Yes, yes... we're irregular about box office reportage. It's a Battle New York staying regular-like about these things. Bear with us. (Updated to reflect tiny adjustments of actual grosses)
WIDE TOP TEN
top hits of the 600+ screen count club.
01 Limitless $18.9 new
Most reports suggest that this is an "okay" debut in a weak frame despite hitting #1 and having a stronger per screen average by a couple thousand from its closest competitors. Does that mean that Bradley Cooper is only half-fuckable? That he's a walk-of-shame type that you'll feel guilty about afterwards? Or that there were just too many arrogant blonde leading men types fighting for your dollars (#1,#3,#4... it's a blonde multiplex invasion.)
02 Rango $15.0 (cumulative: $92.3)
This'll be the top grosser of 2011 any second now saving us the embarrassment of Just Go With It holding that honor.
03 Battle Los Angeles $14.5 (cumulative: $60.5)
04 The Lincoln Lawyer $13.2 new
05 Paul $13.0 new
06 Red Riding Hood $7.1 (cumulative: $25.8)
07 The Adjustment Bureau $5.7 (cumulative: 48.6)
08 Mars Needs Moms $5.3 (cumulative: $15.4)
09 Beastly $3.1 (cumulative: $22.1)
10 Hall Pass $2.5 (cumulative: $39.5)
But the "Top o' the Charts" only tell such a small part of each week's stories. How about Jane Eyre and the like..
LIMITED TOP TEN
On less than 600 screens -- not including former wide releases that are on the fade.
01. Cedar Rapids $.5 (cumulative $5.4 on 462 screens)
02. Jane Eyre $.4 (cumulative $.7 on 26 screens)
Jane and Mr. Rochester are still packing them in big city arthouses, tripling any per screen average within the actual top ten. But when you're playing at so few screens it's still hard to rack up a gross equal to your buzz. Will Focus wait a long time to expand this on lose the buzz? These things are always tricky and the men in capes and tights (i.e. summer season) are right around the corner, generally sucking up every last bit of media oxygen. If so many of last year's Oscar movies can huddle around the $100 million mark, there's no reason why this movie shouldn't be at least a minor hit. We shall see.
03. Of Gods and Men $.2 (cumulative $1.6 on 94 screens)
04. Win Win $.1 new on 5 screens
After The Station Agent and The Visitor, writer/director Thomas McCarthy may well be three for three, critically speaking. Will this drama with Paul Giamatti as a wrestling coach also be as popular as his other movies with specialty crowds. The Station Agent won $5.7 in its US run plus a SAG nomination and The Visitor managed $9.4 million and an Oscar nod for lead actor Richard Jenkins. Thomas McCarthy was Oscar-nominated for co-writing Pixar's Up, but he break out soon in a larger way with so much goodwill behind him?
McCarthy and Binoche in limited release
05. Barney's Version $.1 (cumulative $3.8 on 114 screens)
06. Kill the Irishman $.1 new on 21 screens
07. Certified Copy $.1 (cumulative $.2 on 23 screens)
Abbas Kiarostami's engaging and provocative two-hander is opening and expanding like a French-language mirror of Jane Eyre though it isn't faring quite as well with only $237,000 so far. Hopefully it'll catch on with sophisticated moviegoers. Cross your fingers that this catches on at least as well as Michael Haneke's Caché which played for months in arthouses and racked up well over 3 million before hitting DVD. I bring up that film, also starring Juliette Binoche (what a filmography she's built) because though they're very very different films each is hugely rewarding: impressive filmmaking, hours of post-movie conversation fodder, and another chance to enjoy Juliette Binoche's mysterious magic and always moving tears.
08. The Grace Card $.1 (cumulative $2.1 on 114 screens)
09. Biutiful $.09 (cumulative $4.6 on 89 screens)
10. The Music Never Stopped $.08 new on 32 screens
WHAT DID YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND?
In other words: Whose economy did you support?
I tried to give Kiarostami & Binoche some money but ended up throwing it Verbinski & Depp's way (like they needed it post Pirates) for Rango. Blame the clock.