Box Office Update: Divergent Surges; Muppets 2-Fuzzy Fizzle

While Summit Entertainment's big screen adaptation of author Veronica Roth's young adult novel "Divergent" was no Twilight in terms of its debut--the heavily promoted film still managed to break the so-called "YA Curse". I wish the news were better for The Muppets and their cameo filled sequel Muppets Most Wanted.The Christian themed God's Not Dead was blessed by movie-goers.

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Summit Entertainment's Divergent may not have reached the heights of Twilight or The Hunger Games, but its $56 million North American box office broke the curse that has plagued every other YA film adaptation.

Launching a new franchise for Summit and parent company Lionsgate, the dystopian sci-fi adventure benefited from good word of mouth among moviegoers, who gave it an A CinemaScore despite mostly withering reviews.

As expected, females made up the majority of the audience (69 percent). Half of the audience was over the age of 25, easing concerns that Divergent would only have appeal among younger demos.

Divergent -- starring Shailene Woodley in the title role -- is directed by Neil Burger and based on the best-selling book series by Veronica Roth about a young woman who poses a threat to society after failing to fit into one of five strictly controlled factions. It doesn't begin rolling out overseas in earnest until April 4.

Interestingly, only 50 percent of ticket buyers had read the book, compared to 74 percent for Twilight and 76 percent for The Hunger Games.

Summit is certainly well versed in selling YA adaptations, being the home of the Twilight franchise. And its parent company, Lionsgate, is the studio behind Hunger Games. Lionsgate/Summit begins production on Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent, in May and it will hit theaters March 20, 2015.

In November 2008, the first Twilight debuted domestically to $69.6 million; four years later, Hunger Games opened to a massive $152.5 million, one of the biggest openings of all time. All other YA film adaptations have failed to make their mark at the box office, including The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Warm Bodies and Beautiful Creatures.

Divergent also stars Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Tony Goldwyn, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Mekhi Phifer and Kate Winslet. The film won't begin rolling out internationally in earnest until April 4.

Among the weekend's other new offerings, Disney's Muppets Most Wanted is proving a dud, thanks in part to a saturated market for family titles.

The sequel, facing competition from holdovers Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Lego Movie, opened to a mere $16.5 million in North America, compared to a $41 million launch for The Muppets over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2011, including $29 million for the weekend.

James Bobin returns to direct the $50 million Muppets sequel, with Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey replacing Jason Segel and Amy Adams as the live-action leads. This time out, Kermit and the gang find themselves lured into an international crime caper while on tour in Europe. Muppets Most Wanted has earned solid-to-good reviews, compared to stellar notices for The Muppets.

Also opening nationwide, although on a much smaller scale, was Christian drama God's Not Dead. From Pure Flix Entertainment, the movie came in a strong No. 5 with $8.6 million from 780 locations across the country, putting it on par with such films as Fireproof and Courageous.

Based on the book of the same name by Rice Broocks and Daniel Bashta's song "Like a Lion," God's Not Dead stars Shane Harper as a college student whose philosophy professor forces him to sign a declaration that "God is dead." When the student refuses, he's ordered to prove his position that God exists in a series of debates. Directed by Harold Cronk, the indie movie also stars Kevin Sorbo, Jim Gleason, David A.R. White and Dean Cain.

Another film with biblical themes, Darren Aronofsky's event movie Noah, opened in its first two markets to impressive results. The Paramount and New Regency title grossed $14 million in Mexico and South Korea, where it launched a week ahead of its launch in North America and another 20 foreign markets. Noah is performing is pacing just ahead of Gravity.

At the North American specialty box office, Lars von Trier's unrated sexual opus Nymphomaniac: Volume I failed to arouse, grossing roughly $132,000 from 22 locations for a location average of $6,000, well behind his previous films, Melancholia and Antichrist. Magnolia made the movie available first on VOD.
 
Anita Hill documentary Anita opened in seven theaters in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco to $44,382 for a location average of $6,340. Samuel Goldwyn Films is releasing the movie in the U.S.

Next Up: Darren Aronofsky's controversial Biblical epic "Noah"`sets sail; 2 stars of the Terminator franchise join forces as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington star in director David Ayer's crime action thriller Sabotage.