UPDATE: Up Blows Up with $68.2 Million

[CoolTrainerTerry]

From WorstPreviews.com:



Friday night box office estimates are in and Pixar's "Up" has earned over $20 million, making it on par to bring in around $67 million during its opening weekend. That would make it the third highest debut for the studio, behind only "Finding Nemo" ($70.2 million) and "The Incredibles" ($70.4 million). [via /Film]

Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell" is underperforming and will probably fall short of the $20 million expectation. On Friday, the film earned $6.25 million and will likely only bring in $16.5 million for the weekend.

If everything works out as predicted, "Terminator Salvation" will come in fourth with only $16 million and "Night at the Museum 2" will come in second with a $27 million take.

 

[Pluto Region1]

And considering how bad the economy is (how many people across America are out of work, on unemployment or underemployed) it is impressive.

On the other hand, do these estimates ever take into consideration the ticket price inflation over the years? The ticket price is $13.75 (here in Glendale California) to see the movie in 3-D for an adult ($10.75 for a kid). So if these numbers are just based on the price of the ticket, it is very misleading - because far fewer tickets need to be sold when the price is that high to come up with the gross take. In which case, shouldn't they be measuring how many tickets are sold, rather than the box office gross?

With all the great press this film has had though, Disney can expect to sell quite a few tickets beyond this weekend. Disney can really use a blockbuster right now, considering the dismal 2009 revenues they are reporting across most of their market segments. And a movie like this, if they can find a way to mass merchandise it, it could really take off like Cars has for their DCP division.

I just saw it in 3-D on opening night and will probably return sometime this week to see it in 2-D.

 

[CoolTrainerTerry]

From EOnline.com:




It was a given Up was going to be the weekend's No. 1 movie. It was not a given it was going to bigger, all-time, than all but two Pixar movies.

But it was.

The animated tale of a 78-year-old curmudgeon grossed an estimated $68.2 million Friday-Sunday, blowing past the likes of WALL-E and Cars.

Elsewhere, Star Trek hit a new milestone, Terminator Salvation fell hard and fast, and Drag Me to Hell, Sam Raimi's return to gore, was no Spider-Man. Or Catwoman, for that matter.

Drilling down into the numbers:

• So, are senior citizens really more marketable than talking race cars? "I think the sell was easier than that," Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said today. "We sold a great story. We showed a great comedy."

• Among Disney/Pixar's nine wide-release debuts, Up ranks behind only The Incredibles ($70.5 million) and Finding Nemo ($70.3 million). Its weekend was a $5 million improvement over last summer's WALL-E.

• Up scored the year's first A-plus from moviegoers polled by CinemaScore, Disney said.

• Drag Me to Hell ($16.6 million) did okay, but was unable to drag down Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ($25.5 million). The horror movie settled for third place, while the Stiller comedy, its crown usurped by Up, took second.

• On the upside, Drag Me to Hell is Raimi's top-opening film to not take place at the Daily Bugle. On the downside, even Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, to name a fellow R-rated flick, bowed with more money.

• Battle of the Smithsonian and Angels & Demons ($11.2 million) became the eighth and the ninth 2009 films, respectively, to gross at least $100 million. Smithsonian's two-weekend take stands at $105.3 million. After three weekends, Angels & Demons has grossed $104.8 million.

• On Wednesday, Star Trek overtook Monsters vs. Aliens as the year's top-grossing movie. On Friday, the sci-fi reboot became the year's first $200 million movie. As of today, its overall haul is estimated at $209.5 million.

• With Up around, Monsters vs. Aliens lost more than half its theaters. It managed another $315,000, and fell out of the Top 10 after a nine-weekend run.

• Terminator Salvation ($16.1 million) suffered the biggest second week drop of any Terminator movie, including the unbeloved third installment: 62 percent.

Here's a complete look at the weekend's top-grossing films based on Friday-Sunday estimates as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

Up, $68.2 million
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, $25.5 million
Drag Me to Hell, $16.6 million
Terminator Salvation, $16.1 million
Star Trek, $12.8 million
Angels & Demons, $11.2 million
Dance Flick, $4.9 million
X-Men Origins: Wolverine, $3.9 million
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, $1.9 million
Obsessed, $665,000 million

 

[disney1990]

We saw it; it was great!

 

[gymnastgirlflips]

Yes, it was an amazing movie. Great job, as usual, Pixar!

 

[ChrisFL]

Just saw it tonight...wonderful movie...one note...for anyone who says that any original storytelling and creativity no longer exists in movies, they need to remember Pixar.

 

[mikkiwikki]

Just got back from seeing this movie about an hour ago.
..Wonderful movie, very heartwarming. Bring the tissues! But also great laughs. my kids were laughing out loud in many many scenes

I liked how unlike previous pixars previous flicks - it wasnt soooooooOOOOOoooOoOOoOoo **spazzy** and/or irratic..

The movie plot seemed calmer overall, and not made by a bunch of teenage hyper kids. It also was without so many scenes...that jumped focus every split second.........ie shiftin perspective every second... Its quite draining on the younger kids....and although I love the incredibles there are scenes that are really unnecessarily rapid.

I thought the pace of this movie was quite nice.... GReAt flick nicely done Pixar!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

With the success at Cannes and the remarkable critical and public approval the talk is that this movie could be picture of the year (not just animated POtY).

I think the flick was total quality, as we expect from PIXAR, and while overall kids won't hate it, they won't love it either. It's a crossover movie for sure, maybe the first since Roger Rabbit, but I hope PIXAR can lighten it up with the next one.