Box Office: Dolly & Queen vs. Cher & Xtina?
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 4:27PM I would have been all about Joyful Noise this weekend, had I not been suddenly ill. I even had to miss a bestie's birthday dinner. Boo! I think it's worth noting that Joyful Noise had a nearly identical debut to Burlesque in 2010.
Opening Day
Burlesque (11/24/10) | Joyful Noise (01/13/12)
Weekend Gross
Burlesque $11.9 | Joyful Noise $11.3
Weekend Rank
Burlesque #4 | Joyful Noise #4
Theater Count
Burlesque 3,037 | Joyful Noise 2,735
Per Screen Average
Burlesque $3,934 | Joyful Noise $4,148
Given that Burlesque opened during holiday craziness (lotsa movie-going) and Joyful Noise opened in January's dumping ground, you might have to hand this battle to Joyful Noise. But will it be able to beat Burlesque's final gross of $39.4 domestic / $89.5 international? I say this with the caveat that I have not seen it yet but from the stills and trailer it certainly looks cheaper than Burlesque production wise so perhaps it'll turn out a much tidier profit. I can't imagine that it's better than Burlesque though. But we shall see. Or rather I shall see the second I feel like venturing out into the cold again.
Takeaway: $11.5 million opening weekends are the new decorative fanciful glass ceiling for dueling multi-media singing divas.
BAKERS DOZEN (Estimates)
01 CONTRABAND $24.1 new
02 BEAUTY & THE BEAST 3D $18.4 rerelease
03 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL $11.5 (cum. $186.7)
04 JOYFUL NOISE $11.3 new
05 SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS $8.4 (cum. $170)
06 THE DEVIL INSIDE $7.9 (cum. $46.2)
07 THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO $6.8 ($87.9)
08 ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED $5.8 (cum. $118.7)
09 WAR HORSE $5.6 (cum. $65.7)
10 THE IRON LADY $5.3 wide (cum. $5.9)
11 WE BOUGHT A ZOO $5.2 (cum. $63.6)
12 THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN $4 (cum. $67.7)
13 TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY $3.1 (cum. $15.1)
Talking Points
• Beauty and the Beast had a successful first weekend but nothing compared to The Lion King. I hate rooting against such a great movie but the whole 3D craze? Oh, I hate it more and more each month. Do. not. want. I do not want to wear glasses while watching movies. I just don't. It never adds enough to the experience, even in its best moments, to justify changing the whole freaking experience of the movies. GO AWAY.
• A Separation continues to fill its theaters but it has yet to expand. Are SPC letting their tiny window on this one close? Let's suppose someone watching this week's awards shows (BFCA thursday & GLOBES tonight) wanted to see it after Thursday's win and tonight's possible win? Nope. They're out of luck. Just 6 theaters for this one in its third week. Carnage finally expanded in its 5th week but interest in it looks to have already crashed. Too bad it didn't open when competition was less severe for all-star adult-oriented films.
• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows just lept-frogged The Help and Bridesmaids on 2011's top box office chart. Now, the top dozen have no originals among them - only franchise movies allowed at the top of the charts. This is why we can't have nice things and it's also our fault as audience members. We need to stop chasing old highs at the box office. Seeking out familiar experiences is what television series are for. That's their whole raison d'etre, the same characters each week but with new twists on the same old via new chapters. That's not what movies should be for. Different strengths and different purposes for different mediums.
What did you see this weekend?
3-D, Burlesque, Cher, Christina Aguilera, Dolly Parton, Joyful Noise, Queen Latifah, box office, moviegoing, sequels
Reader Comments (13)
Not sure if you have ever read anything by the British film critic Mark Kermode, but he may be of interest to you. He has very similar opinions on 3D and the poor distribution of non blockbuster or non sequel movies.
Worth checking out his blog. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/markkermode/
Had my own experience of this issue this week, when tried to find somewhere I could watch The Artist. Turns out no cinemas are showing it within 90 mins of me. I have to wait until the middle of February for it to turn up in a cinema anywhere near me! Such a shame when my local mutiplex is showing nothing but blockbusters and 3D movies.
Saw Carnage. Fascinating example of something working on stage and just not translating at all to the screen.
Also saw Colombiana, which was way, way, way too serious. I like my action movies to have a little more joie de vivre.
I don't appreciate having to choose between Cher and Dolly! :)
saw Iron Lady.....twice :)
Marek -- right? It's just painful. I still think Burlesque needs to be a franchise. Cher gets cameos in every one but each new film pairs two other divas.
Saw Pariah Friday and We Need To Talk About Kevin yesterday. Enjoyed both quite a bit, although WNTTAK got tangled in its narrative at times (especially at the beginning).
Dragon Tattoo. Didn't finish the first book and I have never seen the Swedish movies so maybe that's why I kind of enjoyed it. Can anyone explain to me why Wright and Mara speak with Swedish accent, but Craig doesn't?
I also saw on DVD "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone". The one with Leigh, Beatty, Lotte Lenya and that scent of Hollywood on every frame. In my world there's no such thing as a lesser Tennessee Williams so I had a marvelous time.
Re: "Burlesque" sequel, why not just have the choir from "Joyful Noise" be en route to a competition when their bus breaks down in front of the club that Cher co-founded with Kristen Bell? Crossover appeal. It'll end with Dolly convincing Latifah that some secular burlesque moves might by just what their group needs, and then Cher buys the air rights to their tour bus.
It's so depressing. The two best best films in the top ten are Harry Potter 8 and Kung Fu Panda 2. Here's the ten highest grossing films internationally that weren't sequel baiting with Rotten Tomatoes Scores:
1. Bridesmaids (90%)
2. Rango (88%)
3. Bad Teacher (44%)
4. Just Go With It (20%)
5. Horrible Bosses (69%)
6. The Help (76%)
7. Limitless (70%)
8. Midnight in Paris (93%)
9. Crazy, Stupid, Love (78%)
10. In Time (38%)
RT Scores of the Actual Top 10:
Harry Potter 8 (96%)
Transformers 3 (35%)
Pirates 4 (33%)
Twilight 4 (26%)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (81%)
Fast Five (A stunningly high 78%)
Hangover 2 (35%)
The Smurfs (23%)
Cars 2 (38%)
Ghost Protocol (93%)
With the former list 7 are fresh, the latter has 6 rotten. Both happen to have two films with more than 90% critical approval. The latter has 3 films 33% or below. The former has only one below 33%. Also: Why did Transformers 3 get 1.1 BILLION!? Transformers 2 is one of the most HATEFUL movies ever...and the sequel grosses more than it, not less.
Joyful Noise was exactly what the doctor ordered-- not great, nor did I expect it to be. Hopefully, Dolly's song will be considered for next year's Oscars. We need some Dolly back at the ceremony.
Both Dolly and Cher are acceptable choices for your poll, but I'm on Team Parton.
Don't hate me... saw Beauty & the Beast. How could I miss seeing that ballroom scene in 3D? Yes, I'm also planning on seeing Titanic in April. Need to see Winslet in 3D since I will probably never meet her.
Evan - Lord knows the Academy owes Dolly and oscar...
Week after week, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" proves it should have opened earlier and used all this positive box office stuff to build Oscar buzz that never formed. It's already outgrossed two of last year's nominees and will soon enough pass "The Kids Are All Right". Silly Focus Pictures. Silly...