It couldn’t top its predecessors, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine still brought in quite a haul, grossing an estimated $87 million for the opening weekend of the summer movie season. The Hugh Jackman pic brought in a strong $21,225 per-theater average in 4,099 movie houses, despite generating mixed reviews. The film fell $15 million short of 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand but it is still an enormous success for Jackman and director Gavin Hood.
Matthew McConaughey’s Ghosts of Girlfriends Past generated an estimated $15.3 million for a second place bow. It’s not a shabby opening but it is far less than McConaughey’s previous romantic outings including last year’s Fool’s Gold ($21.6 million) or 2006’s Failure to Launch ($24.2 million). (Perhaps women were too busy checking out all those hunky mutants this weekend?) The two new openers did help the industry maintain its year-over-year increase of 16 percent.
Also aiding that statistic was Beyonce Knowles’ Obsessed. Dropping a not-surprising 57 percent for its second weekend in theaters, the thriller earned another $12.2 million to put its ten-day gross at a shockingly strong $47 million. And Zac Efron’s 17 Again showed surprising stamina, too, grossing an additional $6.3 million its third weekend for a total take of $48.4 million.
The other new wide release for the weekend was the anemic 3-D animated sci-fi film Battle for Terra. Opening on 1162 theaters, the Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood-voiced feature proved to be little competition for the other 3-D movie in the marketplace. Dreamworks Animation’s juggernaut Monsters vs. Aliens grossed another $5.8 million its sixth weekend for the fifth slot in the rankings, while newcomer Terra couldn’t muster more than $1 million for a twelfth place in the box office derby.
Summer has officially begun — at least in Hollywood — so expect a giant event film every weekend. Wolverine may have bowed mightily but with Star Trek hot on its heels next weekend, the Marvel superhero is going to need more than adamantium to maintain its box office lead.
More Wolverine:
Box Office Chart: Weekend’s top 10
Wolverine: EW review
Wolverine: Summer’s First Hit?
22 Summer Movies for Your Inner Geek
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prediction for wolverine gross next weekend= 34 million. It’s that disappointing.
prediction for star trek opening weekend: 89 million
Wow, this is the exact number Ben Lyons predicted on The Daily 10! Yeah, but that dude has inside dish, doesn’t he…?
Yep, I said it wouldn’t make 90 mil and I was right. Next week it is going to plummet now that movie goers will be able to see a REAL film. Star Trek is going to be great!
This is only for Friday and Saturday, it
still has Sunday results to add to the total…..I’m so happy for Hugh, who is
such a classy guy!
This is only for Friday and Saturday, it
still has Sunday results to add to the total…..I’m so happy for Hugh, who is
such a classy guy!
sexy hot babes..
http://watchcelebrity.com/
Actually i believe that number is taking Friday and Saturday and predicting Sunday. I dont think it has made that much just on fri and sat alone.
sarah: u r no longer allowed to post comments on box office numbers until you educate urself…hugh left the door open for star trek to do better
Hey Nicole, It’s Grady from http://theboxofficejunkie.com
Great work on your predictions this week. I gave you and Gitesh Pandya a shoutout on my blog for your good predictions! You certainly beat me! I overestimated a bit this weekend!
If you ever see the estimates, that’s all they are, come out on Sunday, that’s exactly what they’re doing. They’re analyzing how much the movie made over Friday and Saturday, estimating what it’s total will be on Sunday, and releasing that weekend total which could still be adjusted if their Sunday projections are off.
Those numbers SURE were affected by those pirated copies I tell ya!
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/05/03/tv-tonight-sunday-may-5th-2009/
Wolverine rocks. It probably did effect the movie that fanboys got an early copy of the film. http://www.cutecatholics.com
Rothman gets a reprieve. This movie still cost north of 150M. Wolverine got trashed by the critics. Expect this movie to fall over 50 percent next weekend and in the weeks to come with Star Trek, etc. opening.
Hugh is GAY.
still a decent actor.
@elizabath: what’s one got to do with the other? oh, and he’s not gay
I love hugh jackman, but the new movie still sucked. It will likely get only 200 million. Next Weekend Star Trek arrives and I have no doubt it will propel itself to almost 300 mil.
As much grief as people on these boards gave Joshua Rich for his terrible picks, I have to give you, Ms. Sperling, credit for an almost completely on-the-nose prediction for the box office.
BIG weekend yes,but this will be one of the biggest frontloaded films in history. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 75% or more fall off in week to week ticketsales as I just can’t see word of mouth to be anything but mediocre to bad. I thought the film was fairly awful.
http://blog.entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com/
chuck
We should all boycott McConaughey’s next rom-com (I wouldn’t go anyway). Only for the purpose of forcing to make a quality picture, as I’m sure he’s capable of. No more of these terrible comedies with Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner etc etc. Do some quality work for a change!
Big opening YES, but I could see this fall 75% or more next weekend. I thought it was awful. A mess of a film that was a silly affair throughout.
http://blog.entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com/
chuck
I like Jackman but this movie was horrible. Saw it over the weekend. No one else I went with liked it either. Don’t waste your time.
For those looking for Jackman’s real autograph, you can get it at http://www.celebrityauthentics.com. He’s never signed before (unless you were lucky enough to meet him personally). Although room for improvement, thought the Wolverine was a solid superhero movie.
Obsessed was only showing on one screen and Wolverine was showing on three. Obsessed was sold out Friday night at several theatres in Alabama, so many movie goers saw Wolverine because there were tickets still available due to the multiple screens it was given. I wonder how this affected the outcome of tickets sold.
You people are idiots… The movie is an action-packed special effects pop-corn flick. What were you expecting? Hugh was AMAZING in it by the way!!!
On Wolverine, I’ve heard a lot of bad, but some good, too. I’m waiting for DVD.
Oh, what LOST mystery do you most want solved in the season five finale? Vote at: al.com/tv
“Wolverine sinks” sounds like it did poorly. A better headline would be “Wolverine slices the competition” or something silly like that.
I saw the leaked copy of Wolverine, but I felt guilty so I watched in the theatre as well – it was way more fun with other people hootin’ & hollerin’ and there was LOTS of eye candy for us girls (hugh AND ryan yoikes!!!). It’s silly summer fun! Can’t wait for Star Trek!
Hey, congrats on your little shout out at the box office junkie! hehe, that’s cool, even if I don’t know how much that matters! Good work on predictions this week, Nicole!
By the end of next weekend Star Trek could boldly go over the 100 million dollar mark with Wolverine and everything else taking big hits. I think Wolverine drops to about 31 million if it’s lucky.
What are critics having such a problem with with this movie. I saw it today and thought it was great. Seems every now and then the movie snobs get together and try to pick a whipping boy. Great story. Great action, great cameo by …I won’t say. Stay for a scene after the credits. It is a clue to where the story is going next.