Weekend Wrap-Up: Oscar Bounce Subdued

January 14, 2013

Oscar nominations didn't produce a big box office bounce over the weekend, but Zero Dark Thirty still managed an easy win, despite missing my admittedly high expectations. The only film in the top five to be a pleasant surprise was A Haunted House, although "pleasant" is not a word most critics were using to describe it. The box office pulled in $141 million overall, which was 4.7% lower than last weekend. More importantly though, it was 6.3% higher than the same weekend last year, which means if A Haunted House bombed like I thought it would, 2013 would have lost in the year-over-year comparison. Fortunately, we had a second win in as many weeks and 2013 is off to an early 22% lead, at $441 million to $362 million.

Zero Dark Thirty shot up to first place with $24.44 million during its first weekend of wide release. If you include its limited release run, the film has $29.92 million. Given its reviews, its Awards Season success, etc. it should have long legs at the box office. It if can win a few Oscars, it should get to $100 million in total.

A Haunted House opened in second place with $18.10 million during its opening weekend, which is more than some thought it would earn in total. Additionally, despite reviews that can best be described as hideous, the film has a good internal multiplier, which suggests it will have solid legs. It appears will will have more of these movies in the future.

Gangster Squad managed third place $17.07 million. This is acceptable given its reviews and the time of year, but it is far from a serious hit. Also, its internal multiplier was not good and that could be a bad omen for next week.

Django Unchained slipped to fourth place with $11.04 million over the weekend for a total of $125.37 million after three weeks of release. The Oscar nominations didn't really help the film at the box office, but it did become the biggest hit of Quentin Tarantino's career.

Les Miserables rounded out the top five with $9.64 million over the weekend for a total of $118.72 million, also after three weeks of release. With its success at the Golden Globes over the weekend, the film could hold up better next weekend. Even if it doesn't, it has still made enough to be considered a financial success.

Texas Chainsaw 3D fell from first place to ninth place during its sophomore stint. It also collapsed 76%, and fell to just $5.28 million over the weekend for a total of $30.88 million after two. This is among the worst drop-offs for a number one film in terms of percent decline, and ties The Crow: City of Angels for the worst decline in terms of ranking. On the other hand, this is likely more than it cost to make and advertise, so the studio should still be happy.

It is pretty much impossible to spin Promised Land's performance, as it fell 69% to just $1.27 million over the weekend for a total of $6.88 million. With a per theater average of $774, the film will all but disappear next weekend.


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Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Promised Land, Zero Dark Thirty, Django Unchained, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Gangster Squad, Les Misérables, A Haunted House, Quentin Tarantino