Capping one of the most lucrative movie franchises in history, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” was nearly as big as expected over the weekend, racking up a spectacular $141 million in the U.S. and nearly $200 million on foreign soil. Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed historical drama “Lincoln” also posted a strong first weekend of wide release, bringing in a steady $21 million despite playing at less than 1,800 total theaters.
Meanwhile, “Skyfall” maintained its connection with action audiences as the latest James Bond entry brought in $41 million to push its 10-day U.S. total to an outstanding $161 million. The weekend was also the last that sci-fi thriller “Cloud Atlas” is likely to land in the top 10 after four disappointing weekends at the box office.
While many franchises are all over the place in terms of box office numbers, the entire “Twilight Saga” series has been a model of consistency. After breaking through with the original release in 2008, Summit quickly capitalized on its rabid fan base, turning it into a phenomenon with yearly releases that were all smash commercial hits. Following the impressive $192 million domestic haul of the original, the next three releases all made between $280-$301 million in the U.S., and the last three releases all pulled in between $138-$143 million over their opening weekends.
But though a large domestic audience was guaranteed, Summit has also done very well with “Twilight” overseas. The last three releases all earned around $700 million worldwide and early numbers for “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” suggest foreign interest has grown since “Part 1.” “Part 2” has already hauled in $199 million outside of the U.S., putting it well ahead of the pace of its predecessor and in position to make a run at $850-$900 million worldwide. Though critics have often lamented the popularity of the series, studios will be searching for the next “Twilight” for many years to come.
Aiming at a much different audience this weekend was Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” a critically heralded drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the iconic American president. Though distributor Disney expanded it to just 1,775 theaters this weekend, “Lincoln” still managed a very solid $21 million weekend haul thanks to a per venue average that neared $12,000. “Lincoln” is still far from a smash hit, but good early numbers and a strong awards season push should make Spielberg’s latest yet another commercial success.
Even with two prominent new titles getting a crack at mainstream audiences, “Skyfall” remained an easy choice for action-seeking audiences over the weekend. “Skyfall” brought in a very solid $41 million in second-weekend revenue, pushing its U.S. total to $161 million in just 10 days in theaters. With $669 million in worldwide revenue, “Skyfall” has already surpassed the total of Bond’s last entry (“Quantum of Solace”), taking the franchise to box office heights not seen since the early Sean Connery days.
Not having nearly the same amount of success has been “Cloud Atlas,” the latest sci-fi thriller from directors Lana and Andy Wachowski. Despite some critical backing and an original concept, “Cloud Atlas” never clicked with its intended audience, leading to a disappointing domestic total of just $25 million so far. With a production budget of $100 million and not much of an international release, “Cloud Atlas” looks like it will finish its box office run as one of the biggest duds of the year.
Next weekend, director Ang Lee’s (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) heralded adventure film “Life of Pi” hits theaters looking to find a wide audience, as will Paramount/Dreamworks’ latest animated feature, “Rise of the Guardians.” Chris Hemsworth-starring action-thriller “Red Dawn” will also get a wide release next weekend and director David O’ Russell’s drama “Silver Linings Playbook” is expected to expand nationwide after a very limited release this weekend.
Early Studio Box Office Estimates for 11/16/12 – 11/18/12 (in millions):
1) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (Summit): $141.30 [$157]
2) Skyfall (Sony/Columbia): $41.50 [$49]
3) Lincoln (Disney): $21 [$17]
4) Wreck-It Ralph (Disney): $18.31 [$19]
5) Flight (Paramount): $8.62 [$8]
6) Argo (Warner Brothers): $4.07 [$3.9]
7) Taken 2 (Fox): $2.1 [$2.1]
8) Pitch Perfect (Universal): $1.26 [$1.2]
9) Here Comes the Boom (Sony/Columbia): $1.2 [$1.6]
10) Cloud Atlas (Warner Brothers): $0.90 [$1.3]
by RTT Staff Writer
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