The Christmas weekend box office is going to be led by "Little Fockers, " but Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller's dysfunctional family will not be as dominant as previously expected.
The star-laden and pricey comedy, that is being distributed domestically by Universal Pictures, opened Wednesday with $7. Two million in ticket sales. Although it was sufficiently strong to be No. 1, it had been far behind the outlet of "Meet the Fockers. " That second film within the series sold $12. A million in tickets if this debuted on the same December date six years back.
People who've seen pre-release audience surveys had expected "Fockers" to take about $60 million price of tickets sales by Sunday. After Wednesday's weaker-than-expected showing, however, it now appears prone to gross nearer to $50 million.
One reason it fell short might be strong competition. The Coen brothers-directed western "True Grit" also opened Wednesday and sold $5. 5 million price of tickets, a powerful start for that quirky directors who may have had just a few breakout hits for example 2007's Oscar-winner "No Country for Old Men. " It now appears that Paramount Pictures' well-reviewed "Grit, " which stars Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, should consume between $25 million and $30 million by Sunday.
The only real other new movie opening nationwide a few days ago may be the Jack Black comedy "Gulliver's Travels. " Twentieth century Fox's 3-D adaptation of the classic Jonathan Swift tale debuts on Saturday, Christmas Day, and can likely consume rather less than $10 million for that two-day weekend, because it appears to be generating soft pre-release interest.
Movie attendance is traditionally very light on Christmas Eve -- and that's why "Gulliver's" opens on Saturday -- but Christmas has turned into a lucrative day for that industry recently. Because so many people are from school and work between Christmas and New Year's Day, whichever films do best over the weekend should bring in more throughout the following week.
With its cadre of big-name stars including De Niro, Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Owen Wilson and Jessica Alba, "Little Fockers" is really a high-stakes film for Universal and financing partners Paramount Pictures and Relativity Media, which each covered one-third of the budget. Three people close to the picture said hello cost between $130 million and $140 million to create, though a Universal spokeswoman said the price involved $100 million.
The large investment could repay if "Little Fockers" does near to, or as well as, its predecessor. "Meet the Fockers" would be a hit for families with children of sufficient age to determine the PG-13 high jinks and grossed $279. 3 million domestically and $237. 4 million overseas. Paramount opens the film in many overseas markets a few days ago.
After the so-so begin Wednesday, however, it remains to be seen whether "Little Fockers" would be the option for families over the holiday season. Besides "True Grit, " Disney world Studio's "Tron: Legacy" seemed to be nipping in the heels of "Fockers. " It collected $5. Six million Wednesday, bringing its total since last Friday to $62. A million. After a great although not great opening driven usually by fanboys, Disney is hoping the crowd for "Tron" expands to families.
If person to person from opening-day crowds at "True Grit" are just like reviews happen to be, Paramount must have an economic winner on its hands. The film cost no more than $35 million to create.
Fox, meanwhile, will most likely possess a hard time turning an income on "Gulliver's Travels, " unless it might be a large hit overseas. Co-financed with Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film partners for around about $112 million after a 3-D conversion, the PG-rated comedy appears to be low on the listing of movie selections for many families.
Fox may fare better over Christmas and the following week using its "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. " It's been a soft although not terrible performer within the U. S. and Canada, with $50. A million over yesteryear fourteen days, but is doing much better overseas. It collected $124. 4 million internationally through earlier this Sunday.
Two specialty films in limited release, the Weinstein Co. 's historical tale "The King's Speech" and Fox Searchlight's psychological drama "Black Swan" will significantly expand their presence in theaters a few days ago and may contend with "Gulliver's Travels" on the budget of the top ten box office chart.
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