Box Office Report: Back From Vacation

Dude here again. So I've been on vacation for the past few weeks. I needed a break. The whole Batman thing just wore me out all summer. So I took a nice long break, to the land of diners and good pizza. But now I'm back, and ready to report numbers! Who doesn't love numbers?!?

This weekend, only one new wide release. But it's real low! And it's not a very good movie! Let's go to the numbers, shall we? (All in millions, remember, and these are the studio estimates. The actuals will be available on Monday).

1. Bangkok Dangerous (LGF)- $7.8, 2650 screens, week 1, $7.8 total

2. Tropic Thunder (Par/DW) - $7.5, 3446 screens, week 4, $96.8 total

3. The House Bunny (Sony)- $5.9, 2736 screens, week 3, $36.9 total

4. The Dark Knight (WB)- $5.7, 2575 screens, week 8, $512.1 total

5. Traitor (Over) - $4.6, 2108 screens, week 2, $17.6 total

6. Babylon A.D. (Fox) - $4.0, 3425 screens, week 2, $17.1 total

7. DEATH RACE! (Uni) - $3.5, 2586 screens, week 3, $29.7 total

8. Disaster Movie (LGF) - $3.3, 2642 screens, week 2, $10.8 total

9. Mamma Mia! (Uni) - $2.7, 1904 screens, week 8, $136.2 total

10. Pineapple Express (Sony) $2.4, 1802 screens, week 5, $84.1 total

So those are the numbers, but what do they mean? Well, Tropic Thunder doesn't get to tie The Dark Knight and take 4 weeks in the top spot. (Unless the Sunday estimates are wrong, and Tropic Thunder is #1 again, in which case that whole last sentence is void). The Nicolas Cage remake Bangkok Dangerous, which could possibly be the most boring movie I've seen this year, opened up in the number one spot with $7.8 million. This is the tenth lowest #1 opening movie OF ALL TIME! See, Batman? You're not the only record breaker around these parts.

Everything else made very little money, as this weekend is the sorbet, cleansing the palette of our movie theaters to make room for the taste of serious minded films, like a new Coen brothers movie and other things that don't involve comic book sources. There's also the prevailing theory that the first weekend of NFL football attracts more viewers than movies do, and this weekend is proof of that.

Still, The Dark Knight settles into being the #2 grossing movie of all time. The House Bunny enjoys a nice boost. Babylon A.D. flails like a necrotic limb. Disaster Movie makes nobody laugh. Mamma Mia continues to dazzle. Space Chimps isn't even reported anymore. Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D has made $95 million this summer. The Mummy 3 inches over the $100 million threshold...

And then there's DEATH RACE! A movie so badass, it needs bold typeface! It's probably the best movie I've seen all summer, if only because of the presence of "The Dreadnaught!" a terrifying vehicular monstrosity that should be inserted into any movie that's running stale and needs a jolt of energy. Pride and Prejudice? Oh, Elizabeth Bennet is confused because of Mr. Darcy's mixed signals BAM! The Dreadnaught plows in and destroys the Bennet's farm! Anyway, not enough people are seeing Death Race, which is a shame.

Below the radar, a movie called Everybody Wants To Be Italian opened up on 98 screens and took in $218,000. I know nothing of this movie. But I have an idea: A township in New Jersey watches an episode of The Sopranos, and suddenly everybody wants to be Italian. I'm pretty sure it's a documentary.

There you have my amazing break down. Next week, more movies open up, and I lament the displacement of DEATH RACE for those movies.

Until next weekend....