Axiom's Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

Horror film The Last Exorcism opened in theaters this past weekend and currently stand neck and neck with Takers for the Number 1 slot based on the early estimates. Exorcism had an estimated $21.3 million in receipts and Takers was just a nose behind at $21 million. But The Last Exorcism is the real winner here as it was made on the cheap ($1.8 million) giving it a domestic take of almost twelve times its production costs after its first week. That also means to keep an eye out for a sequel about this time next year which will cost ten to twenty times as much to make and will be much more Hollywood-ized. After spending two weeks at Number 1, The Expendables dropped to the Number 3 slot in its third week. That one has now made $82 million domestically (vs. an $80 million budget) after only three weeks of release and without its foreign debut yet. Vampires Suck dropped to the Number 6 slot after opening at Number 2 last weekend and Inception climbed up to the Number 7 slot after having previously dropped to the Number 9 slot. Piranha 3-D dropped to the Number 10 slot in its second weekend of release, but despite its mediocre Box Office reception a sequel is already in the works. The special extended version of Avatar 3-D took the Number 12 slot in limited release in just over 800 theaters domestically and with $4 million in receipts. And Toy Story 3, currently at the edge of the Top 20 at Number 19, finally broke the $1 billion barrier over the weekend making it the second of Disney’s billion dollar movies this year after Alice in Wonderland crossed that mark w few months ago.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Check Out Our Fall/Winter 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview at This Link

Five new movies hit the theaters this past weekend including Piranha 3-D and Vampires Suck, but none of them drew enough in receipts to knock Sylvester Stalone’s throw-back action flick The Expandables from the top slot.  That film pulled in an estimate $16.5 million in its second weekend of release bringing its domestic total to $65 million so far.  The spooky spoof Vampires Suck, taking aim at the Twilight movies and their ilk, managed to land the Number 2 slot at the Box Office with an estimated $12 million over the weekend and $18.5 million total domestically since it got an early start last Wednesday.  Piranha 3-D, the remake of Roger Corman’s 70′s cult film, only managed the Number 6 slot in its debut with an estimated $10 million in receipts, but with a budget of only $25 million, this one is still on target for at least a decent theatrical run.  If you want to count it as a fantasy movie, Nanny McPhee Returns opened at the Number 7 slot with an estimated $8.3 million in receipts.  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World dropped all the way down to the Number 10 slot in its second weekend of release with a Box Office tally of $5 million.  With only $20 million total domestically vs. a $60 million budget, this one will have to look to its DVD release, where it is sure to become a cult hit, to make back its production costs.  Dropping out of the Top 10 this weekend were Despicable Me (which has made nearly $300 million worldwide so far), Salt (which has made $215 million worldwide so far), and Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Pussy Galore (which has scraped up $75 million worldwide so far).  Toy Story 3 edged up to $985 million worldwide and will almost certainly break the billion dollar mark by the Labor Day weekend.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Check Out Our Fall/Winter 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview

Sylvester Stalone’s testosterone fueled 80′s style action film The Expendables played loud and hard at the theaters as it took the top spot in its debut and earned an estimated $35 million on a relatively slow weekend attendance-wise.  With a budget of $82 million and the Labor Day weekend approaching, this film should deliver that hit that Stalone has been looking for in the twilight of his career (and he will have to hope that all of the 80′s names he worked on this one can stay out of the old folks home before it gets around to the inevitable sequel).  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World did not do as well, despite a fair amount of positive buzz coming from the Comic-Con, as that film only reached the Number 5 slot with $10.5 million in receipts.  Of course, as a more geek-friendly, cross-genre movie this one faces a larger challenge at appealing to the average theater-goer, but will probably have some decent staying power with its core audience.  And with a budget of only $60 million to recover, this one at least has a chance of breaking even before it finishes its theatrical run.  Inception slipped to the Number 4 slot in its fifth week of release with that one now topping $560 million worldwide.  Despicable Me held onto the Number 6 slot in its sixth weekend and is now approaching $280 million worldwide.  Salt slipped to Number 8 from Number 4 in its fourth weekend but has now topped $165 million worldwide, at least recovering its budget though falling short thus far of what Hollywood would consider a hit.  Toy Story 3 slipped out of the Top 10 this past weekend but continues to progress to the $1 billion mark as it has reached $940 million worldwide after nine weeks.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

