6, 2009 4:36 PM

Engaging in football violence is the only offence worse than listening to Creed. Either way, in the end there is nothing but blood, tears, and terrible music. 'Mon the hoops.

Posted by: TSF at December 6, 2009 4:47 PM

TSF, I never said football violence is cool. The film just tackles the subject and it's well made. Actually forget the football violence. It's a film about men, and boys becoming men.

Posted by: barf at December 6, 2009 4:54 PM

I saw Where the Wild Things Are, which was finally released here on Thursday. Really dug it. Glad I didn't have to settle for any of the crap y'all are talking about in this column.

Posted by: Daniel Hall at December 6, 2009 4:56 PM

barf, I was just talkin' shite. I didn't mean to insinuate anything. I haven't seen the film so I have no idea about whether it's any good or not.... ignore me, I'm retreating behind a bottle of Frosty Jack's like the pure bam that I am.

Posted by: TSF at December 6, 2009 5:02 PM

The next movie I'm gonna see in the theater will be Holmes, and it will rawk.

Although if Up In the Air comes to the single four-screen movie theater in my town (which I doubt), I may slip out to see that.

Posted by: linny at December 6, 2009 5:21 PM

HEIL ME!

Posted by: Hitler at December 6, 2009 5:24 PM

Better do what the man^ says.

Posted by: Adventureman at December 6, 2009 5:25 PM

Why look at that! Hitler has cured Adventureman of his word salad. Who knew he'd be good for something?

I smell Troll.

Posted by: linny at December 6, 2009 5:31 PM

Really? Troll? I smell Fuhrer. They're close, but troll has less of a smoky undertone, and Fuhrer has notes of bunker and failure.

Posted by: mrcreosote at December 6, 2009 7:25 PM

Seig HEIL!

*FISTPUMPS*

/From one Il Douche to another!

Posted by: GuidoSlim aka "The Situation" at December 6, 2009 7:29 PM

Don't forget the alluring whiff of tears and gunpowder!

Posted by: linny at December 6, 2009 7:38 PM

What I fail to understand behind the marketing behind the film, Brothers, is that they are making it come across as a disturbing thriller, when the original Danish film simply isn't. There are scenes that create tension, but those are very minimal, compared to the entire film itself. Save for when the husband is taken to a terrorist prison and the penultimate scene in which he goes berserker, the film is a study in how people heal and struggle with the loss of a loved one. So it's all the more funny that three minutes of scene time in a two hour movie is of course what they need to put into every TV spot/trailer. Call me a purist, but if you were really going to remake Brothers, it would defeat the entire purpose of the film were you to pass it off as a badass horror movie.
"When her husband died, she looked to his brother for comfort. When her husband came back, she looked to his brother...to live!"
And Troll Hitler, being a Pa'Jew'bian myself, you're kind of encroaching on our upcoming Hanukkah festivities. And as for the little bit of soul you've probably got, take that and do something else before I start to get less amused and more pissed off.

Posted by: Kamikaze Feminist at December 7, 2009 6:42 AM

Precious fell out of the top 10? That makes me sad. In my dream world, films like Precious and The Fantastic Mr. Fox would be battling it out for the number 1 spot while crap like Twilight would bomb on opening weekend faster than the wide expansion of Bug.

Posted by: Robert at December 7, 2009 8:44 AM

KF: It's more faithful than you might think...

http://www.cinematical.com/2009/12/04/review-brothers/

Posted by: William Goss at December 7, 2009 9:00 AM

"Old Dogs" pulled in $6.9 Million. I CAN'T believe that 690,000 people went to see that movie. Thats 690,000 people that had nothing better to do on a Friday/Saturday night. 690,000 people with $10 to $20 to spare (per person, depending upon snacks) -- which is really very shocking considering the average citizen's debt. Didn't they have ANYTHING else they wanted to watch? Does the duo of Travolta and Robbins really draw that big of a crowd.

I'm trying to imagine the audience now. Definately all married couples in their 50's. The female portion of that couple still remembers how hot Travolta was in the 70's, and the male portion of that couple are dweeby, has-been fans of Mork & Mindy. She hoping Travolta has still got it (he hasn't) and he's hoping that Travolta has still got it so she will have sex with him later (she won't).

I wonder; would the founding fathers of the United States of America have still split from the UK if they knew that movies like "Old Dogs" would be made? What if you could sit them down and show them the movie? Do you think they would be so appaled by the state of America (as both presented in the film and displayed by it's art) that they would just go, "You know what? Fuck it."

*sigh*

Posted by: superasente at December 7, 2009 10:37 AM

@Guidoslim..."Il Douche" just made my day. Thanks for that!

Posted by: Katie at December 7, 2009 1:16 PM

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Aw, Geez, Leftovers Again?

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