Box Office Club

The first weekend of December is full of surprises. The lead is taken by A Christmas Carol with an outstanding income of 3.1 million, for an overall result of 3.4 million in 4 days, equivalent to 80% of the total Box Office of Polar Express in 2004 and almost twice the income of Bolt. For Walt Disney is the second best opening of the year after UP but the positive notes do not end here. Considering that Chicken Little in 2005 opened the first weekend of December with 1.8 million and closed at 7.5 million, is clear that A Christmas Carol, which will be the only 3D film out in December, aims to become the best thing around in the end of 2009. A winning choice for Walt Disney Italy that postponed for three weeks the film’s release compared to other European territories which have done worse.

Special acknowledgment for Checco Zalone and his second position with Cado Dalle Nubi. The Italian comedy by Zelig’s star has confirmed almost all its audience compared to the opening weekend, securing additional 2.4 million for a huge partial of 6.5 million in 10 days. Already tomorrow Cado Dalle Nubi will exceed 7 million and, given that there are no great releases next weekend, the film by Medusa can aim to close to 10 million.

Third position and excellent confirmation forDorian Gray, a small Zalone that loses just 18% and with a 1.15M weekend reaches 3.2 million, the third highest income by Eagle Pictures in 2009. The second, Segnali Dal Futuro, is 1.3 M away, an impossible goal for the film based on the novel by Oscar Wilde.

In fourth position New Moon continues the grounding process, -72% compared to 7 days ago, for a partial of 15.6 million. Up is just € 100,000 away, so New Moon is about to become the fourth highest score in 2009. The other great movie of November, 2012, has reached 13.5 million.

In fifth place the new entry A Serious Man netted 630,000 preceding Couples Retreat (470,000) and L’Uomo Nero (390,000), Ninja Assassin (138,000) and Looking for Eric (136,000).

Italian comedy can smile again and so Medusa, thanks to Checco Zalone and thanks to the €375,000 netted yesterday: almost reached the best Friday of 2009 of an Italian company, which belongs to La Matassa with €390,000. A very positive outcome for Cado Dalle Nubi, which in the chaos of weekend outputs has excellently exploited the counter-programming of an Italian comic movie, succeeding where Oggi Sposi and Amore 14 had previously failed. The Apulian Borat should therefore repeat the success of Ficarra and Picone confirming one more time that Zelig is an attractive pool of talents exportable on the big screen. In the weekend Cado Dalle Nubi should get a result around 2.2M.

Nemo profeta in patria. Among the new releases there is the good result of Dorian Gray, an English production than at home grossed 1 million in the first weekend with 350 screens and in Italy, just yesterday, should have produced an excellent €250.000 in 200 screens. The film based on the novel by Oscar Wilde could close the weekend at 1.5 M. After Easy Virtue, another film produced by Ealing Studios makes Eagle Pictures happy in Italy.

Looking everyone from above, even yesterday, it’s another film Eagle, New Moon, that yesterday has pocketd around €450,000, losing more than 65% compared to 7 days ago.

Around €250,000 for the other blockbuster, 2012, which now will fight with Dorian Gray for the third place.

Sony’s The Ugly Truth will stay outside the podium; despite having collected some very interesting results in U.S. and Europe, in Italy the movie is likely to remain below the 1 million in its weekend debut, with a disappointing €120,000 Friday. Difficult debut for Meno Male Che Ci Sei, that after the false start yesterday (about €50,000) hopes to recover over the weekend and aim for the difficult €500,000 goal.

Extraordinary achievement for New Moon that performs the second highest weekend of the year with about 6.7 million, which added to the approximately 3 million netted in the first two days create a sensational haul of 9.7 million. A performance beyond the most optimistic expectations, fully confirmed in the U.S. where the film has produced the third weekend of all time after The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3; New Moon has produced the second highest weekend of the year after Ice Age 3. In 5 days the second episode of the saga has grossed 83% of  Twilight’s total Box Office a year ago (11.5 million). It’s a record also for Eagle, which improved the 7.5 million of The Passion of Christ in 2004 and now looks forward to the 20 million totaled by the film of Mel Gibson.