For the first time since mid-June, a Science Fiction/Fantasy film did not top the Box Office charts as the Buddy Comedy The Other Guys dethroned Inception after its three week run at Number 1 (it did still hold onto the Number 1 spot internationally, though). Still, the Christopher Nolan flick only slipped one slot and pulled in a substantial $18.6 million over its fourth weekend bringing its domestic total to nearly $230 million. Salt slipped to the Number 4 slot in its third weekend and has now grossed $92 million domestically. Further down, Despicable Me slid to the Number 6 slot and has grossed $210 million after five weeks. At the next slot, Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore added only $7 million more to its total which brings it to a disappointing $26 million domestically after two weeks. At the Number 9 slot, Toy Story 3 padded its number by another $3 million bringing it to nearly $400 million domestically. That one now stands at $895 million worldwide and should crack the billion dollar mark by Labor Day weekend.  Twilight: Eclipse dropped out of the Top 10 after eight weeks, but not before raking in nearly $300 million during that run.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

For those doubters who thought Inception might not play well in theaters because of its heady, intricate plot, I have one number for you: $363 million. That is the estimated gross worldwide for the film after its third week, in which it once again held onto the top slot on the Box Office charts. With numbers this high after only three weeks, this one should enter into conversations about the top Box Office winner for the Summer. Currently, Toy Story 3 has a significant head start with an estimated $826 worldwide after seven weeks followed by Twilight: Eclipse, which has passed up Iron Man 2 (at $615 million worldwide), with an estimated $645 in receipts after five weeks. Inception has some ground to make up, but it continues to play strong in the theaters so it should at least make it to the upper echelon amongst this Summer’s movies before it ends its theatrical run. Last week’s opener Salt slipped to the Number 3 slot and has now earned $103 million worldwide over two weeks. Despicable Me slid to the Number 4 slot after four weeks but has raked in an impressive tally of $220 million worldwide so far. The animated Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore bowed this week to unenthusiastic theater-goers as it only managed to claim the Number 5 slot with $12.5 million in domestic receipts. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice slipped to the Number 9 slot after three weeks as it looks to take a quick exit after only having brought in a disappointing $93 million worldwide so far (vs. a budget of $150 million so far). The Last Airbender fell out of the Top 10 this last weekend and has only achieved $167 worldwide in receipts after five weeks. We thought it would play well in the foreign markets, but it has only brought in $40 million there so far and its disappointing Box Office performance suggests that the much-maligned Shyamalan will almost certainly not be involved if a second movie emerges from the franchise.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Action diva Angelina Jolie’s latest film Salt debuted this past weekend but failed to beat out Christopher Nolan’s Inception which held onto the top spot through its second weekend. Salt still managed to grab the Number 2 slot and pulled in an estimated $36.5 million for its opening bow, not spectacular numbers, but strong enough to likely keep it out of the bust category. Inception earned an estimated $43.5 million for the weekend and is now approaching a $230 million gross worldwide after two weeks. Some analysts had thought that Nolan’s latest picture may not have played well in theaters because of its heady nature, but it has definitely drawn plenty of movie-goers into the theaters thus far. Despicable Me slipped to the Number 3 slot in its third week of release, but this one has grossed nearly $180 million worldwide so far vs. a $70 million budget so it should count as a Summer hit. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice slipped to the Number 4 spot after its mediocre opening last weekend and could be looking at a quick exit from the theaters. Toy Story 3 continues to show staying power as it held onto the Number 5 slot and raised its tally to over $730 million worldwide after six weeks. This one still appears to have a lock on honors as the top grossing film for the Summer and should top $1 billion before it ends its theatrical run. Twilight: Eclipse continues to slide down the charts as it fell from the Number 4 to the Number 8 slot this past weekend. Still, that one has now surpassed $600 million in receipts and will likely top Iron Man 2 (currently at $615 million) before finishing its run. The Last Airbender has now surpassed $150 million in receipts worldwide, making back its budget, but will need some more success in the foreign markets if Shyamalan hopes for any chance to produce a second movie in this series. And those wanting to see Predators on the big screen need to do it fast because that one has already dropped to the Number 10 slot after three weeks of release. It has still managed to make a decent amount of money vs. its budget ($95 million in receipts worldwide vs. a $40 million budget) and will escape the flop label.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Click Here to See Our Summer 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview

