NO STRINGS TIES DOWN 1ST PLACE AT BOX OFFICE (Updated)
January 24, 2011 by admin · Leave a Comment
Exit surveys at theaters over the weekend indicated that 70 percent of moviegoers who turned out to see Paramount’s No Strings Attached were women — but neither that nor the fact that it was rated R prevented the rom-com from grossing an estimated $20.3 million, at the high end of industry forecasts. The prediction was based in part on the assumption that many women would leave their spouses at home to watch the football playoffs on Sunday and seek alternative entertainment for themselves. Competing against the playoffs for the second week in a row, Sony/Columbia’s male-skewing The Green Hornet flitted to second place with $18.1 million, off a moderate 48 percent from the previous week. But the $63.4 million that it has earned domestically over two weeks is only about half what the film reportedly cost to produce. The King’s Speech, best-picture winner of the Producer Guild Awards on Sunday, sold virtually the same number of tickets this week as it did last week — some $9.2 million worth. It has earned $58.6 million, a remarkable achievement for a film that reportedly cost less than $15 million to make. Once again the overall box office lagged 2010’s — it was down 27 percent — making it the eleventh down weekend in a row. Analysts observed that the downward spiral will likely continue for several more weeks, given the relatively small number of new films listed on the release schedule and no big popcorn flick in sight until March.
The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Box Office Mojo:
1. No Strings Attached, $20.3 million; 2. The Green Hornet, $18.1 million; 3. The Dilemma, $9.7 million; 4. The King’s Speech, $9.2 million; 5. True Grit, $8 million; 6. Black Swan, $6.2 million; 7. The Fighter, $4.5 million; 8. Little Fockers, $4.4 million; 9. Yogi Bear, $4.1 million; 10. Tron: Legacy, $3.7 million.
UPDATE:
Final Figures for the Top Five Films
1. No Strings Attached, $19,652,921
2. The Green Hornet, $17,677,565
3. The Dilemma, $9,108,890
4. The King’s Speech, $7,854,910
5. True Grit, $7,330,092
