Yet another Sony/Screen Gems hit at the box office with the adult drama Obsessed topping the chart as women (and men) flock to the cautionary tale, which may cause some people to never speak to a co-worker of the opposite sex again! All kidding aside, this is yet another example of the Screen Gems model of keeping production costs low and marketing the bejeezus out a film for maximum box-office impact. With a modest $20 million production budget, this formula obviously works for this successful arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Zac is back. Efron, that is. After debuting at number one last weekend with a solid $23.7 million, 17 Again dropped 51 percent and landed in second with $11.6 million. In just 10 days of release, the film has already earned nearly $40 million in heartthrob credits.
With newcomers dominating the top five, it then comes as no surprise that the male-oriented action flick Fighting from Universal should land a solid punch to the third-place solar plexus with $11.4 million as guys looking for a movie of their own gravitated toward the testosterone-driven film. The film includes up ‘n’ comer Channing Tatum (to be seen later this summer in Paramount’s G.I. Joe) and the acclaimed Terrence Howard in the lead roles.
In fourth is newcomer The Soloist with $9.7 million. The true-life drama about the relationship between an L.A. Times reporter and a homeless man with a genius musical talent drew older and more sophisticated audiences looking for something on the uplifting and cerebral side. Stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx certainly have their devoted fans, but the tone of the film will likely draw those who do not necessarily rush out opening weekend to plunk down their hard earned cash.
Finally, rounding out the top five is the incredible documentary Earth. The first film from Disney’s DisneyNature series, it’s narrated by James Earl Jones and earned about $4 million on its debut Wednesday and another approximately $1.6 million on Thursday as it got ready to pounce on the weekend. In 1,802 theaters, it performed well on a per-theater basis and should play well in the coming weeks as more and more school kids start their summer vacation migration to the movie theater.
It was another great week and the fifth “up” frame in a row as revenues stand at a jaw-dropping 17.4 percent ahead of 2008, and attendance is strong as well with a 15.6 percent uptick vs. last year. This truly is the calm before the storm as the summer-movie season starts officially next weekend with the debut of Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Warner’s Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and a likely monstrous overall weekend to kick off a potentially record-breaking summer at the box office.
Special Obsessed stats, courtesy of Sony Pictures: Exit polling showed that the extraordinary opening was driven by female moviegoers. 58 percent of the audience was female and 42 percent male. Nearly half (49 percent) was under the age of 25 and 51 percent was over 25. Screen Gems biggest opening to date is The Exorcism of Emily Rose with $30 million. Obsessed opened ahead of Underworld Evolution, which debuted wtih $26.9 million.
THREE-DAY ESTIMATES:
1. NEW! Obsessed (Sony/Screen Gems) – $28.5M; 2514 theaters, $11,337 PTA
2. 17 Again (Warner Bros.) – $11.6M; 3255 theaters; $3,584 PTA; -51%; $39.9M cume
3. NEW! Fighting (Universal) – $11.4M; 2309 theaters; $4,955 PTA
4. NEW! The Soloist (Paramount) – $9.7M; 2024 theaters; $4,800 PTA
5. NEW! (released Apr. 22) Earth (Disney) – $8.5M; 1804 theaters; $4,742 PTA; $14.2M cume
6. Monsters vs. Aliens (Paramount) – $8.5M; 3358 theaters; $2,538 PTA; -36%; $174.8M cume
7. State of Play (Universal) – $6.8M; 2807 theaters; $2,455 PTA; -51%; $25.1M cume
8. Hannah Montana: The Movie (Disney) – $6.3M; 3231 theaters; $1,972 PTA; -52%; $65.5M cume
9. Fast & Furious (Universal) – $6M; 3566 theaters; $1,700 PTA; -49%; $145.2M cume
10. Crank 2: High Voltage (Lionsgate) – $2.4M; 2223 theaters; $1,080 PTA; -66%; $11.5M cume
