Weekend Estimates: Possession Tops Very Quiet Weekend

September 9, 2012

One statistic suffices to sum up this weekend at the box office: based on estimates received so far, the weekend ranks as the 5th-worst weekend for total box office receipts since January, 2000 (see full chart here). While that position will improve when we get complete numbers on Monday, there's a good chance this will end up as the worst weekend since 2001, even though ticket prices have risen substantially since then. The two marks that industry watchers should look out for are the $67.5 million weekend of September 5, 2003 and the $67.9 million weekend of September 5, 2008. Unsurprisingly, the top film at the box office this weekend is the same as last weekend: The Possession is set for about $9.5 million in its second outing. The Words is the top opener, with about $5 million in 2,801 theaters -- certainly a disappointment, although CBS Films is hoping for good legs thanks to its adult-skewing demographic.

The Cold Light of Day will post about $1.8 million for Summit/Lionsgate, which won't be enough for a place in the top 10. In fact, it will barely beat Raiders of the Lost Ark, which is set for an impressive $1.75 million in 267 IMAX theaters and a high finish on the per theater chart.

In fact, we so far know of only four films that will top Raiders. Documentary Detropia is set to post about $18,350 from a single theater and could ride excellent reviews to a strong Fall run. Hello I Must Be Going is looking at around $26,750 in two theaters in its opening weekend. Keep the Lights On is predicted to bring in $53,730 in five locations, making it the third film to top a $10,000 per theater average this weekend. Finally, Samsara is continuing its impressive run with about $200,000 in 25 theaters and is nearing $500,000 in total box office.

- Weekend Estimates

Bruce Nash

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Cold Light of Day, The Possession, Keep the Lights On, The Words, Samsara, Hello I Must Be Going, Detropia