Grosses

'Star Trek Into Darkness' Leads Weekend, But Opens Below PredecessorMay 19, 2013 08:51 AM

by Daniel Garris

Paramount's Star Trek Into Darkness opened in first place this weekend with an estimated $70.56 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.

After grossing an additional $13.54 million on Thursday (which included $2 million from Wednesday night IMAX showings), Star Trek Into Darkness has grossed $84.09 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 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 $22.06 million performance, the film did increase a healthy 25 percent on Saturday to gross $27.5 million and is estimated to have an opening weekend to Friday ratio of 3.20 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 $164.6 million.

Iron Man 3 fell 51 percent to place in second this weekend with an estimated $35.18 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 $337.07 million through 17 days of release. That places the film 34 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 $1.073 billion.

Warner's The Great Gatsby displayed respectable holding power as well this weekend. The Baz Luhrmann directed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio fell 53 percent to place in third with an estimated $23.42 million. The Great Gatsby continues to exceed expectations with a ten-day start of $90.16 million. That places The Great Gatsby 19 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 various action fare.

The Great Gatsby launched overseas this weekend; grossing $42.1 million from 49 foreign territories. That places the film's current global haul at $132.3 million.

Daily Domestic Gross Mon, May. 31 2010

Wide (1000+)

#TitleMon, May. 31 2010LocationsAvg.TotalWks.Dist.
1Shrek Forever After$13,749,371-9%4,3678$3,148$146,810,7852Paramount / DreamWorks
2Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time$7,717,816-19%3,646--$2,117$37,813,0751Disney
3Sex and the City 2$5,833,000-28%3,445--$1,693$51,043,0001Warner Bros. / New Line
4Iron Man 2$4,617,249-21%3,804-373$1,214$279,653,1494Paramount
5Robin Hood$3,019,000-19%3,373-132$895$86,144,0003Universal
6Letters to Juliet$1,658,752-11%2,825-150$587$38,195,9423Summit
7Just Wright$679,124-7%1,195-636$568$18,833,2203Fox Searchlight
8Date Night$489,902-22%1,126-743$435$94,005,3658Fox
9MacGruber$458,000-20%2,546-5$180$7,674,0002Universal / Rogue

Limited (100 — 999)

#TitleMon, May. 31 2010LocationsAvg.TotalWks.Dist.
1How to Train Your Dragon$362,843-10%825-926$440$213,117,89610Paramount / DreamWorks
2A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)$205,000-35%891-1234$230$61,906,0005Warner Bros. / New Line
3Babies$166,416-4%301-94$553$6,090,7714Focus
4Alice in Wonderland (2010)$143,206--341-70$420$333,160,34513Disney
5The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)$124,531--166--$750$6,938,56911Music Box
6City Island$120,987-17%201-33$602$4,862,13711Anchor Bay
7The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)$119,986--155--$774$3,452,7747Sony Pictures Classics
8Diary of a Wimpy Kid$82,7524%283-69$292$62,769,86811Fox
9The Bounty Hunter$79,184-19%287--$276$65,652,47911Sony / Columbia
10Death at a Funeral (2010)$71,552-13%247-314$290$41,945,5967Sony / Screen Gems
11The Back-up Plan$68,495-34%391-688$175$36,594,9906CBS Films
12Hot Tub Time Machine$62,000-28%36486$170$50,007,00010MGM
13Clash of the Titans (2010)$57,000-30%225-187$253$161,380,0009Warner Bros.
14Kites$53,983-42%176-32$307$1,497,6452Reliance Big Cinema
15Oceans$46,773--178-346$263$18,910,0836Disneynature
16Kick-Ass$46,042-26%163-146$282$47,508,2277Lionsgate
17The Last Song$38,376--214-143$179$61,971,2489Disney
18Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?$38,260-9%17744$216$59,982,6299Lionsgate
19Furry Vengeance$37,555-47%247-1122$152$16,501,8585Summit
20Shutter Island$33,067-50%201-55$165$127,845,04115Paramount
21Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief$21,98623%108-58$204$88,603,07816Fox

Platform (1 — 99)

