HOLLYWOOD STOCK EXCHANGE
THE ENTERTAINMENT MARKET
THE ENTERTAINMENT MARKET
Variety: [AVATR] $27m, the exit polls for 'Avatar,' both stateside and abroad, have been truly fantastic. 4th [MRGNS] $ 2.3m (full article)
Opening 12 years, almost to the day, after his behemoth film "Titanic," James Cameron’s 3D sci-fi spectacle "Avatar" drew a strong $27 million in its first day at the box office from 3,452 theaters.
Among all opening days which are Fridays in December, Twentieth Century Fox's "Avatar" ranks behind Will Smith’s 2007 sci-fi tentpole "I Am Legend" which grossed $30.1 million. 2003’s "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" continues to own the all-time opening day record in December with $34.5 million, however, that film unspooled on a Wednesday.
It's quite possible that the east coast winter storms cut into the opening day figure for "Avatar" a bit. However, much like Cameron’s "Titanic," "Avatar" is bound to sprout a fantastic set of legs based on word of mouth -- a huge asset heading into the Christmas holiday, which falls on Friday. Immediately evident: the exit polls for 'Avatar,' both stateside and abroad, have been truly fantastic.
When "Titanic" was released on Dec. 19, 1997, it posted a first day gross of $8.7 million and an opening weekend of $28.6 million -- figures which were respectable, but far from being records. However, with Christmas falling on a Saturday in 1997, "Titanic" saw boffo gains of 40% on its second Friday and 24% for its second weekend. "Titanic" finaled its domestic tally at $600.8 million.
The box office champ in terms of opening records back in 1997 was Steven Spielberg’s "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," which bowed over the Memorial Day frame that year with a first day record of $21.6 million and a three-day haul of $72.1 million according to Rentrak Theatrical.
Coming in second on Friday was Disney’s hand-drawn animated toon "The Princess and the Frog" which generated $3.4 million at 3,475, down 52% in its second Friday of wide release. Since bowing four weeks ago, "Princess" has accumulated an estimated domestic gross of $35.9 million.
Staying tough in third was Sandra Bullock’s football drama "The Blind Side" which counted $3.2 million at 3,407 in its fifth Friday ,down 33% with a domestic B.O. of $157.9 million.
Vying to counterprogram "Avatar," Sony’s new comedy this weekend "Did You Hear About the Morgans" with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker collected an estimated $2.3 million from 2,718 in fourth.
Summit Entertainment’s "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" slotted fifth with $1.4 million from 3,035, repping a 43% decline and a running domestic tally of $271.6 million.
More box office dates to come this morning
Variety: [AVATR] $27m, the exit polls for 'Avatar,' both stateside and abroad, have been truly fantastic. 4th [MRGNS] $ 2.3m (full article) Dec 19, 09:25
That's a rough drop for Frog, but could be because the LA/NYC $30-50 ticket engagements stopped on Monday to a degree. {nm} Dec 19, 09:39