Resident Evil is Good, Holdovers are Not

September 13, 2010

Resident Evil: Afterlife nearly matched expectations during its opening weekend, but it was the only bright spot on the box office chart and overall the box office plummeted to just $82 million. That's 23% lower than last weekend and 11% lower than the same weekend last year. The only good news is 2010 is still up on 2009 by nearly 4% at $7.81 billion to $7.51 billion. 2010 could still blow its lead if the box office remains as weak as it was over the weekend, but that seems like a longshot.

Resident Evil: Afterlife became the largest-opening film in the franchise, earning $26.65 million over three days. This is close enough to Thursday's prediction that I'm calling it a victory. However, its internal multiplier was weaker than previous films in the franchise, as were its reviews, so it will likely have shorter legs and it could fail to reach $50 million. It will be interesting to see if they make yet another installment in the franchise, but at this point, I think its international numbers will be the deciding factor.

Takers matched expectations with $5.68 million over the weekend and $47.68 million after three. It can be called a solid mid-level hit, while if reports are correct and it only cost $20 million to make, it will show a profit very early in its home market run, if not sooner.

The American missed second place by just over $1,000, earning $5.67 million over the past three days for a total of $28.11 million after twelve. It fell by 57% during its sophomore stint and with a per theater average of barely more than $2,000, it will likely see a substantial drop in its theater count over the coming few weeks.

As expected, Machete fell by more than 60% to pull in just $4.29 million over the weekend for a total of $20.92 million after two. Matching its $25 million production budget is all but guaranteed, but it will need to do well internationally and / or on the home market to break even. Given its reviews, it should have had an easier time selling tickets.

Going the Distance just managed to grab a spot in the top five with $3.79 million over the weekend and $13.95 million after two. Even so, with a per theater average of $1,250, it could lose between 1,000 and 2,000 theaters on Friday and be all but a memory by the end of the month.

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Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Going the Distance, Resident Evil: Afterlife, Takers, The American, Machete