#TitleMon, May. 31 2010LocationsAvg.TotalWks.Dist.
1Hubble 3D$90,000-25%480$1,875$7,097,00011Warner Bros. / IMAX
2Exit Through the Gift Shop$66,117--46--$1,437$1,950,3487Producers Distribution Agency
3Please Give$55,398--50--$1,108$1,395,2905Sony Pictures Classics
4Harry Brown$37,940--54--$703$1,066,7585Samuel Goldwyn
5Princess Kaiulani$33,518-1%38-9$882$626,9853Roadside Attractions
6Our Family Wedding$32,047226%52-32$616$20,217,84512Fox Searchlight
7Solitary Man$26,252-13%62$4,375$243,0872Anchor Bay
8Avatar$24,161-46%84-83$288$749,073,10024Fox
9The Ghost Writer$19,970-25%58-28$344$15,331,63915Summit
10Mother and Child$17,037--33--$516$336,5454Sony Pictures Classics
11Holy Rollers$16,513--20--$826$126,08518First Independent Pictures
12The Losers$16,000-59%83-102$193$23,247,0006Warner Bros.
13La Mission$12,000--25--$480$863,0008Screen Media
14The Father of My Children$11,119--5--$2,224$56,0242IFC Films
15Agora$11,051--2--$5,526$44,3131Newmarket
16Survival of the Dead$10,848--20--$542$54,6051Magnolia / Magnet
17The Tooth Fairy$10,7631%76-39$142$59,965,64919Fox
18Breathless (2010 re-issue)$9,200--4--$2,300$41,4001Rialto
19Micmacs$9,163--4--$2,291$51,9141Sony Classics
20The Secret of Kells$8,785-2%252$351$541,97313GKIDS
21Under the Sea 3D$8,500-29%180$472$22,221,00068Warner Bros. / IMAX
22Casino Jack and the United States of Money$7,089--21--$338$136,6914Magnolia
23The City of Your Final Destination$6,400--14--$457$291,0007Screen Media Films
24Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto)$6,344--12--$529$456,59211Zeitgeist
25The Square$4,577-22%153$305$288,7318Apparition
26The Cremaster Cycle (2010 re-issue)$3,751--1--$3,751$52,6798International Film Circuit
27A Prophet (Un prophète)$2,743--14--$196$2,063,52014Sony Classics
28The Human Centipede (First Sequence)$2,356--14--$168$135,9625IFC
29Looking for Eric$2,341--8--$293$34,0353IFC
30Vincere$2,328--12--$194$590,97811IFC
31Chloe$2,179--18--$121$3,014,59210Sony Pictures Classics
32The Good, the Bad, the Weird$2,105--13--$162$101,7738IFC
33Madeo (Mother)$1,803--12--$150$526,45353Magnolia
34Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure$1,627--6--$271$23,196,718139National Geographic
35Racing Dreams$1,616-16%8-23$202$29,4092Hanover House
36Letters to God$1,500--14-25$107$2,839,0008Vivendi
37The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers$1,241--5--$248$444,29518First Run Features
38The Runaways$1,1150%11-19$101$3,571,73511Apparition
39OSS 117: Lost in Rio$1,080--3--$360$49,86659Music Box
40180° South$1,079--4--$270$24,2062Magnolia
41The Eclipse$914--5--$183$119,37710Magnolia
42John Rabe$911--4--$228$12,8242Strand
43The Joneses$670-29%8-19$84$1,435,7547Roadside Attractions
44Best Worst Movie$665--2--$333$41,1466Area23a
45Sweetgrass$651--3--$217$164,10136Cinema Guild
46No One Knows About Persian Cats$599--7--$86$69,6337IFC
47Daddy Longlegs$497--2--$249$20,7283Sundance Selects
48Crazy Heart$450--7-21$64$39,462,00024Fox Searchlight
49After the Cup: Sons of Sakhin United$327--2--$164$5,5072Variance Films
50U2 3D$202--1--$202$10,329,092123National Geographic
51The Last Station$198--3--$66$6,606,85220Sony Pictures Classics
52Terribly Happy$190--3--$63$168,16817Oscilloscope
53Here and There (Tamo i Ovde)$183--4--$46$15,9793Cinema Purgatorio
54The Girl on the Train$90--2--$45$201,79519Strand Releasing
55The White Ribbon$15--1--$15$2,222,64722Sony Classics