THE CROODS find their way to no. 1!

25 Mar 2013

SINGAPORE - THE CROODS claim the box office crown with US$823,466 from 54 screens for a US$15,249 screen average and a US$1,103,098 total including sneaks. These numbers are pretty good for a major animated film released in March. Back in 2010, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON started with a similar US$816,212 gross on 51 screens and ended its run with US$2,968,823.

THE CROODS also opened stronger than both DR. SEUSS' THE LORAX from last year (US$411,708 opening weekend/US$1,601,837 final gross) and RANGO (US$308,799/US$977,083) from 2011.

Other debuts include works by some of the most prolific filmmakers from American today - DJANGO UNCHAINED (US$163,662) by Quentin Tarantino, SIDE EFFECTS (US$99,182) by Steven Soderbergh, PROMISED LAND (US$7,820) by Gus Van Sant and GAMBIT (US$9,414), which is written by Ethan & Joel Coen. Also debuting is the Japanese drama HELTER SKELTER (US$22,206). The horror anthology V/H/S is also released (probably on 6 screens) but is unranked (and probably grossed less than US$42,670).

BODIES warms its way to No.1

18 Mar 2013

SINGAPORE - It's the start of the one week school break as a whopping 11 films debut - none of which proved to be exceptional box office performers.  

Leading the pack is the horror romance comedy WARM BODIES, which crawls its way to the no. 1 spot, toppling OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL by a narrow margin. Released on 34 screens, WARM BODIES grabs hold of US$473,970 for a decent US$13,940 screen average - it's a modest no.1 debut as only two other films opened to lower numbers at the top this year - GANGSTER SQUAD (US$362,354) and THE IMPOSSIBLE (US$382,475). Last year, 5 films managed to debut at no.1 with a gross that's less than US$500,000.

The big budget fantasy adventures films OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL and JACK THE GIANT SLAYER managed to hold off the rest of the new releases. OZ grossed another US$468,716 to push its total to US$1,494,973 while JACK adds another US$187,828 for a US$2,061,878 tally - becoming the 3rd film to cross US$2m this year to date.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL debuts at no. 1

11 Mar 2013

SINGAPORE - OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opens on top of the box office with US$846,163 from 56 screens (including 3D and IMAX) for a US$15,110 screen average. That's less than last week's similar fabled-based JACK THE GIANT SLAYER which opened to US$1,097,754 on a slightly stronger US$16,143 screen average.

In comparison, OZ's debut is similar to parent company Disney's JOHN CARTER and HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS. JOHN CARTER opened with US$868,818 on the same weekend a year ago while the (also) fabled-theme special effects heavy HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS started with US$878,605 but a higher NC16 rating 6 weeks ago. CARTER finished its 5-week run with US$2,070,634 while HANSEL & GRETEL has collected US$1,736,257 after 7 weeks. OZ looks likely to finish in the same range as well.

GIANT SLAYER climbs to top of box office

4 Mar 2013

SINGAPORE - JACK THE GIANT SLAYER climbs to the top of the box office with a US$1,097,754 haul from 68 screens (including 3D and IMAX) for a US$16,143 screen average. It's a stronger debut than A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD - the top Hollywood film in Singapore to date this year, which started with US$799,183 from 54 screens over the Lunar New Year period. DIE HARD 5 has amassed US$2,087,479 in its 4th week of release. JACK also looks likely to cross US$2m when it reaches the finishing line but it will be facing strong competition from OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL opening this week.

AH BOYS TO MEN 2 - last week's no.1 film drops 48.2% and collects another US$271,906 for a US$6,070,803 total to date. BOYS 2 has been depreciating at a rate that is a rarity and the envy of most blockbuster releases. A spot as one of the year's Top 5 grossers is almost a given.