WU XIA fights its way to Top Screen Average!

31 July 2011

WU XIA is the top screen average earner (US$17,521) for the weekend of Jul 21-24.

Playing only on 25 screens, the latest martial arts flick from Hong Kong debut with US$438,014. In comparison, the last Donnie Yen film, THE LOST SWORDSMAN opened to US$639,176 from 29 screens and a screen average of US$15,433.

WU XIA is currently the 4th highest grossing HK film in Singapore this year, and will attempt to outdo SWORDSMAN, which made US$1,082,246.

The much publicized SEX AND ZEN: EXTREME ECSTASY, which is available in both 2D and 3D versions, arrives on 11 screens and grosses US$158,354. The result is encouraging, with reports of sold out shows despite poor reviews, a truncated international version and a release more than 3 months after the film opened in HK, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

Raunchy chick flick BRIDESMAIDS starts off with an encouraging US$154,307 from 13 screens, while HANNA, the thriller about a young female assassin starts off with US$111,127 from 12 screens.

Three independent releases also fight for the box office dollars, with Michael Winterbottom's A SUMMER IN GENOVA (US$9,613, 2 screens) and the Keanu Reeves headlined HENRY'S CRIME (US$4,859, 1 screen) debuting to average numbers. The only real casualty seems to be the mis-titled WIN WIN. The comic drama starring Paul Giamatti limps out of the door with a weak US$2,997 from 1 screen.

Meanwhile, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 continues to reign at no.1 - grossing more than US$1m during its second weekend. Only 2 other films achieved this feat this year - TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON and KUNG FU PANDA 2.

THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 also edges out PART 1 to be the top Harry Potter film in Singapore - it's currently the 3rd highest grossing film this year and the 10th highest grossing movie in Singapore of all time.

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON is inches away from dethroning AVATAR as Singapore's top film of all time. With S$10,533,931 earned to date, it is less than S$900k from achieving its goal. However, this may be a difficult feat if the film continues at its current rate of depreciation.

Meanwhile, last week's release A BEAUTIFUL LIFE ends its run with US$10,504 - very close to the last Shu Qi romance drama IF YOU ARE THE ONE 2 (US$10,451).

For the full box office list, click here.

(To check out the trailers of the new films, click on the film's title).

Final Harry Potter explodes with US$3m debut!

24 July 2011

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 opens on 107 screens to score an impressive screen average of US$28,227 (S$34,404) and a total gross of US$3,020,290 (S$3,681,280). It's the second biggest weekend debut and second widest opening film this year (and perhaps, ever *).

The final chapter in the Harry Potter series improved upon the previous installment which grossed US$2,207,425 (S$2,858,814) over its first weekend with a screen average of US$20,042 (S$25,956).

With such numbers, the final Harry Potter film stands a strong chance of outgrossing the last installment of the Harry Potter film, which was also the top grossing film in the franchise to date with US$4,546,240 (S$5,879,198).

Most of the blockbuster movies usually end their run with a total gross that is at least double their debut weekend gross (TRANSFORMERS 3 debut with US$4.162m, total gross is now US$8.373m; KUNG FU PANDA 2 debut with US$2.627, total gross is now US$7.41m; X-MEN: FIRST CLASS debut with US$1.724m, it has grossed US$4.444m to date).

So it's also a safe bet that the film will at least end up in the year's top 3 by the end of its run, behind the phenomenally successful TRANSFORMERS and KUNG FU PANDA sequels.

TRANSFORMERS LOOKING TO BEAT AVATAR

Meanwhile, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON hits S$10,205,626, becoming only the second film in Singapore to gross more than S$10 million.

It stands a chance at setting a new record as it's just about S$1.178m short of matching AVATAR - Singapore's top grossing film of all time.

BROWN SUGAR HITS; BEAUTIFUL LIFE NOT SO SWEET

There aren't that many R21 films released here, so BROWN SUGAR's gross of US$14,941 from 2 screens is actually not bad. The film might actually turn out to be profitable if the acquisition fee is not that high.

The Shu Qi and Liu Ye headlined A BEAUTIFUL LIFE from director Andrew Lau starts off with a single print and US$4,419. Not terrific numbers. For comparison's sake, the last Shu Qi starring romance IF YOU ARE THE ONE 2 ended its run with US$10,451 from a first weekend debut of US$5,595.

This week's box office can be found here.

* based on available data that stretches back to mid-2007.

Transformers All-Time No. 3!

13 July 2011

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON is now the 3rd highest grossing film of all time in Singapore. And next week, it'll probably surpass KUNGFU PANDA 2 to become 2011's top movie and no. 2 film of all time. Only US$32,032 separate the two titles as of last weekend.

