ESCAPE PLAN leads to no. 1

28 Oct 2013

SINGAPORE - ESCAPE PLAN, which pairs 80s action icons Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger debut at no. 1 with US$663,031 from 33 screens for a muscular US$20,092 screen average. It's only the 15th film this year to manage a screen average above US$20,000. On its current trajectory, it may finish with US$1.48m.

Horror remake CARRIE debuts in the runner-up spot with US$283,490 from 30 screens for an okay US$9,450 screen average. Look for a finish between US$446K to US$589K.

The Oscar hopeful drama THE BUTLER serves up US$68,887 from 15 screens for a lukewarm US$4,592 screen average. Add in sneaks and the total to date is US$87,959. A finish in the range of US$196K to US$250K is likely.

GRAVITY is not letting go of no. 1

21 Oct 2013

SINGAPORE - GRAVITY is not letting go of the no. 1 spot as it becomes the 20th film to cross the US$2m mark this year. Its total tally is now US$2,452,687. A finish in the range of US$3.01-US$3.03m is in sight.

SPECIAL ID 特殊身份, the mixed martial arts action flick starring Donnie Yen is the top new film with US$489,795 from 30 screens for a fantastic US$16,327 screen average. That's the fifth biggest debut for a Mandarin language film this year behind AH BOYS TO MEN 2 新兵正传 II (US$1,237,801), SAVING GENERAL YANG 忠烈杨家将 (US$545,158), JOURNEY TO THE WEST: CONQUERING THE DEMONS 西游.降魔篇 (US$509,337) and TAXI! TAXI! 德士当家 (US$492,010). It may collect US$1m by the end of its run.

Will GRAVITY 3D triumph over 2D in S'pore?

15 Oct 2013

SINGAPORE - If you've heard all that buzz above GRAVITY being the film to watch on the biggest screen in 3D, then Shaw's two IMAX screens and GVmax are going to be your only options in Singapore. Only about 23% of available sessions during the first week are being allocated for 3D, with many of the bigger halls playing the 2D version. So what gives?

GRAVITY debuts strongly at no. 1!

14 Oct 2013

SINGAPORE - GRAVITY, Alfonso Cuaron's space disaster movie starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney lands at no. 1 with US$1,045,014 from 55 screens and an astounding US$19,000 screen average. Throw in sneaks from last weekend and its total stands at US$1,321,669. It's the 15th film to debut above US$1m this year. Ticket sales is likely to have been boosted by IMAX 3D as the film is one of the most highly praised 3D releases since AVATAR. The 3D share of ticket sales is however not available.

Animated sequel CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (also available in 3D) debuts with US$289,982 from 40 screens for an average US$7,250 screen average. Total to date with one week's worth of sneaks thrown in is US$507,721.

INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 opens at No.1!

7 Oct 2013

SINGAPORE - Horror sequel INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2 is the top film this past weekend with US$512,207 from 31 screens for a frightfully healthy US$16,352 screen average. This is already more than the US$312,757 total gross of the original film from 2011. A finish in the range of US$1.24-US$1.44m is likely, which means that James Wan, who also directed THE CONJURING, may end up helming the top 2 horror films of 2013. Sony handled the distribution this time round, while Golden Village Pictures distributed the original film.

Other debuts include Hong Kong disaster flick OUT OF INFERNO 逃出生天 (including a single 3D screen; US$144,265); Malaysian action drama KL GANGSTER 2 (US$30,684); Survivor thriller THE COLONY (US$27,714); Korean viral disaster movie THE FLU (US$18,359): and the single print release, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (US$1,673).

RUNNER RUNNER grabs the gold!

30 Sep 2013

SINGAPORE - RUNNER RUNNER with Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton and Ben Affleck claim the top spot this past weekend, becoming the first M18-rated movie to hit no. 1 this year. It grosses US$292,053 from 28 screens for a decent US$10,430 screen average. This is the 3rd consecutive weekend that a film managed to snag the no. 1 spot with less than US$300,000 following PLANES and 2 GUNS.

Coming in at no. 2 is Tsui Hark's period fantasy adventure, YOUNG DETECTIVE DEE: RISE OF THE SEA DRAGON 狄仁杰之神都龙王. Rising Taiwanese heart throb Mark Chao replaces Andy Lau in this prequel which grosses US$266,074 from 27 screens for a good US$9,855 screen average. DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME 狄仁杰之通天帝国 debut with a mightier US$404,768 on 27 screens in 2010 for a US$938,991 finish; while Tsui Hark's last film, FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE 龙门飞甲 (2011) started with US$392,388 from 30 screens for a US$662,765 total.