Good second place for 2012, which thanks to a 2.8 million weekend (-47%) exceeds the milestone of 10 million in 10 days.

Third position and satisfactory weekend for Almodovar and his Los Abrazos Rotos, which confirms the 3/4 of the public and cashes further €800,000 reaching 2.3 million.

Fourth position for Planet 51 that nets €770,000, a nice result for an independent animation.

Public Enemy drops in fifth place: it nearly reached 5 million but hardly will arrive to 6, for a disappointing overall result; although the film hasn’t shone around the world, we expected more in Italian territory, usually well disposed towards gangster-movies.

Complicated start for La Prima Linea that had to settle for €300,000. The Man Who Stare at Goats exceeds 3 million while Up, having reached 15.4 million, seems to have abandoned the race on Ratatouille, which is still 2 million away.

Approximately 3 Million for New Moon in two days. A striking figure, which corresponds to 70% of Twilight’s first weekend a year ago. This year only Harry Potter has done better, with two days at 4 and a half million, 50% more than New Moon. It’s obviously necessary to contextualize the result: in summer weekdays experience a turnout of public much greater than other months of the year. It can however be noted that in the case of Potter the income distribution was more homogeneous, with the first day at 2 million and 700 thousand euros that represented 60% of the first two days. Instead, in the case of New Moon the first day at 2 million accounted for 67%. In our predictions, New Moon could draw a further 5 million , for a total of 8 million in 5 days.

Second place for 2012 that will try to conclude its first 10 days of programming at 10 million. The exceeding of the target of 9 is a done deal: the film has grossed 7.2 million with excellent working days which brought to Sony nearly 2 million, and is not an utopia to think that the bleeding in the second weekend will not go over 50%.

In the third position there’s a struggle between Almodovar, Public Enemy and the new entry (260 screens): we already know the first two, while the third is an animation by Moviemax that will try to attract the families. The problem is that Up is anything but dead and over the last weekend has managed to secure over €800,000. Besides, there’s to say that the union aliens/family has always been a delicate one in Italy, which makes us think, with a significant percentage of error, that Planet 51 can not aspire to more than €700,000.

Therefore, for the third position the front-runner is Los Abrazos Rotos with a figure around €800,000, 25% less than 7 days ago. However Volver was traveling at a higher speed and in the same period it had cashed €200,000 more than the 1.5 million of Los Abrazos Rotos. It’s virtually impossible for Public Enemy to confirm itself on the podium, and Mann’s film will try to net at least €650.000, needed to secure 5 million.

Two further movies are coming out: La Prima Linea by Lucky Red (for which we expect €400.000 in 160 screens) and the new film from Francis Ford Coppola by Bim, in 70 screens.

This is our podium for the weekend:

1. New Moon – 5.000.000

2. 2012 – 2.600.000

3. Los Abrazos Rotos – 770.000

5 million and €100,000. This is the score of 2012 after a weekend that showed its total domination with an impressive average of nearly €10,000 per screen. A film of great public interest and a perfect release date (without the Serie A) have produced the third most valuable weekend of the year after Ice Age 3 and Angels and Demons (also by Sony).

An enviable tally for 2012 as it prepares itself for the clash of Titans which will start on Wednesday with the release of New Moon. 2012 represents the best opening by Emmerich in Italy and has collected 2 million more than The Day After, and 3.3 million more than 10,000 BC.

In second place it’s been a weekend of mere survival for Public Enemy, which loses nearly 50% and takes home one more million, with a not-exciting partial of 4 million in 10 days.

Third position with €1,070,000 for Almodovar, who has repeated the result of Volver, showing enormous strength. Volver closed at 6.8 million, now we’ll have to understand Los Abrazos Rotos will exhibit the same extraordinary continuity in time.

Fourth place for UP that moves close to 15 million with a profit of €840,000. Considering the difficult weekend with two new films generating over 50% of the overall weekend box office, The Man Who Stare at goats can be proud to have confirmed the 65% of its audience, obtaining a 2.4 million partial. It was much worse for Beyond a reasonable doubt, that netted €390,000 with a per-screen average of less than €2000.