By Chris Kavan - 05/04/14 at 11:35 PM CT
The first official weekend of the summer got off to a strong start - as the super hero explosion continued at the box office. Things looked even brighter when international numbers are taken into account. But even with one of the highest opening of the year, the web slinger was no match for Iron Man 3, which opened to a near-record $174.1 million last year. Even if it couldn't match that might, the film is no slouch and gives a big boost going into the summer movie season.
1) THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
Being the only new wide-release movie opening over the weekend, there was little doubt as to what movie was going to be #1 at the box office - the question was, how good was it going to be? The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had a strong $92 million opening. That is one of the best openings of the year, though it did fall just short of the $95 million that Captain America: The Winter Solider opened with. It did top recent super hero films Thor: The Dark World ($85.7 million) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($85.1 million). It was also down compared to the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man ($114.8 million). Maybe audiences are a bit worn out - and critics weren't as impressed, giving it the lowest rating yet for a movie in the Spider-Man series. The "B+" Cinemascore indicates a good, though not completely enthusiastic, audience response. The movie drew mostly male (61%) and a somewhat younger crowd - including 33% families - higher than a typical super hero film would expect to draw. It also drew about 43% of its grosses from 3D screens, and about 9.3% of its total came from IMAX. All in all, the sequel will ultimately top its $200 million budget (likely closing above $225 million) domestically, but the real excitement is reserved for its strong international showing. The film has already made $277 million overseas - and is likely to top the original films $490 million showing (in China alone it could top $100 million) - meaning even if it falls a bit short stateside, the international showing all but guarantees this franchise is going to have no problem sticking around.
2)
THE OTHER WOMAN
All the accolades went to Spider-Man 2, as The Other Woman ran a distant second place with $14.2 million (down 43% compared to last week). But that was enough to easily top its $40 million budget, as the female-centric comedy now stands at $47.3 million and should have no problem crossing the $50 million mark in the next few days. Should it stay strong, $75 million still looks within reach.
3)
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL
The faith-based drama retained its #3 position, dropping just 39% over last weekend and taking in $8.7 million and giving it a new total of $65.6 million. It has topped Son of God ($59.5 million) to become the leading Christian-themed film of 2014 - and it's also looking like a lock to close above $75 million. On just a $12 million budget, you can bet studios are already looking for more material they can adapt to satisfy this largely untapped market.
4)
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER
The new super hero in town dealt a mighty blow to Winter Solider. Down just over 52%, the Captain dipped to fourth place with $7.76 million - raising its total to $237.1 million. The film still looks on course to close above the $250 million mark at this point. Given the direct competition, it's impressive Winter Soldier didn't fare even worse - it just goes to show how strong a brand Marvel has on their hands - and with the franchise pretty much planned out for the next, oh, ten years or so, they are counting on it staying that way as well. Things will get really interesting when they reboot their own characters.
5)
RIO 2
Dropping one spot from last weekend, Rio 2 brought in $7.6 million, helping it cross the $100 million mark with a new total of $106.4 million (though it is still trailing Rio by about $9 million through the same period). With Rio 2 fading fast, it will likely be lucky to top the $125 million mark by the end of its run.
Outside the top five: Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel crossed the $50 million mark, taking in $1.7 million for a new total of $51.5 million. In a week (or just a bit more) it should top the Royal Tenenbaums ($52.3 million) to become Anderson's highest-grossing film to date (domestically). With international numbers taken into account, it has nearly doubled the Tenenbaums $71.4 million and stands at $140 million and counting.
In limited release, Belle opened in four theaters with a $26,250-per-theater debut (leading all films) for a $105,000 total. It should continue to expand in the coming weeks as well.
Next week the animed film Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return looks to capture families, while three comedies vie for attention: critical darling Chef, the female-oriented Moms' Night Out and the lowbrow frat vs. family film Neighbors. We'll if any can capture the attention of audiences.
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