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‘New Year’s Eve’ Drops the Ball at Box Office

Few resolutions were kept for Gary Marshall’s star-studded mega rom-com New Year’s Eve, which barely registered with $13 million when compared to the goliath $56.3 million start of the identically constructed Valentine’s Day from just last year. Nobody expected this pseudo-sequel to match those numbers considering the smaller beginners/longer legs of movies released this time of year, but this is a mere half of what most analysts predicted. Although it still should find its way to a decent total, audiences wouldn’t be fooled twice by the panned formula. Overseas, the holiday flick collected $12.9 million for a soft $25.9 M early global take.

 
Showing that comedy star Jonah Hill has only so-so appeal when flying solo, Fox’s The Sitter
minded the number two spot with a mild $9.9 million debut and a $3,582 per-theater average. Budgeted at only $25 million, this comedy should too see solid holds over the Christmas frame, but poor reviews and plenty of competition will hinder any remarkable legs.

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The Top Ten

1. New Year’s Eve - $13.0M (weekend)…$13.0M (gross)
2. The Sitter - $9.9M…$9.9M
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part - $7.8M…$259.4M
4. The Muppets - $7.0M…$65.7M
5. Arthur Christmas - $6.5M…$33.4M
6. Hugo - $6.0M…$33.6M
7. The Descendents - $4.3M…$23.6M
8. Happy Feet 2 - $3.1M…$68.5M
9. Jack and Jill - $3.1M…$68.5M
10. Immortals - $2.5M…$79.9M

After three weeks atop the box office, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 was finally dethroned and settled for third place with $7.8 million and a huge $259.4 million domestic total. Worldwide, part one of the finale smashed past the $600 million mark and has thus far amassed $633.4 million around the globe.

Following the expected post-Thanksgiving plunge, Disney’s The Muppets stabilized falling 37 percent to $7.0 million and a $65.7 million total. Fellow family films Arthur Christmas and Hugo followed with $6.5 million and $6.0 million weekends and nearly identical cumulative grosses in the $33 million range.

On the international side of things, “Twilight” was also defeated by the surging Puss in Boots which clawed its way to $45.6 million in 42 markets. The “Shrek” spinoff’s cume is now at a stellar $284 million with much more to come.

Outside the top ten, two award hopefuls, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Young Adult, debuted close to the same, with grosses $310,000 a piece and respective averages of $77,641 and $38,783 (“Tinker, Tailor” landed in four showings and Young Adult in eight).

Next weekend audiences get sequel bombardment (and colon crazy) as Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol all debut (though “Ghost Protocol” debuts in just 400 IMAX showings before going wide next weekend). The other two will premier in well over 3,500 screens a piece. Finally, after a stellar platform debut, Young Adult will expand onto 1,000 screens as its awards run ramps up.

 

 


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