Grosses

'Star Trek Into Darkness' Takes First, But Opens Below PredecessorMay 20, 2013 11:48 AM

by Daniel Garris

Paramount's Star Trek Into Darkness opened in first place this weekend with $70.17 million. However, the second installment of the re-launched sci-fi series opened significantly below wide-spread expectations, including those of the studio. Star Trek Into Darkness also failed to match the $75.20 million opening weekend take of 2009's Star Trek (which bumps up to $79.20 million when including the $4 million that film earned from late night Thursday screenings). While a sequel opening slightly below its predecessor isn't the end of the world, it is especially underwhelming in this case given that Star Trek Into Darkness had the added advantage of higher priced 3D admissions this time around and was following in the footsteps of a very well received previous film.

With an additional $13.54 million on Thursday (which included $2 million from Wednesday night IMAX showings), Star Trek Into Darkness has grossed $83.70 million through four days of release. The last minute release date change clearly hurt the film's Thursday performance, which made the film's weekend performance even that more important. Through four days of release, Star Trek Into Darkness is running 3.5 percent behind the $86.71 million take of Star Trek, 33 percent behind the $125.18 million four-day start of 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 50 percent stronger than the $55.93 million four-day take of 2009's Terminator Salvation.

Within the softer than expected start, there were some promising signs for Star Trek Into Darkness this weekend. On the heels of Friday's $21.62 million performance, the film did increase a healthy 25 percent on Saturday to gross $26.95 million and generated an opening weekend to Friday ratio of 3.24 to 1. The film's A rating on CinemaScore was also an encouraging early sign. With that said, holding up well going forward will be no easy task for the film given the upcoming competition it will soon be facing from Universal's Fast & Furious 6, Warner's The Hangover Part III and to a lesser extent Sony's After Earth. The upcoming competition from Fast & Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III likely had an effect on Star Trek Into Darkness already this weekend, as moviegoers anticipating either or both of those films may have simply decided to pass on Star Trek Into Darkness. The continued strength of Disney's Iron Man 3 certainly isn't helping matters for Star Trek Into Darkness either.

It should be noted that Star Trek Into Darkness is performing stronger than its predecessor overseas. After grossing $40 million this weekend, Star Trek Into Darkness has grossed $80.5 million to date overseas. That places the early global total for Star Trek Into Darkness at $164.2 million.

Iron Man 3 fell 51 percent to place in second this weekend with $35.77 million. Given the new competition Iron Man 3 faced from Star Trek Into Darkness, this weekend's hold was quite respectable. It could also be a sign of the blockbuster superhero sequel being able to display solid holding power going forward, even in the face of increased competition. In comparison, 2010's Iron Man 2 fell 49 percent in its third weekend to gross $26.36 million, while last year's Marvel's The Avengers fell 46 percent to take in $55.64 million. Iron Man 3 has grossed a terrific $337.66 million through 17 days of release. That places the film 34.5 percent ahead of the $251.03 million 17-day take of Iron Man 3 and 26 percent behind the $457.67 million 17-day gross of The Avengers.

Iron Man 3 added $40.2 million to its overseas haul this weekend. That brings the film's overseas total to $736.2 million and current global haul to a mighty $1.074 billion.

Warner's The Great Gatsby displayed respectable holding power as well this weekend. The Baz Luhrmann directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio fell 52 percent to place in third with $23.94 million. The Great Gatsby continues to exceed expectations with a ten-day start of $90.68 million. That places The Great Gatsby 20 percent ahead of the $75.54 million ten-day take of 2010's Shutter Island (which fell 45 percent in its second weekend to gross $22.67 million). Going forward, The Great Gatsby will hope to continue to serve as an alternative to the early summer's action fare.

The Great Gatsby launched overseas this weekend; grossing $43.0 million from 49 foreign territories. That places the film's current global haul at $133.7 million.

