Weekend Estimates: Elysium Leads Pack of Openers

August 11, 2013

The waning days of the Summer season are seeing a glut of films as distributors try to find one last hit. Four films opened in wide release this weekend and, even though they played to quite different demographics, they will ultimately all fall somewhat short of expectations (or, more accurately, hopes). Topping the pack will be Elysium, which is expected to earn $30.5 million by Sunday evening -- a solid enough performance, but not enough to make a serious dent in its $120 million production budget. Good legs and an impressive international run will be needed for this one to turn a profit. We're the Millers will land in second place for the weekend with about $26.5 million, but will arguably have had a better start, with $38 million earned in total since it opened on Wednesday (not to mention a much lower production cost). Planes will be third with $22.5 million or so, which is OK for a film that was originally destined for a direct-to-video release. The real bomb of the weekend is Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, with $14.6 million expected Friday to Sunday and $23.5 million in total over five days.

With so many films coming onto the market this weekend, it comes as no surprise that existing titles are having a hard time of it. 2 Guns will be down 59% from its opening weekend and will fall well short of its $100 million goal. The Wolverine will be down a similarly abrupt 62%.

Limited releases are faring better though. Blue Jasmine remains top dog with a projected $2.5 million from 119 theaters, maintaining an average over $20,000 in its third weekend, and keeping it on par with Midnight in Paris. In a World... and Snake and Mongoose are the two other films with an average topping $20,000 this weekend, from three and one theaters respectively.

Also notable in limited release is The Spectacular Now, with $266,119 projected from 19 theaters and an average over $14,000, and Chennai Express, which is set for a weekend around $2.2 million from 196 theaters, a record opening for a Bollywood film.

- Weekend Estimates

Bruce Nash

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, We’re the Millers, Elysium, The Wolverine, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, 2 Guns, Disney Planes, Blue Jasmine, The Spectacular Now, In a World..., Chennai Express, Snake and Mongoose