Weekend Estimates: Man of Steel Posts Biggest June Weekend
June 16, 2013
2013 has been a nervous time for Warner Bros.. After six straight years as the number one or number two domestic distributor, the studio's main franchise breadwinners, Batman, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Hangover are all coming to an end or already played out. They are running in third place for the year to date, and badly need a new money spinner if they are to avoid lean times in 2015 and beyond. This weekend they got their knight in shining armor, or, more accurately, Man of Steel. The reboot of the venerable Superman franchise will open this weekend with $113.08 million, a new record weekend in June and a huge shot in the arm for the studio.
Well back from Superman, but still better than anticipated, will be This is the End, which will make about $20.5 million over the weekend and $32.8 million since it opened on Wednesday. With good reviews, it will have an opportunity for a good run through July 4 weekend, although The Heat will take some of the wind out of its sails in two weeks' time.
With two big debutantes, life was tough for returning films. Now You See Me did best among films in the top 10, but was down 46% from last weekend.
In limited release, The Bling Ring will post about $210,000 from just five theaters for upstart distributor A24. Its long-term prospects are not certain, given lackluster reviews, but it couldn't have had a much better start. Also debuting to good numbers is documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, which will earn around $51,200 from three locations.
Bruce Nash bruce.nash@the-numbers.com
Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Now You See Me, This is the End, 20 Feet From Stardom, The Bling Ring, Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, Hangover