Christopher Nolan, who already has one of the top grossing films of all time on his resume (The Dark Knight at over $1 billion), looks to have another winner on his hands with the dream-infiltrating thriller Inception which opened this past weekend. The movie bowed at the Number 1 slot and pulled in an estimated $60 million in its debut and received very strong critical praise as well (and you can read Johnny Jay’s review at this link). And while this one may not reach the heights of The Dark Knight in receipts, it should still do quite well in its theatrical run. Not so lucky over the weekend was the Nicholas Cage starring The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. That film only managed to climb to the Number 3 slot in its debut with an estimated $17 million in receipts which brings it to a total of around $24 million domestically included the tally from its early release. With a budget of $150 million and poor critical returns, this one looks headed toward flop status. At the Number 2 slot over the weekend, the animated Despicable Me enjoyed a decent second outing as it pulled in nearly $33 million. As expected, Twilight: Eclipse continues to show a sharp drop-off in attendance as it slipped to the Number 4 slot over the weekend with $13.5 million in receipts. Still, that one has already racked up over $550 million worldwide. Toy Story 3 dropped to the Number 5 slot with just under $12 million in receipts, but that one has now eclipsed Iron Man 2 as the top money-maker for the Summer with $630 million worldwide vs. $615 million so far for the superhero flick. At the Number 7 slot, The Last Airbender looks like it is on the way out as it brought in $7.5 million this past weekend. That one has only grossed $135 million worldwide so far vs. a $150 million budget. I expected it to play well in the foreign markets, but it has only racked up $20 million there over the past two weeks, though that may be only limited release in that arena [Edit: it has had only limited release so far, with larger distribution to come] . Predators also looks like it is heading for a quick exit as it slipped to the Number 8 slot in its second week. But that one has grossed $78 million worldwide vs. a $40 million budget so it should still be considered a Summer success.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Click Here to See Our Summer 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview

The top five grossing films at the Box Office this past weekend were Science Fiction and/or Fantasy according to the Monday morning estimates. The new animated comedy Despicable Me won top honors as it landed the Number 1 slot with an estimated tally of $60 million domestically for its debut. Twilight: Eclipse slipped to the Number 2 slot after debuting on top over the Fourth of July weekend and pulled in ~$33 million in its second outing. Predators debuted at the Number 3 slot, pulling in an estimated $25 million, which is actually a decent draw compared to its modest budget (by Hollywood standards) of $40 million. When you include its foreign receipts of $18 million, that one is already in the black (not taking into account its marketing costs). Starting to lose some ground after four weeks, Toy Story 3 slipped to the Number 4 slot, pulling in an estimated $22 million for the weekend. It’s still chugging along pretty strong overall, though, having grossed over $550 million worldwide and is still on track to overtake Iron Man 2 as the Summer’s top grossing film (assuming of course that Twilight: Eclipse continues to see the steep drop-off we expect). As we predicted last week, The Last Airbender saw a significant decrease in receipts from its opening weekend, likely because of the negative reviews from critics and harsh reactions from fans of the animated series. That one slipped to the Number 5 slot with an estimated $17 million in receipts. Looking further down the Box Office charts, the Tom Cruise / Cameron Diaz vehicle Knight and Day is making a quick exit from theaters as it slipped to the Number 7 slot and has only grossed an estimated $100 million worldwide so far. It should recover its $117 million budget (which likely one third or more is comprised of the two stars’ salaries), but probably not its marketing costs and will be tagged as a Summer dud. Also facing that fate is The A-Team at the Number 9 slot which has recouped its budget, but should be exiting the theaters pretty soon without sufficient receipts to cover its marketing expenses.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Click Here to See Our Summer 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview

