Weekend Box Office Report: April 18-20 2014

By Kip Mooney • On • In News News 0

BOX OFFICE REPORT April 18-20, 2014(estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com)

TOP 51. Captain America II ($26.2 million)2. Rio 2 ($22.5 million)3. Heaven is for Real ($21.5 million)4. Transcendence ($11.1 million)5. A Haunted House ($9.1 million)

Despite the Easter advances of a trio of new films and its old competitor Rio 2, Captain America once again emerged victorious at the box office. It's now made just over $200 million domestically, besting its predecessor in less than three weeks. This is also the third film of 2014 to stay on top for three or more weeks, which hasn't happened since August 2012.

The colorful birds of Rio 2 barely fended off the latest religious film to receive a massive push this week. Heaven is for Real was only a million shy of overtaking Rio 2. The film, based on the bestselling book, tells the story of pastor whose young sun has a near-death experience. Since opening Wednesday, it's pulled in $28 million, well above its $12 million budget.

It was the opposite story with Transcendence, which boasted a bigger budget and ubiquitous marketing. The Johnny Depp techno-thriller only made $11.1 million, and will go down as one of 2014's biggest flops. That's better than A Haunted House 2 ($9.1 million), which only made about half of last year's entry. But with a $4 million budget, it's already a success. 

Outside the top 5: - This Weekend's Indie Champ: Fading Gigolo, starring John Turturro as the titular guy, pimped out to an older crowd by Woody Allen. It averaged $39,600 on each of its five screens. 

- Kristen Wiig seems to be having a tough time after Saturday Night Live. Aside from smaller roles in Anchorman 2 and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, her other endeavors haven't done so hot. Her latest, Hateship Loveship, has only made $19,000 in two weeks.

- In anticipation of the remake, specialty studio Rialto re-released the original Japanese Godzilla on one screen. The 60-year-old movie took in $12,500 all by its lonesome.

Next week: There are a few scenarios, but it most likely comes down to two. One: Captain America improbably stays on top again, with around $18 million. Or Heaven is for Real rides strong word-of-mouth into the top spot with roughly that same amount. Regardless, the new kids in town (action flick Brick Mansions, raunchy comedy The Other Woman or British horror film The Quiet Ones) are non-factors. I go with the latter and say Heaven is for Real experiences a week at the top before summer movie season begins in earnest May 2.

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About Kip Mooney

Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.

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