Box Office: “Part Four” tops “Part Two,” “Video Game Adaptation” Disappoints in crowded Memorial

Box Office

“Part Four” tops “Part Two,” “Video Game Adaptation” Disappoints in Crowded Memorial Day Weekend

By our guest blogger, Tim Strain

“Shrek Forever After,” or “Shrek The Final Chapter,” depending on which advertising you like to believe, fended off the supposedly hotly anticipated sequel “Sex and the City 2” over the three-day Memorial Day weekend frame.

“Shrek 4” dropped a respectable 39 percent to amass another $43.3 million in 4,367 theaters, coming off its disappointing $71 million opening. “Sex” opened in 3,445 theaters to $32 million and an additional $13 million from its opening shows on Thursday. This has to be seen as a mild disappointment compared to its predecessor’s $57 million three-day total Memorial Days ago. Still, $57 million is an indicator that there remains a strong female audience attracted to the characters, concepts, humor, leading ladies and the HBO brand, and that is nothing to be disappointed about.

Mickey Mouse is undoubtedly sipping on a highball tonight as the results of his $200 million+ epic fail “Prince of Persia” landed with a dud, bringing in $30 million on 3,646 screens, about 60 percent of “Pirates of the Caribbean’s” debut seven years ago. Maybe Jake Gyllenhaal doesn’t have the base tan for the job. “Robin Hood” also will prove to be a $200 million flop in the States, bringing in $10 million over the three-day weekend and increasing its total to $83 million. It may break $100 million, but it won’t be the series-starter that SOMEONE was hoping for. “Iron Man 2” dropped 39 percent and is in jeopardy of not passing the first movie's gross. It has earned $275 million through four weekends, so I don’t think anyone should be crying.

Combined, “Letters to Juliet,” “Just Wright” and “Date Night” joined “Sex” in selling about $40 million in female lead-centric pieces over the weekend. “MacGruber” kicked the bucket, dropping 64 percent in its second pathetic weekend. “How to Train Your Dragon” tacked on another million bucks just for the hell of it, and “Alice in Wonderland” has pretty much landed in the 19 biggest movie of all-time slot, at least until the next blockbuster brings it down a notch. It stands at $333 million and probably doesn’t have enough juice to pass “Spider-Man 3’s” $336 million total.

Jean-Pierre Jeumet’s “Micmacs” debuted to excellent reviews and solid box office, bringing in $50,000 on four screens. Oscar winner “The Secret in Their Eyes" continued its success, posting its seventh consecutive increase. The Sony Pictures Classic release is the hit of the art screens this summer, and has $3.43 million in the bank. SPC’s “Mother and Child” grossed $61k in its fourth weekend, amassing $326k. Overall, business was down about 15 percent from last year, when “Up” debuted to the tune of $68 million.