Meanwhile, JANE EYRE becomes the highest grossing single print release, surpassing THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. It's also the second longest running film of the year (8 weeks) after THE FIGHTER (9 weeks).

Amongst new releases, LARRY CROWNE (US$135,333) and MR. AND MRS. SINGLE (US$23,761) debut to unimpressive results. The French comedy BEAUTIFUL LIES starring Audrey Tautou opens outside the top 10 on 1 screen, but it's off to a promising start as its screen average is the 2nd highest this week, ahead of LARRY CROWN and almost 2.5 times that of MR. AND MRS. SINGLE.

This week's box office can be found here.

Transformers Stomp Sg Box Office!

7 July 2011

As expected, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON stomps into theatres on a record breaking 126 screens and has grossed US$4,120,240 (S$5,050,714) to date. Its weekend gross accounted for almost 88.98% of all the tickets sold and the film is now the 4th highest grossing film in Singapore this year.

Without a doubt, it will be no. 2 when the box office figures are tabulated next week, and stands a shot at trying to de-throne this year's top film KUNG FU PANDA 2 which has grossed an estimated US$7,292,761 (S$8,939,685).

The previous TRANSFORMERS movie REVENGE OF THE FALLEN grossed US$5,834,711 (S$8,399,767).

Meanwhile, showing amazing legs is JANE EYRE, a 1-print release that has grossed US$52,853 in its 7th week of screening. That puts it in 2nd place amongst highest grosses for a single print release this year behind only THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (US$53,320).

Two other single print releases did not fare quite as well:

BARNEY'S VERSION grossed US$8,587 while PINOY SUNDAY, the first film under The Picturehouse Exclusive Showcase banner (since the demise of the Picturehouse as a physical screening venue), grossed only US$9,894 after 3 weeks of screening. As of now, both films are amongst the lowest grossing films for a single print release this year.

Some of the films that were suppose to act as counter programming to the blockbusters this season have fared poorly. MIRAL - another new single print release grossed US$3,121 - one of the lowest for a single print release in its opening weekend.

The full list of films can be found here:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/singapore/?yr=2011&wk=26&p=.htm

Another Record Breaking Weekend!

9 June 2011

For the second week in a row, box office sales reach a new peak - as US$4,236,701 (S$5,205,762) worth of tickets were sold - the highest in about four years since Box Office Mojo started tracking in 2007. More research will need to be done - but could this be a all-time record? Last week, a new peak was reached, but that record is now history.

This week, the top 3 films X-Men: First Class, Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover Part II accounted for 92.9% of total ticket sales.

X-Men: First Class's first weekend gross of US$1,724,673 makes it the 9th highest grossing film of the year.

Meanwhile, Kung Fu Panda 2 became the year's top grossing film - its total gross now stands at US$5,090, 498 (S$6,254,848) - possibly earning it a spot in the Top 10 highest grossing films of all time in Singapore.

Source:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/singapore

Notes:

Box office figures are estimates based on info from the above source.

BO Weekend of 29 May Sets New Records?

4 June 2011

It's the start of the school holidays as new box office records are set.

KUNG FU PANDA 2 debuts at No. 1 and is reported in its newspaper ads to have set a new record for biggest opening film in Singapore.

For the weekend of 29 May, the box office grossed a total of US$3,902,602. Could this be the highest figure ever in Singapore cinematic history? In US$ and according to records that go back to April 2007, this certainly seems the case.

In the past five years, the US$3m mark has only been breached 7 times during a weekend: twice this year, twice in 2010, twice in 2009 and once in 2008. Of course when the figures are converted to S$, the weekend of 24 Dec 2009 is still champion (US$3,751,909/S$5,279,686), followed by this weekend (US$3,902,602/S$4,822,640).

Back to PANDA, which lays claims to being Singapore's biggest opening film to date. With US$2,627,425, it beat the previous record holder, TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN which grossed US$2,478,544 during its 1st weekend in 2009. But when converted to S$, TRANSFORMERS still wins (S$3,606,232 vs. S$3,246,840).

