WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Bourne Ends Batman's Box Office Reign

It was a monster of a weekend for counter programming. With the box office still battling stiff competition from the London Olympics, The Dark Knight Rises threepeat reign at the top had challenges the from actioner The Bourne Legacy, the comedy The Campaign, and the cinematic safety net for senior citizens Hope Springs.

When the dust settled, Universal's gamble on a Matt Damon-less Bourne film starring Jeremy Renner was the pic that finally knocked The Caped Crusader off the streak it had enjoyed since its July 20th opening. The Bourne Legacy took in over $42 million in its debut weekend, easily sailing ahead of the Warner Bros. one-two punch of The Campaign in second place with over $27 million, and The Dark Knight Rises at number three with over $19.5 million. It's worth mentioning that TDKR is now sitting pretty with over $835M in worldwide receipts.

Sony's Total Recall reboot took a total nosedive in its sophomore week, plunging a whopping 68%, slipping from the top spot last week to number six with $8.1M in ticket sales. Not even cracking the $50M mark yet does not bode well for recouping its reported $125M price tag.

Next week brings the action all-star line ups of all line-ups, The Expendables 2. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jean Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jet Li, and Dolph Lundgren. I think that's just about everyone.

1. THE BOURNE LEGACY -  Weekend Gross: $40.2M
2. THE CAMPAIGN - Weekend Gross: $27.4M
3. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Weekend Gross: $19.5M, Total: $390.1M
4. HOPE SPRINGS - Weekend Gross: $15.6M, Total: $20M
5. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3 - Weekend Gross: $8.2M, Total: $30.5
6. TOTAL RECALL - Weekend Gross: $8.1M, Total: $44.1
7. ICE AGE 4  - Weekend Gross: $6.7M, Total: $144.M

8. TED - Weekend Gross: $3.3M, Total: $209.9M
9. STEP UP REVOLUTION - Weekend Gross: $2.8M, Total: $30.1M

10. THE WATCH - Weekend Gross: $2.2M, Total: $31.3

SOURCES: Box Office Mojo

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Total Recall' Can't Take Down 'Dark Knight Rises'

The Dark Knight Rises had little trouble this weekend taking the top spot for a clean threepeat victory at the box office with $36.4M. Sony's Total Recall starring Colin Farrell was the only major contender against Christopher Nolan's conclusion of his epic big screen Batman trilogy, and came up short trailing TDKR by over $10M.

Total Recall, which took to big special effects and a straightforward darker storyline over the campy 1990 Arnold Classic, didn't click with critics either, scoring only 31% on Rotten Tomatoes.

This week The Dark Knight Rises also became the third quickest movie to hit $300M in domestic ticket sales, crossing that mark in 12 days. The series' previous installment, 2008's The Dark Knight did it in ten days, while the all time champ, The Avengers, hit the mark in nine this summer.

Worldwide The Dark Knight Rises has amassed over $733 million since its July 20th debut, with a large play on IMAX screens. Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man has spun a world wide web to the turn of nearly $678 million, while Seth MacFarlane's Ted still holds extremely strong approaching $281 million in worldwide ticket sales.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Weekend Gross: $36.4M, Total: $354.6M
2. TOTAL RECALL - Weekend Gross: $26.0M

3. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID - Weekend Gross: $14.5
4. ICE AGE 4  - Weekend Gross: $8M, Total: $131.5M
5. THE WATCH - Weekend Gross: $6.3, Total: $25.3
6. TED - Weekend Gross: $5.5M, Total: $203.4M
7. STEP UP REVOLUTION - Weekend Gross: $5.3M, Total: $23.1
8. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Weekend Gross: $4.5M, Total: $250.8M
9. BRAVE - Weekend Gross: $2.8M, Total: $223.2M

10. MAGIC MIKE - Weekend Gross: $1.7M, Total: $111.2M

Next week there are three major releases, and have classic counter programming all over them. Universal unveils the Matt Damon-less actioner The Bourne Legacy, Warner Bros has The Campaign with the one-two punch of Will Farrell and Zack Galifianakis, and for the older set there is Sony's Hope Springs starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.

With the final week of the Olympics upon us, which has been eating away at movie attendance, some big questions come into play: How long will The Dark Knight Rises remain at the top stop? Can the Bourne franchise move forward with Jeremy Renner in for Matt Damon? Will the powerhouse comedic team of Ferrell and Galifianakis equal a hit (bear in mind the teaming of Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in The Watch did not)?

SOURCE: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Dark Knight' Rises Above 'The Watch' And 'Step Up'

The Dark Knight Rises dominated the box office in its third weekend of release, taking in $46 million in ticket sales, and soaring past the two major new releases, 20th Century Fox's The Watch and Summit's Step Up Revolution.

It was a tougher weekend to get people out to the movies when compared to the same period last summer. According to Deadline, domestic ticket sales were down nearly 22% factoring in the Olympic Opening Ceremonies on Friday night with the remaining repercussions from the Aurora, Colorado tragedy.

