Sorry about the lateness on this box office recap, but it was a pretty uneventful weekend for new releases save for one based on a popular Nickelodeon show. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water was a monster success with its $56 million debut. Early expectations were around the $30 mil mark, so $56M is a big deal. A friend with kids saw it and she figured that it was written by someone on drugs as it didn’t appeal to her at all. Yet, she enjoyed the original SpongeBob movie that was released several years ago.
I predicted that it would be the top grosser on account of how much the character is popular with children, and the fact that family fare in cinemas is lacking. Aside from Paddington, which dropped from third to fifth place with $5.3 million, the only other kid attractions are playing on less than 1500 screens (Strange Magic and Night at the Museum 3).
The biggest WTF may be the performance of the Wachowskis’ Jupiter Ascending. With a budget of $175 million, the movie was bumped from its summer 2014 release to February 2015. That’s a bad sign. The story is that time was needed for post-production, which may be true, as it was a very big, universe-building, CGI extravaganza. The opening was lower than the likes of the critically panned Battleship, Lone Ranger, and John Carter, the latter of which is the best of the bunch and comparable to Jupiter in scope. It was just a victim of poor marketing and a director unable to compromise.
The other new release is a film that dwarfs Jupiter in being delayed. Originally set to open in February 2013(!), the Jeff Bridges/Julianne Moore sorcery movie Seventh Son bombed hard with only a $7 million weekend against a $95 million budget. Overseas, though, it has taken in $83 million, so it may make a profit after all. But don’t expect it to generate enough to warrant a sequel like what has happened to Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. It seems Jeff Bridges has fallen into Kim Basigner territory after his Oscar win, unable to find the right project. After R.I.P.D., The Giver and now this, it seems that Bridges needs to go work with Wes Anderson or some indie auteur for a change.
And in case you are wondering, people are still watching American Sniper. It is the second-biggest R-rated hit behind Passion of the Christ and it the third highest grossing film of 2014 with a collective sum of $282 million domestic. If it makes another $90 million before it leaves theaters, Chris Kyle will, cinematically, be bigger than Jesus.
On tap for the weekend is Kingsman: The Secret Service and Fifty Shades of Grey. Obviously, we know what the ladies will be instructing their men to take them to see Valentine’s Day weekend. Here’s hoping Kingsman has a good showing as Matthew Vaughn is a talented filmmaker who has done stellar work with the likes of Layer Cake, X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass and The Princess Bride of its time – Stardust.
The complete top 10 is below.
01. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water – $56 Million
02. American Sniper – $24 Million ($282M)
03. Jupiter Ascending – $19 Million
04. Seventh Son – $7.1 Million
05. Paddington – $5.36 Million ($57.2M)
06. Project Almanac – $5.33 Million ($15.7M)
07. The Imitation Game – $4.88 Million ($74.7M)
08. The Wedding Ringer – $4.8 Million ($55.1M)
09. Black Or White – $4.5 Million ($13.1M)
10. The Boy Next Door – $4.1 Million ($30.9M)
