Weekend Estimates: Expendables Leads as Openers Falter

August 26, 2012

The Summer box office season will come to an abrupt halt this weekend as returning films dominate the chart thanks to some decidedly lackluster openings. The top holdover, The Expendables 2, will win by default with a decent second weekend of $13.5 million, according to Lionsgate's Sunday morning estimate. That's down a fairly respectable 53% from its debut figure. The standout performer among returning films is political documentary 2016: Obama's America, which is projected to earn $6.2 million from 1,091 theaters -- the best per theater average in the top 10. That film will end up in 8th place, though, after an impressive 4th place on Friday, suggesting that it has a fairly narrow, if enthusiastic, fan base.

For the openers, Premium Rush will finish highest, but with a modest $6.3 million opening from 2,255 theaters. Hit and Run is set for $4.7 million or so in 2,870 venues, and The Apparition is destined for $2.95 million, per Warner Bros., from 810 locations, which actually represents a fairly respectable $3,648 per theater average.

In limited release, Sleepwalk with Me will post a fantastic opening with IFC projecting $77,400 in a single NY theater. Samsara won't quite scale those heights, but its $73,792 projected debut in two theaters is very impressive nonetheless. The most notable other performance in limited locations will most likely be Robot and Frank, which is projected to gross $290,000 from 46 theaters in its second weekend, suggesting it could have a nice late-Summer run.

- Weekend Estimates

Bruce Nash

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, The Apparition, Premium Rush, The Expendables 2, Samsara, Sleepwalk With Me, Robot & Frank, Hit & Run, 2016: Obama’s America