Box Office Report: ‘Apes’ Still Top Bananas

It’s still the Apes’ planet; we just live on it.

In its second weekend, ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes‘ remained on top at the box office, relegating four new movies to second-banana status. But the film did receive a stronger-than-expected challenge from ‘The Help,’ while the other three new releases opened well below expectations. Read more

The Smurfs tie Cowboys at the Box Office

Little blue Smurfs and aliens from space are in a photo finish for the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office. Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford‘s sci-fi Western Cowboys & Aliens and the family adventure The Smurfs both opened with $36.2 million, according to studio estimates. Read more

The Boy Wizard Takes Down Batman

The boy wizard has vanquished the dark knight and a band of pirates with a record-setting magic act at both the domestic and international box office.
Warner Bros. estimates that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″ took in $168.6 million domestically from Friday to Sunday. That beats the previous best opening weekend of $158.4 million, also held by Warner Bros. for 2008′s Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” Read more

‘Transformers’ stay on top with $47M weekend

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” now rules this year’s box office as the blockbuster sequel became 2011′s top domestic hit with $261 million, according to studio estimates. Read more

3-D helps lift ‘Transformers’ to $400M global haul

The “Transformers” robots have put their 3-D ticket-price advantage to good use.

Distributor Paramount Pictures estimated Monday that “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” pulled in $116.4 million domestically over the four-day Fourth of July weekend and $181.1 million since opening Tuesday night.

Director Michael Bay’s third installment in the sci-fi franchise has added $217 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to nearly $400 million.

The studio says 60 percent of domestic business came from premium-priced 3-D admissions, which cost a few dollars more than 2-D screenings. Overseas, 3-D admissions accounted for 70 percent of ticket sales.

That’s a good sign for Hollywood’s 3-D business, which had waned as 3-D revenues dipped to 50 percent or less of the total for some recent releases.

“It proves that for 3-D to be successful, it has to be attached to the right kind of movie. This was this monumental Michael Bay blockbuster, and for something like that, people felt it’s worth the money,” said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. “It’s all about maintaining good quality. If they see three 3-D movies in a row that look terrible, they’re not going to put the money down again.” Read more

X-Men: First Class tops weekend box office

“X-Men: First Class,” a prequel that drops the franchise’s mutants into the Cuban Missile Crisis, deputed atop the North American box office with $56 million.

The well-received fifth installment, starring James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, shines light on the beginning of the X-Men saga and a “secret history” of the Cold War. Read more

“The Hangover 2″ Blitzes the Holiday Weekend Box Office

Madcap comedy sequel “The Hangover: Part II” on Monday toasted a weekend romp at the North American box office where it rang up a dizzying 105.8 million dollars in three days. Read more

Thor hammers competition with $66M opening

Thor kicked off the summer movie season by smashing the competition at the box office with a $66 million opening weekend.

The 3-D action picture from Paramount, based on the Marvel comic, was by far the No. 1 movie, according to Sunday studio estimates.

Australian actor Chris Hemsworth stars as the arrogant god of thunder who’s sent down to Earth as punishment. It was directed by Kenneth Branagh, best known for making films based on Shakespeare plays such an epic “Hamlet,” and featured a supporting cast that included Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgard.
In second place was a holdover from last week, the car-racing sequel “Fast Five” from Universal Pictures. It made $32.5 million for a total of nearly $140 million in just 10 days. Read more

Russell Brand’s Movies Take Top Spots

Russell Brand beat himself at the box office this weekend, as “Hop,” an animated movie that features his voice, sold more tickets than a remake of the comedy “Arthur,” which also stars Mr. Brand. Read more

Weekend Box Office: ‘Wimpy Kid’ rules weekend with $24.4M opening

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules,” the second film in a series based on popular children’s novels, grossed $24.4 million in ticket sales, according to an estimate from distributor 20th Century Fox. That was a major blow to the much more expensive “Sucker Punch,” which cost Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures $82 million to produce but opened to a weak $19 million. Read more

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