BOX OFFICE REPORT "” May 17-19, 2013(estimates from BoxOfficeMojo.com)
TOP 5
1. Star Trek Into Darkness ($70.5 million)2. Iron Man 3 ($35.1 million)3. The Great Gatsby ($23.4 million)4. Pain and Gain ($3.1 million)5. The Croods ($2.7 million)
Dark news for Star Trek fans. The sequel to the 2009 reboot opened with a disappointing $70.5 million. That's less than its predecessor opened with and less than what Iron Man 3 did last weekend in its second week in theaters. It's made $84 million since opening late Wednesday, but that's still down from the original, even with ticket inflation and 3-D and IMAX surcharges. And it's not going to get better. Next week, it faces off against the much-anticipated Fast & Furious 6, the third Hangover film (and the first comedy of the summer to boot) and the only family-friendly option of the bunch, Epic. That's stiff competition and a tough break for a film that audiences and critics seem to agree is just a notch below the stellar first entry.
But the news keeps getting better for Marvel and Robert Downey, Jr. Iron Man 3 is now the highest-grossing standalone Marvel film. It's already made $337 million in only 17 days. That's still far behind The Avengers, but let's just accept that was an anomaly not likely to be repeated and move on. It's also made $1 billion worldwide, which is simply astounding. It will likely finish as the year's box office champ.
And Paramount has to be rejoicing at The Great Gatsby's performance. Originally slated during the prestige Christmas season, it was held over for the more spectacle-driven summer and likely earned a lot more money. It's made $90 million so far, which is Baz Luhrmann's highest-grossing film by far. The awards it originally hoped for will likely go unseen, though it probably will at least earn some technical achievements (art direction, costumes, etc).
Outside the top 5: - This weekend's Indie Champ: Noah Baumbach's hipsters-in-distress comedy Frances Ha averaged a whopping $33,500 on each of its four screens. Many critics have pegged as the summer's indie comedy hit, but it will face competition from The Kings of Summer and The Way, Way Back (which open in June and July, respectively).- The Iceman's aggressive expansion has paid off so far. It's made $752,000 so far in three weeks. - Sarah Polley's critically acclaimed documentary Stories We Tell could likely be the year's big non-fiction success story. It's made $180,000 in its two weeks in theaters.
Next week: It's an all-out brawl as the series that never dies keeps chugging along in Fast & Furious 6. Despite the bad taste left in our mouths from the second entry, The Hangover Part III will open huge. And the beautifully animated Epic gives parents something to take their kids too now that they've already seen The Croods twice. I predict Vin Diesel and company gains the edge with an $80 million opening, the Wolf Pack takes second place with $65 million and the cartoon takes fourth behind Star Trek's second weekend with $40 million.