As of this weekend, Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight Rises has earned $289 million in domestic ticket sales in its first ten days of release. 2008's The Dark Knight had earned over $313 million in its first ten days. 

When combined with the $248.2 million overseas, TDKR's worldwide take is now over $537 million. It's also worth noting it has $38 million from IMAX screens, a nice haul coming from the extra prestige of nearly 72 minutes of the film shot in the format.

Ted holds on strong, with $7.4M this weekend. With a total of $193.7 million, the big 200 is well within reach for Seth MacFarlane's R-rated talking teddy bear comedy.

The Amazing Spider-Man, the other big screen superhero in the top ten, earned $7 million this weekend, and nearly $655 million worldwide since its July 3rd release.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES - Weekend Gross: $46M, Total: $289M
2. THE WATCH - Weekend Gross: $13.3M

3. ICE AGE 4  - Weekend Gross: $13.2M, Total: $114.8M
4. STEP UP REVOLUTION - Weekend Gross: $11.8M
5. TED - Weekend Gross: $7.4M, Total: $193.7M
6. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Weekend Gross: $7.0M, Total: $242.2M
7. BRAVE - Weekend Gross: $3.7M, Total: $216.7M

8. MAGIC MIKE - Weekend Gross $2.2M, Total: $107.2M

9. SAVAGES - Weekend Gross $1.5M, Total: $43.6M

10. MADEA'S WITNESS PROTECTION - Weekend Gross $1.2M, Total: $62.6M

SOURCES: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Ice Age' Breezes Into The Top Spot

20th Century Fox's Ice Age: Continental Drift took the top spot at the box office with a $46M weekend debut, though notably greeted with a relative chilly reception compared to the opening receipts of the series' previous installments.

2006's Ice Age: The Meltdown boasted a $68M opening, and that was without inflated 2012 3-D ticket prices. But the latest and fourth installment was on par with 2009's Ice Age: Dawn of The Dinosaurs, which in 3D had nearly a $42 million opening. However with $339M in overseas business, Continental Drift will most likely not be the last we see in the franchise.

The Amazing Spider-Man held on strong in its second week with a $35M Friday to Saturday gross, bringing its worldwide total to $521.4 millon.

Seth MacFarlane's raunchy talking teddy bear comedy Ted continues to maintain a loyal audience in week three, scoring $22.1 million, and bringing its domestic total to $158.9 million.

1. ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT - Weekend Gross: $46M
2. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Weekend Gross: $35M, Total: $200.9M

3. TED - Weekend Gross: $22.1M, Total: $158.9M
4. BRAVE - Weekend Gross: $10.6M, Total: $195.5M
5. MAGIC MIKE - Weekend Gross: $9.M, Total: $91.8M
6. SAVAGES - Weekend Gross: $8.7M, Total: $31.4M
7. MADEA'S WITNESS PROTECTION - Weekend Gross: $5.6M, Total: $55.6M

8. KATY PERRY: PART OF ME - Weekend Gross $3.7M, Total: $18.5M

9. MOONRISE KINGDOM - Weekend Gross $3.6M, Total: $32.4M

10. MADAGASCAR 3 - Weekend Gross $3.5M, Total: $203.7M

Next week, all eyes are on this summer's second box office behemoth (after The Avengers), The Dark Knight Rises.

Let's not pretend anything is going to stand in its way, the Warner Bros. accountants will have their work cut out for them starting on July 20th. The Dark Knight opened to over $158 million in 2008 (eventually grossing over a billion worldwide), and the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy will also playing heavily in IMAX, with over 70 minutes of the film shot in the supersize format.

SOURCES: Deadline, Box Office Mojo

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Spider-Man' Amazes

To no one's surprise, Sony Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man swung to the top of this week's Fourth of July Holiday Box Office, and managed to leave a few records in the dust since midnight screenings began on July 3rd.

The Amazing Spider-Man amassed a record breaking $35 million opening day, the highest debut ever for a Tuesday. $7.5 million of that came from midnight shows, and $4 million from the 307 IMAX 3D screens.

The Marc Webb directed reboot of the popular Marvel web slinger has now over $140 million in domestic ticket sales from its first six days of release, and a total of $342.1M internationally.

The box office success also allows Sony a sigh of relief that starting over the franchise with a new cast a mere ten years after the previous big screen origin story was not a miscalculation. Similar recent re-boots drew less than Spider-Man's weekend take of $65M, albeit without the advantage of higher 2012 premium 3-D ticket prices. But Batman Begins scored $48.7M in its opening weekend in 2005, and X-Men: First Class debuted to $55.1M in 2011. Sony has plans to make a trilogy from the series, which was fairly obvious from the deep story groundwork laid down in this installment, and will likely see the successive chapters open to bigger numbers.

Warner Bros. is without a doubt watching closely as they will need to figure out a plan of action (again) regarding Batman's big screen future following Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan's curtain cowl with the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises. Batman Begins retold the Caped Crusader's origins after the (much needed) hiatus following 1997's critic and fan panned campfest Batman & Robin. The studio will need to look towards the thankless task of moving beyond Nolan's trilogy with another interpretation.

