Weekend Estimates: Shrek Bows Out with Disappointing Opening Weekend

May 23, 2010

Perhaps DreamWorks Animation saw the writing on the wall before anyone else, but their decision to make Shrek Forever After the last film in the series is looking wise after the Ogre comedy/adventure posted what has to be considered a very ordinary opening. Paramount's weekend estimate is $71.25 million, over $50 million less than Shrek the Third's debut in 2007, and it will take incredible legs through the Summer for the movie to deliver the kind of box office enjoyed by previous movies in the franchise.

Universal, however, will be looking enviously at those figures, as MacGruber became one of the biggest flops of the year so far with just $4.1 million over its opening weekend. The studio is currently enduring its worst year since 1998 (see full history), and this debut will do nothing to help out.

Reliance Big Pictures, meanwhile, has a lot to celebrate, as it posted its first top 10 entry, thanks to a $953,000 estimated opening for Kites, a Bollywood romantic thriller. Playing in just 207 theaters, the movie enjoyed the fourth-highest average in the top ten.

Among returning movies, Date Night and Letters to Juliet had the best week-to-week performances in the top 10. The Steve Carell/Tina Fey action comedy was down 26% to $2.8 million and has now racked up $90.6 million. Juliet was off just 32% in its second weekend to $9.1 million and stands at $27.4 million for Summit.

Weekend estimates:
- 3-Day Weekend Estimates
- Friday estimates
- Saturday estimates
- Sunday estimates

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Date Night, MacGruber, Shrek Forever After, Letters to Juliet