The third movie in the Twilight franchise, Twilight: Eclipse, hit big in its debut weekend as it took the Number 1 slot at the Box Office and pulled in an estimated $82.5 million over the four day holiday period. The movie had an early debut last Wednesday and actually took in more on its opening day than the entire weekend period that followed putting its domestic total to an estimated $175 million. And as astounding as that number sounds, that’s less than the previous installment in the franchise did in its opening weekend. However, it has only been seven months since Twilight: New Moon hit the screens so a drop-off was expected with such a short time span between movies. Also debuting strong over the weekend was M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender which adapts the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. That one took no shame in taking second place at the Box Office and had an estimated $53 million in receipts over the four day holiday weekend and with its early release on Thursday has taken in an estimated $70.5 million total domestically. That’s a decent opening for the film, despite almost universally bad reviews (though our own Johnny Jay liked it), and already puts it close to the half way point of making up its $150 million budget. One of the primary complaints about the movie, though, is that it significantly diverged from its source material and this one could see a significant drop-off in attendance after its debut weekend. It has not had its international release, though, and should perform well in that market. Holding on strong against some pretty stiff competition, Toy Story 3 took the third place slot at the Box Office and brought in an estimated $42 million over the holiday weekend and edged up its worldwide gross to nearly $452 million as it quickly looks to overtake Iron Man 2 (currently at $612 million) as the Summer’s top money maker. Some might look at Twilight: Eclipse (currently at an estimated $275 million worldwide after only one weekend) as a strong candidate for top Box Office honors this Summer, but movies in that franchise tend to have a sharp drop-off after their opening whereas Toy Story 3 has more general appeal and better staying-power.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Click Here to See Our Summer 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview

Toy Story 3 fended off two new-comers to the theaters this past weekend (Grown Ups and Knight & Day) as it held tight to the Number 1 slot at the Box Office in its second weekend of release. The movie pulled in an estimated $59 million for the weekend bringing its domestic total to $226.5 million which is just below the $229 million that Shrek Forever After has pulled in domestically after six weeks of release. And when you add the estimated $100 million that Toy Story has made in foreign release, that movie actually tops Shrek worldwide with $326.5 million in receipts vs. $321 million. This puts Toy Story 3 on the fast track to beating out Iron Man 2 as the top grossing film of the summer (that one currently stands at $610 million worldwide after eight weeks in release). Not so lucky this past weekend was the new Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz spy-thriller Knight & Day which only made it to the Number 3 slot at the Box Office in its opening weekend with an estimated $20.5 million in receipts (with an extra two days to get there seeing as it had an early release on Wednesday). That one did not draw much attention in its foreign release either where it only added an additional $12.6 million. That probably does not yet even cover the salary that the two stars received for the movie and puts it a good distance from recouping its $125 million budget. This seems to assure that this potential action-comedy franchise starter will stall before ever really taking off and that it could disappear pretty quickly with plenty of other Summer blockbusters vying for screen time. Also looking at a quick exit from the theaters is Jonah Hex which debuted poorly last weekend and has already slipped down to the Number 10 slot at the Box Office.

Note that these numbers are estimates of the weekend performance and the dollar amounts and position ranks will change slightly when the final tally comes in. You can see the full Box Office results from the weekend at Box Office Mojo.

Click Here to See Our Summer 2010 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movie Preview

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