Ted and Magic Mike held their ground with solid footing, coming in at numbers two and five, which stranded studio newcomers, the violent Oliver Stone directed guns and drugs drama Savages, and the 3-D tour documentary Katy Perry: Part Of Me, with relatively disappointing box office leavings.

Falling out of the top ten this week were the geek friendly Prometheus, Snow White & The Huntsman, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, while the animated Brave and Madagascar 3 kept 3-D CGI family fare alive and kicking.

1. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN - Weekend Gross: $65M, Total: $140M

2. TED - Weekend Gross: $32.5M, Total: $120.2M
3. BRAVE - Weekend Gross: $20.1M, Total: $174.5M
4. SAVAGES - Weekend Gross: $16.1M
5. MAGIC MIKE - Weekend Gross: $15.6M, Total: $72.2M
6. MADEA'S WITNESS PROTECTION - Weekend Gross: $10.2M, Total: $45.8M

7. MADAGASCAR 3 - Weekend $7.7M, Total: $196M

8. KATY PERRY: PART OF ME - Weekend Gross: $7.1M, Total: $10.2M

9. MOONRISE KINGDOM - Weekend $4.6M, Total: $26.8M

10. TO ROME WITH LOVE - Weekend $3.5M, Total: $5.2M

Next week's big studio release is 20th Century Fox's Ice Age: Continental Drift. The fourth film in the popular series should affect the animation competition considerably, in addition to splitting further the availability of 3-D screens between Spider-Man, Brave, Madagascar, and Katy Perry.

The Amazing Spider-Man has 12 more days to enjoy his superhero free reign until battling it out with The Dark Knight Rises on July 20th.

SOURCES: Entertainment Weekly, Deadline, Yahoo!

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Ted' Outmuscles 'Magic Mike'

Two R-Rated films went head to head this weekend, and in the box office battle between a foul mouthed Teddy Bear and a team of male strippers led by Channing Tatum: the bear won. In additional news, Men In Black 3 has become the highest grossing entry in the blockbuster series starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, and The Amazing Spider-Man is out performing The Avengers' pre-US release numbers in some foreign markets according to box office accountants

Back here stateside, Ted, Seth MacFarlane's raunchy R-rated talking bear led leap onto the big screen was a huge success. The Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis starrer not only came in at number one at the box office, but over performed with an estimated take of over $54 million from Friday to Sunday.

Magic Mike, directed Steven Soderbergh, finished second despite offering a huge 'ladies night out' over the weekend. The film exceeded expectations and made it rain to the tune $39 million worth of singles. The semi-autobiographical tale of Channing Tatum's early days as a Florida stripper also boasted the box office eight packs of Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer (White Collar), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), and Alex Pettyfer (Beastly).

Though this weekend's numbers could have turned out entirely different had Paramount not made the 11th hour decision to push back its planned release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation from this weekend to March 29th of next year. The second film in the big screen G.I. Joe series also featured Channing Tatum, which would have had the actor competing against himself in two films on the same weekend. His role had been greatly diminished in the sequel also starring new headliners Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson, and according to sources, his character Captain Duke Hauser is actually killed off early in the film. It appears that Paramount's panic and release push is Universal and Warner Bros. box office gain.

20th Century Fox's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter disappointed again in week two, sliding to #6 with a 69% drop from last week. Prometheus - love it, like it, or hate it - continues to be debated continually and furiously online, scored nearly $5 million, bringing its total to $118 million domestically. Snow White & The Huntsman holds tight in the top ten with $4.4 million (a sequel script is in development). Star Trek fans did not show up to support the new Captain Kirk, Chris Pine in People Like Us. Despite positive reviews for his performance opposite Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer, the family drama came in 10th place with just over $4 million.

1. TED - Weekend Gross: $54.1M

2. MAGIC MIKE - Weekend Gross: $39.2M
3. BRAVE - Weekend Gross: $34M,  Total: $131.7M
4. MADEA'S WITNESS PROTECTION - Weekend Gross $26.4M
5. MADAGASCAR 3 - Weekend $18.8M, Total: $180M
6. ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER - Weekend $6M, Total: $29M
7. PROMETHEUS  - Weekend $4.9M, Total: $118M
8. MOONRISE KINGDOM - Weekend $4.8M, Total: $18.3M
9. SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN - Weekend $4.4M, Total: $145.6M
10. PEOPLE LIKE US - Weekend $4.3M

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Men In Black 3 is now the highest grossing entry in the Sony franchise, having passed the $589.4 million made by the original MIB in 1997. Men In Black 3 has racked up $599.4 million worldwide since its release in May, and the majority of that has been earned overseas ($429.8 million vs. $169.6 million domestic).

Per Deadline, another Sony film, The Amazing-Spider-Man is out pacing the box office numbers racked up by The Avengers in some foreign markets in its pre-US release. So far the reboot of the Marvel web slinger has already earned over $50 million in Asia and Europe. Spider-Man opens here on July 3rd (with Katy Perry: Part Of Me competing for 3D screens that week).

SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline

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