Weekend Estimates: Twilight Wins Again on Slow Weekend
December 4, 2011
Breaking Dawn, Part 1 will complete a hat-trick of wins this weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday, but the fact that it can do so while falling almost 60% from last weekend shows just how weak business is overall. Based on the numbers reported so far, this will be the second-slowest weekend of the year, after the weekend of September 9 as moviegoers switch to Holiday shopping.
Twilight's $16.9 million weekend will take it to a total of $247 million and keeps the movie on track for a total between $280 million and $290 million, which is marginally behind the average for the franchise.
The Muppets will also decline significantly in second place, down 62% to $11.2 million in its second weekend. One bright spot in the market, however, is Hugo, which expanded a bit will post a $7.6 million weekend, according to Paramount's estimate. Arthur Christmas will also do OK, down 39% to $7.35 million according to Sony.
The real action this weekend is with the indies. Three movies in particular posted very impressive numbers: Shame will debut with a little over $360,000 in 10 theaters, according to Fox Searchlight; The Artist is holding remarkably well in its second weekend, with Weinstein Co. projecting $205,000 in six locations, and A Dangerous Method is projected to make $122,000 in four venues for Sony Pictures Classics.
Filed under: Weekend Estimates, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, The Muppets, Shame, A Dangerous Method, The Artist