Here's an update on the top films of 2011 so far:

This year's top earners:

1. THOR (3D) * (US$4,295,507)

2. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (3D/IMAX) * (US$3,499,420)

3. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 5 * (US$3,390,736)

4. KUNG FU PANDA 2 (3D/IMAX) * (US$2,627,425)

5. THE GREEN HORNET (3D) (US$2,222,872)

6. SHAOLIN (US$1,969,435)

7. IT'S A GREAT GREAT WORLD (US$1,902,926)

8. RIO (3D) (US$1,878,218)

9. BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (US$1,635,954)

10. I AM NUMBER FOUR (US$1,463,707)

* denotes still in release

This year's top average screen gross:

1. KUNG FU PANDA 2 (3D) (US$32,843) - 26 May

2. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 5 (US$27,015) - 5 May

3. THOR (3D) (US$25,393) - 28 Apr

4. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (3D/IMAX) (US$21,233) - 19 May

5. HOMECOMING (US$20,898) - 3 Feb

This year's widest opening films:

1. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (3D/IMAX) - 100 screens

2. KUNG FU PANDA 2 (3D) - 80 screens

3. THOR (3D)- 70 screens

4. THE GREEN HORNET (3D) - 64 screens

5. RIO (3D) - 46 screens

So even as big budget Hollywood films continue to dominate the box office in Singapore, 1 Singapore film and 1 HongKong film have managed to end up in Top 10 highest box office gross, and 1 Singapore film managed to be amongst the Top 5 highest screen average gross to date this year.

---

Perhaps worthy of note is the Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley crime romance drama LONDON BOULEVARD, which opened on 1 screen and grossed US$11,994. This makes it the 2nd highest debut for a 1-screen release this year.

The others 1-screen releases this year and their debut gross/total gross are:

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (US$19,212/US$53,320)

JANE EYRE * (US$8,949/US$23,127)

IF YOU ARE THE ONE 2 (US$5,595/US$10,451)

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (US$5,511/US$22,904)

ALL GOOD THINGS (US$5,014/US$13,397)

MARY AND MAX (US$4,952/US$14,064)

THE RESIDENT (US$4,012/US$14,645)

FREAKONOMICS (US$4,120/US$17,871)

THE LAST DAYS OF EMMA BLANK (US$3,921/US$16,911)

CARMEN (3D) - Info N/A

* denotes still in release

This year, only 3 1-print releases have grossed more than US$20,000 so far, with THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT leading the pack at US$53,320, followed by JANE EYRE (US$23,127 and counting) and UNCLE BOONME WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (US$22,904).

Source:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/singapore/

Notes:
The box office figures reported are just estimates based on the above sources.

Pirates Attack 100 Screens in Singapore

26 May 2011

Could this be a new record for the widest opening film in Singapore?

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES premiered on 100 screens and grossed a total of US$2,123,292 (S$2,628,423). That's also the highest first weekend gross for any film in Singapore this year so far.

Just for the record, PIRATES is the eighth film to open with 40 or more prints in Singapore this year. The others being THOR (70 screens), THE GREEN HORNET (64), RIO (46), SHAOLIN (43), SUCKER PUNCH (43), PRIEST (41) and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 5 (40). The local film with the widest opening this year is THE GHOSTS MUST BE CRAZY (34).

So why did I choose the number 40? Just to keep the club exclusive :)

The last time any film grossed more than US$2m in its opening weekend was back in April 2010 when CLASH OF THE TITANS made US$2,191,177 (S$3,067,494). That's marginally less than PIRATES in US$, but significantly higher in S$ due to the stronger Singapore dollar this year.

CLASH was also available in 3D but was released on only 75 screens. Its per screen average of US$29,216 - the highest for any film last year, was also way ahead of PIRATES' per screen average of US$21,233.

It'd be interesting to see how much of each film's gross came from 3D sales, just to track how audiences in Singapore are responding to 3D movies. Unfortunately, I don't have access to the information. In the US, it's reported that 3D accounted for less than half of total ticket sales for PIRATES [1].

So far, this year's top earners in Singapore are:

1. THOR (3D) * (US$4,221,908)

2. THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 5 * (US$3,212,376)

3. THE GREEN HORNET (3D) (US$2,222,872)

4. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES (3D) * (US$2,123,292)

5. SHAOLIN (US$1,969,435)

6. IT'S A GREAT GREAT WORLD (US$1,902,926)

7. RIO (3D) (US$1,878,218)

8. BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (US$1,635,954)

9. I AM NUMBER FOUR (US$1,463,707)

10. THE GHOSTS MUST BE CRAZY (US$1,133,837)

* denotes still in release

UPDATE: The last PIRATES movie PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END could be the previous record holder with an opening on 98 screens back in 2007. It grossed an estimated US$1,652,539 (S$2,524,914) with a screen average of US$16,863 (S$25,765). This is just marginally less than the latest PIRATES' flick.

Sources:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/singapore/
[1] http://www.boxofficeguru.com/052311.htm

Notes:
The box office figures reported are just estimates based on the above sources.