Weekend Actuals (Domestic) Fri, May. 14 - Sun, May. 16

Wide (1000+)

#TitleweekendLocationsAvg.TotalWks.Dist.
1Iron Man 2$52,041,005-59%4,39010$11,854$211,200,8762Paramount
2Robin Hood$36,063,000--3,503--$10,295$36,063,0001Universal
3Letters to Juliet$13,540,486--2,968--$4,562$13,540,4861Summit
4Just Wright$8,284,989--1,831--$4,525$8,284,9891Fox Searchlight
5How to Train Your Dragon$5,003,536-25%2,620-1760$1,910$207,647,6968Paramount / DreamWorks
6A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)$4,657,000-49%3,075-257$1,514$56,067,0003Warner Bros. / New Line
7Date Night$3,823,515-30%2,481-253$1,541$86,522,6226Fox
8The Back-up Plan$2,387,480-53%2,497-506$956$34,124,7824CBS Films
9Furry Vengeance$2,242,106-50%2,695-307$832$15,089,0703Summit
10Clash of the Titans (2010)$1,231,000-51%1,300-857$947$160,128,0007Warner Bros.
11Death at a Funeral (2010)$1,138,148-51%1,062-644$1,072$40,495,9645Sony / Screen Gems

Limited (100 — 999)

#TitleweekendLocationsAvg.TotalWks.Dist.
1Babies$995,660-54%5439$1,834$3,881,2162Focus
2Oceans$752,018-53%973-259$773$17,669,4504Disneynature
3The Last Song$544,414-54%802-501$679$61,240,3887Disney
4Kick-Ass$539,997-64%609-1150$887$46,616,2325Lionsgate
5The Losers$459,000-75%701-1749$655$22,761,0004Warner Bros.
6City Island$442,158-27%2536$1,748$3,608,5609Anchor Bay
7Alice in Wonderland (2010)$440,202-38%403-179$1,092$331,533,91511Disney
8Diary of a Wimpy Kid$386,876-14%468-157$827$61,978,6949Fox
9The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)$368,338-4%10399$3,576$2,092,1995Sony Pictures Classics
10Avatar$335,174-21%279-49$1,201$748,468,37322Fox
11The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)$327,304-33%178-9$1,839$5,764,3319Music Box
12Hot Tub Time Machine$306,000-42%458-344$668$49,185,0008MGM
13Shutter Island$292,3678%310121$943$127,213,67013Paramount
14She's Out of My League$245,602-6%206-55$1,192$31,584,72210Paramount
15The Bounty Hunter$218,252-45%293-169$745$65,037,8169Sony / Columbia
16Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?$172,303-61%281-123$613$59,681,3857Lionsgate
17Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief$123,170-9%209-12$589$88,354,45014Fox
18The Ghost Writer$116,995-51%150-81$780$15,084,11413Summit
19The Tooth Fairy$82,575-30%132-28$626$59,828,42717Fox
20Our Family Wedding$62,775-20%103-16$609$20,092,23910Fox Searchlight
21The Crazies$57,042-15%111-38$514$39,103,37812Overture

Platform (1 — 99)

