Looking for the definition of a box office hit? Check out the amazing weekend that Taken 2 experienced as it claimed the top spot at the movies. Here’s what went down:
While it was a foregone conclusion that Taken 2, the sequel to the surprise hit with Liam Neeson from 2009, would top the box office in its opening weekend, nobody predicted just how strong the demand would be. The film brought in an estimated $50 million, proving that Neeson seriously resonates as an action film star. It will be interesting to see how Taken 2 plays out over the next few weeks, as the first film built its audience over time, whereas this sequel may be front loaded and could conceivably drop hard.
Find out how the rest of the weekend turned out after the jump!
The other big new release of the weekend was Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, which had no luck on finding an audience, debuting in fifth place with a lacklustre $11.5 million. Granted, a stop-motion black and white animated film was never going to set the world on fire, but no doubt Burton and Disney were hoping for a stronger opening. Reviews have been strong, so perhaps word of mouth could kick in, but I’m guessing that Frankeenweenie will be gone once Halloween hits.
As for the rest of the top five, Hotel Transylvania dropped just 38% week to week to land in second place with $27 million. Pitch Perfect made its way into the top five, hitting third place with $14.7 million, while Looper dropped to fourth with $12 million.
So, to recap, here were our predictions:
1) Taken 2 – $35 million
2) Hotel Transylvania – $24 million
3) Frankenweenie – $15 million
4) Looper – $14 million
5) Pitch Perfect – $13.5 million
And here’s how the weekend turned out:
1) Taken 2 – $50 million
2) Hotel Transylvania – $26.3 million
3) Pitch Perfect – $14.6 million
4) Looper – $12 million
5) Frankenweenie – $11.5 million
Next weekend sees the release of Argo, Here Comes The Boom, Seven Psychopaths and Sinister. Check back on Friday to see our predictions!
Filed under: Andy Burns, Andy Burns/Andy B, box office predictions, General, movies Tagged: Andy Burns, animation, biff bam pop, box office predictions, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, Liam Neeson, Looper, Maggie Grace, Pitch Perfect, stop motion, Taken 2, tim burton
