The weekend we have gone by happened to be the Memorial Day weekend. The box office screamed very loud and the audiences flocking to the cinemas to create the biggest Memorial Day weekend gross in the history. Newcomers like The Hangover 2, Kung Fu Panda 2 and holdovers blazed the weekend with fire!
Coming in hot for the number one spot and eventually opening the biggest number of the year happened to be The Hangover Part II. It seems deja vu yet again with the Wolf Pack embroiled in a similar trouble that they had in Vegas two years ago but the movie this time suffered a series of mediocre reviews. Nevertheless, the audiences decided to give this a winner with the Warner Bros'R-rated live action comedy grossed an estimated $86.5 million over the proper weekend. Adding in its spicy $31.6 million on Thursday's release and another $19.7 million on the extended weekend (on Monday), the total stood at a blazing $137.38 million. That number itself reflects The Hangover Part II as the biggest opener of the year!
Laughing on approximately 6,700 screens at 3,615 locations, The Hangover Part II delivered the top-grossing weekend ever for a live-action comedy, while it ranked second to The Matrix Reloaded among R-rated movies start. While the $86.5 million start on proper weekend may have fell a little short than last week's 2011 record of $90.2 million set by "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", it would have been first if it hadn't burnt off some demand with its Thursday opening. According to exit polling from distributor Warner Bros (again partnered with Legendary Pictures), The Hangover Part II's audience composition was 51 percent female and 54 percent under 25 years old. The under 18-year-old bracket was 13 percent. The first Hangover was 52 percent male and 53 percent under 25 in its opening weekend.
The other wide-new-opener, Kung Fu Panda 2 was not as huge as the first one. The animated sequel generated an estimated $48 million on close to 7,500 screens at 3,925 locations, retreating from the first Kung Fu Panda's $60.3 million nearly three years ago over the proper weekend. It is now running less than its predecessor which had $66.6 million start over the first four days, against $53.8 million (including $5.8 million start on Thursday). Included in Kung Fu Panda 2's numbers were 3D presentations at 2,707 locations that accounted for 45 percent of business. Paramount's research showed that 54 percent of Kung Fu Panda 2's audience was male (animated movies usually skew female) and 53 percent was under 25 years old. A third of the audience was under 18.
In limited release, Midnight in Paris expanded to 58 locations (up from six last weekend), and its business jumped to a solid estimated $1.9 million. Meanwhile, The Tree of Life also made waves as far as specialty releases go, claiming an estimated $352,000 at four locations, averaging $88,000 per location. The Tree of Life recently won the coveted top prize at the Cannes, opening solidly in domestic market ahead of its gradual expansion releases. The movie was directed and written by Terrence Malick; and stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jesse Chastain.
Here are the top twelve box office of the weekend in a 4-day weekend tally according to the studio estimates
*Note: All figures are ESTIMATED grosses. Courtesy of BOX OFFICE MOJO
Coming in hot for the number one spot and eventually opening the biggest number of the year happened to be The Hangover Part II. It seems deja vu yet again with the Wolf Pack embroiled in a similar trouble that they had in Vegas two years ago but the movie this time suffered a series of mediocre reviews. Nevertheless, the audiences decided to give this a winner with the Warner Bros'R-rated live action comedy grossed an estimated $86.5 million over the proper weekend. Adding in its spicy $31.6 million on Thursday's release and another $19.7 million on the extended weekend (on Monday), the total stood at a blazing $137.38 million. That number itself reflects The Hangover Part II as the biggest opener of the year!
Laughing on approximately 6,700 screens at 3,615 locations, The Hangover Part II delivered the top-grossing weekend ever for a live-action comedy, while it ranked second to The Matrix Reloaded among R-rated movies start. While the $86.5 million start on proper weekend may have fell a little short than last week's 2011 record of $90.2 million set by "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", it would have been first if it hadn't burnt off some demand with its Thursday opening. According to exit polling from distributor Warner Bros (again partnered with Legendary Pictures), The Hangover Part II's audience composition was 51 percent female and 54 percent under 25 years old. The under 18-year-old bracket was 13 percent. The first Hangover was 52 percent male and 53 percent under 25 in its opening weekend.
The other wide-new-opener, Kung Fu Panda 2 was not as huge as the first one. The animated sequel generated an estimated $48 million on close to 7,500 screens at 3,925 locations, retreating from the first Kung Fu Panda's $60.3 million nearly three years ago over the proper weekend. It is now running less than its predecessor which had $66.6 million start over the first four days, against $53.8 million (including $5.8 million start on Thursday). Included in Kung Fu Panda 2's numbers were 3D presentations at 2,707 locations that accounted for 45 percent of business. Paramount's research showed that 54 percent of Kung Fu Panda 2's audience was male (animated movies usually skew female) and 53 percent was under 25 years old. A third of the audience was under 18.
In limited release, Midnight in Paris expanded to 58 locations (up from six last weekend), and its business jumped to a solid estimated $1.9 million. Meanwhile, The Tree of Life also made waves as far as specialty releases go, claiming an estimated $352,000 at four locations, averaging $88,000 per location. The Tree of Life recently won the coveted top prize at the Cannes, opening solidly in domestic market ahead of its gradual expansion releases. The movie was directed and written by Terrence Malick; and stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jesse Chastain.
Here are the top twelve box office of the weekend in a 4-day weekend tally according to the studio estimates
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross ($) | Change (%) | Total Gross ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE HANGOVER PART II | 105,765,000 | NEW | 137,375,000 |
| 2 | KUNG FU PANDA 2 | 62,200,000 | NEW | 68,000,000 |
| 3 | PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES | 50,372,000 | -44.1 | 163,967,000 |
| 4 | BRIDESMAIDS | 20,987,000 | +0.5 | 89,594,000 |
| 5 | THOR | 12,030,000 | -22.2 | 162,375,000 |
| 6 | FAST FIVE | 8,166,000 | -22.8 | 197,576,000 |
| 7 | MIDNIGHT IN PARIS | 2,615,000 | +487.6 | 3,520,000 |
| 8 | RIO | 2,400,000 | -48.8 | 135,441,000 |
| 9 | JUMPING THE BROOM | 2,350,000 | -36.5 | 34,631,000 |
| 10 | SOMETHING BORROWED | 2,320,000 | -34.0 | 35,234,000 |
| 11 | PRIEST | 2,100,000 | -55.8 | 27,662,000 |
| 12 | WATER FOR ELEPHANTS | 1,400,000 | -35.8 | 54,729,000 |