#TitleweekendLocationsAvg.TotalWks.Dist.
1Hubble 3D$323,00011%480$6,729$5,743,0009Warner Bros. / IMAX
2Please Give$248,1723%4923$5,065$735,4673Sony Pictures Classics
3Exit Through the Gift Shop$215,33412%4514$4,785$1,269,7865Producers Distribution Agency
4Princess Kaiulani$186,980--33--$5,666$186,9801Roadside Attractions
5Harry Brown$135,732-6%6017$2,262$590,8893Samuel Goldwyn
6Mother and Child$60,76941%2420$2,532$119,6162Sony Pictures Classics
7La Mission$56,000-21%36-5$1,556$707,0006Screen Media
8Greenberg$45,814-45%77-37$595$4,155,3109Focus
9Under the Sea 3D$37,000-18%184$2,056$21,979,00066Warner Bros. / IMAX
10Metropolis (1927) (2010 re-issue)$30,79754%42$7,699$65,4662Kino International
11The Joneses$26,543-51%56-12$474$1,400,4865Roadside Attractions
12The Human Centipede (First Sequence)$26,100-30%181$1,450$88,4663IFC
13Letters to God$26,000-56%75-37$347$2,794,0006Vivendi
14Cop Out$24,000-44%53-38$453$44,867,00012Warner Bros.
15The Secret of Kells$23,87942%264$918$460,92611GKIDS
16Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto)$22,863-45%20-2$1,143$389,1819Zeitgeist
17The Runaways$20,232-41%49-16$413$3,528,4549Apparition
18Crazy Heart$18,882-49%50-25$378$39,436,62322Fox Searchlight
19Chloe$18,774-60%29-24$647$2,965,2898Sony Pictures Classics
20Broken Embraces$18,560-22%20-12$928$4,991,84726Sony Classics
21Casino Jack and the United States of Money$18,317-35%112$1,665$58,3562Magnolia
22Brooklyn's Finest$15,572-50%64-49$243$27,154,42611Overture
23A Prophet (Un prophète)$15,437-17%3322$468$2,029,66112Sony Classics
24The Good, the Bad, the Weird$14,962-3%155$997$71,0836IFC
25The Square$14,923-40%14-3$1,066$242,4526Apparition
26Vincere$9,225-52%17-10$543$551,6289IFC
27Ajami$8,67812%133$668$580,45335Kino International
28Daddy Longlegs$8,323--1--$8,323$8,3231Sundance Selects
29The Last Station$8,196-46%18-16$455$6,585,85318Sony Pictures Classics
30Best Worst Movie$8,171--1--$8,171$18,6044Area23a
31The Art of the Steal$8,010-33%17--$471$529,08312IFC Films
32OSS 117: Lost in Rio$7,984-20%41$1,996$23,46157Music Box
33Deadfall Trail$7,430--3--$2,477$7,4301Nocturnal Features
34No One Knows About Persian Cats$7,03950%6-1$1,173$54,7875IFC
35North Face (Nordwand)$6,974-42%11-13$634$697,20916Music Box Films
36Looking for Eric$6,743--2--$3,372$6,7431IFC
37Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo$6,400--1--$6,400$10,0001Argot Pictures
38Here and There (Tamo i Ovde)$6,352--1--$6,352$6,3521Cinema Purgatorio
39Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure$6,2454%60$1,041$23,159,682137National Geographic
40The Little Traitor$5,481-28%3-1$1,827$308,14923Westchester Films
41The Eclipse$5,229-18%71$747$110,2008Magnolia
42When You're Strange$5,032195%3-2$1,677$219,0316Abramorama
43Everyone Else$4,926212%43$1,232$48,34748Cinema Guild
44Madeo (Mother)$4,443-59%13-7$342$506,23951Magnolia
45Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel$3,900-30%15-11$260$219,613,00021Fox
46The Living Wake$3,821--1--$3,821$3,8211Mangusta Productions
47Sweetgrass$3,586-20%4-2$897$148,92434Cinema Guild
48The Yellow Handkerchief$3,229-55%102$323$317,04012Samuel Goldwyn Films
49The Girl on the Train$3,026-27%50$605$195,28117Strand Releasing
50Killing Kasztner$2,85919%20$1,430$112,31330Sky Island Films
51The Good Heart$2,6914%62$449$16,3253Magnolia
52Happiness Runs$2,6870%21$1,344$6,0512Strand
53Multiple Sarcasms$2,603-84%6-9$434$25,7782New Films International
54The Oath$2,485-57%10$2,485$11,9192Zeitgeist
55The Blind Side$2,400-76%11-14$218$255,950,00026Warner Bros.
56Terribly Happy$2,200-34%3-2$733$160,38215Oscilloscope
57The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus$1,588-47%6-1$265$7,686,81821Sony Pictures Classics
58Breaking Upwards$1,492-50%1--$1,492$76,3827IFC
59In/Significant Others$1,408--1--$1,408$1,4081Fourth Ward Productions
60The White Ribbon$1,389-43%3-4$463$2,219,13920Sony Classics
61U2 3D$1,294--1--$1,294$10,322,763121National Geographic
62Bluebeard (Barbe Bleue)$671-49%2-1$336$32,36332Strand
63A Town Called Panic$548-84%2-1$274$156,43322Zeitgeist Films
6435 Shots of Rum$543--1--$543$176,38435Cinema Guild
65October Country$254-84%1412$18$21,32214International Film Circuit
66The Warlords$196-94%1-5$196$128,9787Magnet Magnolia
67In My Sleep$114--1--$114$24,9304Morning Star