Weekend Box Office Report: July 5-7 2013

By Kip Mooney • On • In News News 0

BOX OFFICE REPORT "” July 5-7, 2013(estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com)

TOP 5

1. Despicable Me 2 ($82.5 million)2. The Lone Ranger ($29.4 million)3. The Heat ($25.0 million)4. Monsters University ($19.5 million)5. World War Z ($18.2 million)

 

The Lone Ranger and Tonto can stop a runaway train, but they can't stop Gru and his Minions. Despicable Me 2 opened with an estimated $82.5 million, which is almost exactly what Monsters University made in its debut two weeks ago. Since opening late Tuesday, the animated sequel has now pulled in an impressive $142 million, which is more than its predecessor made in two weeks. It could easily repeat at No. 1 next week.

Another year, another disappointing Johnny Depp opening. The ultra-expensive Lone Ranger opened in second with only $29.4 million. It joins this year's Jack the Giant Slayer as blockbusters with seemingly impressive debuts that mask how little continuing business there will be in the coming weeks, leading to a pitiful total domestic gross.

Finally, Kevin Hart continued his ascension in the film world as his stand-up comedy film Let Me Explain made $17.4 million since opening late Tuesday. That's more than 2011's Laugh at My Pain made in its entire run. It's already at No. 5 on the all-time comedy list if estimates hold, but has a long way to go to beat the incredible trio of Eddie Murphy Raw ($50.5 million), The Original Kings of Comedy ($38.1 million) and Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip ($36.2 million). Keep in mind the first and last films there made that much money in the '80s.

Outside the top 5: - This Weekend's Indie Champ: Coming-of-age dramedy The Way, Way Back pulled in an impressive $30,263 average on 19 screens. Its the directorial debut of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, who shared the Oscar with Alexander Payne for writing The Descendants.

- Monsters University became the sixth movie this year to join the $200 Million Club.

- Before Midnight, which I think might be the best film of the year so far, is now the highest-grossing film in the series. I recommend renting or buying Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, then find the nearest theater playing Before Midnight and go see it.

Next week: The latest Adam Sandler vacation video crawls into theaters, with Grown Ups 2 likely to take the No. 2 spot with $35 million. Its biggest competition is Pacific Rim, which has the opposite problem World War Z had. That movie's biggest enemy was the Internet, which blogged incessantly about its ballooning budget and reshoots. Real audiences made it a hit. Pacific Rim on the other hand has had deafening buzz from online critics, but "Transformers but smart" is unlikely to connect with the general moviegoing public. So does another movie defy the odds to become a hit, or does Pacific Rim fall like so many other would-be blockbusters. As much as I enjoy Guillermo del Toro's films, I have to predict the latter, with it opening in third place at $30 million. For del Toro's sake, I hope I'm wrong and we can get a Hellboy III some 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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