Sunday, January 26, 2014

Box Office Update: I, Frankenstein D.O.A.

As expected the Ice Cube/Kevin Hart comedy Ride Along and Peter Berg's powerful film adaptation of the non-fiction book by Marcus Luttrell-Lone Survivor gave the genre film starring called I, Frankenstein all sorts of trouble--the sting is made worse by the fact that Frankenstein was the only new wide release this weekend.



Pamela McClintock of THR:

Stuart Beattie's I, Frankenstein quickly faltered in its North American debut, eking out a sixth-place finish with $8.3 million. Starring Aaron Eckhart, the $65 million genre epic reimagines the classic literary character as an action hero.

Holdovers Ride Along and Lone Survivor easily stayed at No. 1 and No. 2 with $21.2 million and $12.6 million, respectively, in a double victory for Universal.

Frankenstein was financed and produced by Lakeshore Entertainment, with Lionsgate releasing and marketing in North America. Lionsgate, which only put up a small portion of the budget, has limited financial exposure.

Adapted from Kevin Grevioux's graphic novel, the supernatural action pic is set in a dystopian future where gargoyles and demons battle each other for ultimate power as Victor Frankenstein's creation (Eckhart) finds himself caught in the middle. Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto, Socratis Otto, Jai Courtney and Grevioux also star in the film, which earned a B CinemaScore and played heavily to males (62 percent).

Starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube, Ride Along declined 49 percent in its second weekend -- less than expected -- and pushing the buddy comedy's North American total to a hefty $75.4 million.

Lone Survivor, a victory for director Peter Berg, continues to be a hit in America's heartland. The Afghanistan war drama, featuring an ensemble cast led by Mark Wahlberg, has now earned $93.6 million in North America. Based on demand, Universal upped the theater count for Lone Survivor from 2,989 to 3,160.

Animated family film The Nut Job placed No. 3 in its second outing, grossing an estimated $12.3 million for a North American total of $40.3 million (Open Road Films and its partners on the film have already commissioned a sequel).

Disney's blockbuster Frozen continued to make headlines in its 10th week as it crossed the $800 million mark globally, becoming the No. 2 original animated film of all time after Finding Nemo.

Frozen placed No. 4 in North America with $9 million for a domestic total of $347.8 million. Overseas, Frozen earned another $20.2 million for a foreign total of $462.5 million and global cume of $810.3 million.

Paramount's troubled Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit fell 43 percent in its second weekend to come in No. 5 with $8.8 million, and putting the film's domestic total at $30.2 million.

Among award contenders looking for a continued boost after scoring top Oscar nominations, Focus Features' Dallas Buyers Club expanded nationwide for the first time, grossing a modest $2 million for a domestic total of $20.4 million and coming in No. 14.

The drama was rereleased in theaters earlier this month after earning top Oscar nominations and Golden Globe wins for Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto and top Oscar nominations. Dallas Buyers Club began its original platform run last fall, but never played in more than 730 theaters (800 is considered a nationwide play) before winding down.

David O. Russell's awards frontrunner American Hustle continued to outpace other Oscar nominees, grossing $7.1 million for a domestic total of $127 million and coming in No. 7. The Wolf of Wall Street and August: Osage County tied for No. 8 with $5 million each.

Wolf of Wall Street, which will cross the $100 million mark sometime this weekend, ended the weekend with a North American total of $98 million.

Osage County's domestic total is $26.5 million.


Next Up:, , and face That Awkward Moment that happens in every relationship; and star in 's film adaptation of author Joyce Maynard's book entitled Labor Day.

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