DELLAMORTE BOX OFFICE WRAP UP – 2/8/08

This Just In: Those that fucked with the Wu-Tang Clan have been dealt with in a swift and merciless fashion. More news as it comes in.

Fool’s Gold and Welcome Home Brother Charles topped the box office. It’s February, so audiences have an excuse, cause there’s nothing else out. What this means is that Wooderson’s gonna have movies coming out in February until they stop being profitable, all right, all right, and that Martin Lawrence is not without merit at the box office, especially in an ensemble comedy. But if Lawrence got a hefty payday, then the film will not be all that profitable. Hopefully he and Monique and Cedric the Entertainer got some up front cash and some back end, cause this will top out around $40. Fool’s Gold, on the other hand, will likely play a little longer in the scheme of things if the WOM with women is positive. Critics drenched the film in hemlock, but there’s no evidence that will get to the audience.

Hannah Montana is Miley Cyrus! Disney is cheaper than I thought! Just kidding, or to prove I’m not a fuddy duddy, J/K. OMG, ROFL 66.2%! Wel marketed vs. wel loved. R U going 2 see it again? Dunno. Should top out shortly, guessin’ close to seventy at this point. Heavy money, but also inflated tix prices. Tix boost Pix for Tweener Twits! OMG, LOLSPEAK is like Variety headlines!

I thought The Eye was a weaker sister than it was, and I’m somewhat impressed that it held at #4, and only dropped 46%. In the sense that You might be impressed with a dumb but attractive girl getting her GED. It’s an accomplishment, and deserves more credit that most would give it, but… in the end? Who cares. The Eye will likely top out around $30, which – if the film and Alba were cheap – means the unrated DVD takes it (Lincoln Hawk Style? Why not?) OVER THE TOP. Into profitability

In fact, Juno topped 27 Dresses this weekend, which only highlights that Diablo Cody won the WGA award for Best Original Screenwriting, and the Strike has effectively come to a conclusion. Coincidence? I think not. I vacillate between feeling wary of Cody’s talents (when people gush on Juno) and full on defending her (when people get their hate on), but with the Pope decreeing February 22 Diablo Cody day, all my hesitations have been washed away. Like tears in the rain.

The Bucket List continues to play well while Rambo finally beat Meet the Spartans over a weekend. That’s a three million dollar difference. All things. For better or worse. Both should eventually be profitable, though Spartans has likely jumped that hurdle already while Rambo may rely on international to get there. Then again, Box Office Mojo lists Rambo as having a $50 production budget. Since only Stallone got paid, that seems unlikely, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the film actually cost closer to $10 all things. Then again, it’s also likely that old deals had to get paid off, so nobody knows. William Goldman was right, from time to time, from time to time.

There will be Blood keeps playing to the slow and steady. At $27, the end game may be closer to $40 than $50, but you don’t make films like that hoping for more than Oscar glory, and don’t make any mistakes, that does lead to greater DVD sales and renewed ancillary interest in your title. With Daniel Day Lewis in the bag for best actor, that means that HBO will be drinking that Egg Cream, it will drink that Egg Cream up. 

Not Charting: Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, which did a half a mil on 1000 screens, chased closely by In Brughes, which did similar business on 28 screens, and The Hottie and The Nottie, which had a per screen average of $225 on its 111 screens. It’s fair to say One Night in Paris will be seen by more people.