Box Office: Alice Kicks Rest of Competition Down the Box Office Rabbit Hole

Box Office Report

Alice Kicks Rest of Competition Down the Box Office Rabbit Hole

By our guest blogger, Tim Strain

Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” continues to decimate the box office, accumulating another $62 million in its second weekend. Even with four new films in theaters, “Alice” more than quadrupled the total of its closest competition, the Iraq War/Matt Damon headliner “Green Zone.” Audiences are clearly loving the 3D craze that is currently sweeping the country and will ultimately consume Hollywood, as this is the second juggernaut the format has produced in three months.

“Avatar” dropped a measly 19 percent despite losing 21 percent of its theaters and being all but shut out at last week’s Academy Awards. James Cameron and Fox executives can relax since it doesn’t look as if “Alice” is taking as big a bite out of its box office as they previously feared. Even still, Cameron announced that an extended cut of his epic will be coming to theaters late this summer, as well as a 3D rendering of “Titanic” pointlessly (and hypocritically as Cameron has said many times that 2D films SHOULD NOT be converted to 3D) coming sometime in 2012.

The weekend’s quartet of openers were all much ado about nothing. While “Green Zone” brought in $14 million, more than every other previous film about Iraq aside from “The Hurt Locker” (which was re-released last weekend and still has only made $16 million), it will be considered a flop. Universal has kept mum as to exactly why they bumped the film’s release date twice, but its lackluster reviews are an indication that this was never awards bait. The $100 million production will be very lucky to make back half its budget.

“She’s Out of My League” proved that not everyone in Judd Apatow’s entourage can headline their own hit, and Jay Baruchel may be forced to keep playing the sidekick in the near future, as this broad-appealing rom com netted a little under $10 million.

Proving tweenies don’t really give a damn about Robert Pattinson, his newest romantic drama “Remember Me” opened with a modest $8 million.

Forest Whitaker continues to ruin the good will he earned with his Oscar-winning performance in “The Last King of Scotland” by starring in another anonymous knock-off of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” as the pic made just $7.6 million. Co-star Carlos Mencia is probably thrilled by the take, however.

“Shutter Island” passed the $100 million mark by dropping a respectable 39 percent to fifth place and an $8 million take in its fourth weekend. It is officially Maestro Scorsese’s second biggest movie, and still has a chance at breaking “The Departed’s” $132 million total.