“In the Heart of the Sea” Can’t Top Katniss in Disappointing Debut

By Kip Mooney • On • In News News 0

BOX OFFICE REPORT

December 11- 13, 2015

(estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com)

TOP 5

1. Mockingjay: Part II ($12.6 million)

2. In the Heart of the Sea ($11.0 million)

3. The Good Dinosaur ($10.4 million)

4. Creed ($10.1 million)

5. Krampus ($8.0 million)

 

With only one new wide release, Mockingjay "“ Part 2 became the second movie of 2015 to stay on top for four straight weeks. (The other was Furious 7.) It earned an estimated $11.3 million, which still puts it shy of $250 million in four weeks, which still seems shockingly slow for a major franchise, especially the finale. But its days on top will be over starting Thursday.

In the Heart of the Sea debuted tepidly, taking in only $11 million on a $100 million budget. Box office success proved to be as elusive as the white whale in the story. Chris Hemsworth still has yet to open a non-Marvel movie at No. 1 that doesn't have Snow White in it. It's a good thing Ron Howard will next have another Robert Langdon movie out, since those Tom Hanks mysteries are the only films of his that seem to do well nowadays.

The Good Dinosaur and Creed swapped spots again, though both are still shy of $100 million after three weekends. Both will still probably get there, but for the former that's a very bad Christmas present. The latter will still have long legs. But Krampus won't. The film fell 50 percent in weekend two, and as with every movie until late into January, it's got to worry about Star Wars sucking up all the air.

Outside the top 5:

- This Weekend's Indie Champ: The Big Short, Adam McKay's satirical look at the 2008 housing crisis. The all-star comedy averaged $90,000 on each of its eight screens. That's the second-biggest average of the year.

- In another instance of going too big, too fast, the latest adaptation of Macbeth jumped from five theaters to 108, but only saw a marginal bump in grosses. Do people not understand how word-of-mouth works anymore?

- Victor Frankenstein experienced the second-biggest theater drop of the year, shedding more than 2,200 screens in its third weekend. That's what happens when you've only pulled in $5.6 million in that time. (Only The Walk dropped off more theaters.)

Next week: Unless you've been living under a rock, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has come to destroy every other film in the galaxy. Surprisingly, there will be "competition": the R-rated comedy Sisters (starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) and yet another Alvin and the Chipmunks installment. Obviously, either of the latter films will be lucky to muster up even $10 million. That's because The Force Awakens is poised to have the biggest opening weekend of all time. It's already done $100 million in advanced ticket sales. And given the hype, I would be shocked if it delivers anything below $200 million. Even though it's not the summer, which means fewer kids out of school, I personally think it will bring in around $225 million this weekend on its way to becoming the second-biggest movie ever. (I still don't think anyone's topping Avatar's $750 million any time soon.)

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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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