Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Aug 3, 2014 9:36:19 GMT -6
variety.com/2014/film/news/box-office-guardians-of-the-galaxy-astounds-with-160-4-mil-global-debut-1201274534/
“The Guardians of the Galaxy” touched down with a dazzling $94 million this weekend, proving that Marvel is the new gold standard for movie brands.
That set a new record for an August domestic debut, easily trumping the $69.3 million bow of “The Bourne Ultimatum, and scoring the third biggest stateside opening of the year. Overseas, the film netted an impressive $66.4 million in 42 territories, including Russia, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom. It has brought in $160.4 million worldwide and still has many major territories left to open such as China, Australia, France and Spain.
The film blew past tracking that initially suggested a U.S. debut in the $65 million to $70 million range.
The studio’s adaptations of comic books have been profitable for years, but following the $1.5 billion success of 2012’s “The Avengers,” there films have reached new heights. “Iron Man 3″ hit $1.2 billion, nearly doubling the previous film in the series, “Thor: The Dark World” reached $644.8 million,a 44% improvement on the first God of Thunder film, and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is finishing off with $713.2 million globally, a 92% hike from the patriotic warrior’s big screen debut.
Having made $6.3 billion at the box office, since taking ownership of the films with 2008’s “Iron Man,” Marvel has become one of the most consistent hit0makers in Hollywood history, its record of tapping into the zeitgeist unrivaled by all save Pixar.
“The Guardians of the Galaxy” represented a roll of the dice for the studio and its corporate parent, Walt Disney. It arrived with a production budget of $170 million (plus whatever it cost to market the interstellar heroes from one end of the planet to the other), but without the brand recognition of a Captain America or a Thor. It also debuted in August, traditionally a slower time for popcorn films.
Tapping James Gunn, a tongue-in-cheek auteur best known for low-budget enterprises such as “Slither” and “Super,” and Chris Pratt, the “Parks & Recreation” funny man, were off-beat choices that reaped dividends. The picture was hailed for its sense of humor, with critics rewarding it with a 96% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Blasting off at the tail-end of summer was also a deft move. This summer has been a dreadful one for the movie business, with receipts down nearly 20% from last year’s record-breaker. But that meant that movie-goers were hungry for a broad, exciting, special-effects driven adventure after a summer of blockbusters that weren’t.
Domestically, “Guardians of the Galaxy” premiered in 4,080 locations, a new high-water mark for August. It premiered in all premium formats, with $17 million of its global bounty coming from Imax, and 25% of its domestic haul originating from 3D screenings. The opening weekend crowd was 56% male, 26% families, and 59% adults, with moviegoers ages 26 to 34 making up the largest sector.
As for the weekend’s other debut, Universal’s James Brown biopic “Get on Up” shook and strutted its way to $14 million. A so-so debut for a modestly priced $30 million piece of counter-programming. Opening weekend audiences were older (90% age 25 and older) and African-American (70%).
“Guardians'” good fortune didn’t leave a lot of room for other contenders. Last weekend’s champ, “Lucy,” slide 57% to $18.3 million, scoring second place at the stateside box office and bringing its domestic gross to $79.6 million. “Hercules,” another holdover, also saw “Guardians” take a bite out of its young adult fan base, dropping more than 60% to $10.7 million and putting its total at $52.3 million. Sliding in for fifth place, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” added $8.7 million to its bounty and has now passed the previous film in the franchise, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes'” domestic total, with an $189.3 million stateside haul.
On the specialty film front, Fox Searchlight’s n”Calvary” grossed an estimated $72,000 in a handful of theaters. It will expand next week to between 35 to 40 theaters.
More to come…
“The Guardians of the Galaxy” touched down with a dazzling $94 million this weekend, proving that Marvel is the new gold standard for movie brands.
That set a new record for an August domestic debut, easily trumping the $69.3 million bow of “The Bourne Ultimatum, and scoring the third biggest stateside opening of the year. Overseas, the film netted an impressive $66.4 million in 42 territories, including Russia, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom. It has brought in $160.4 million worldwide and still has many major territories left to open such as China, Australia, France and Spain.
The film blew past tracking that initially suggested a U.S. debut in the $65 million to $70 million range.
The studio’s adaptations of comic books have been profitable for years, but following the $1.5 billion success of 2012’s “The Avengers,” there films have reached new heights. “Iron Man 3″ hit $1.2 billion, nearly doubling the previous film in the series, “Thor: The Dark World” reached $644.8 million,a 44% improvement on the first God of Thunder film, and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is finishing off with $713.2 million globally, a 92% hike from the patriotic warrior’s big screen debut.
Having made $6.3 billion at the box office, since taking ownership of the films with 2008’s “Iron Man,” Marvel has become one of the most consistent hit0makers in Hollywood history, its record of tapping into the zeitgeist unrivaled by all save Pixar.
“The Guardians of the Galaxy” represented a roll of the dice for the studio and its corporate parent, Walt Disney. It arrived with a production budget of $170 million (plus whatever it cost to market the interstellar heroes from one end of the planet to the other), but without the brand recognition of a Captain America or a Thor. It also debuted in August, traditionally a slower time for popcorn films.
Tapping James Gunn, a tongue-in-cheek auteur best known for low-budget enterprises such as “Slither” and “Super,” and Chris Pratt, the “Parks & Recreation” funny man, were off-beat choices that reaped dividends. The picture was hailed for its sense of humor, with critics rewarding it with a 96% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Blasting off at the tail-end of summer was also a deft move. This summer has been a dreadful one for the movie business, with receipts down nearly 20% from last year’s record-breaker. But that meant that movie-goers were hungry for a broad, exciting, special-effects driven adventure after a summer of blockbusters that weren’t.
Domestically, “Guardians of the Galaxy” premiered in 4,080 locations, a new high-water mark for August. It premiered in all premium formats, with $17 million of its global bounty coming from Imax, and 25% of its domestic haul originating from 3D screenings. The opening weekend crowd was 56% male, 26% families, and 59% adults, with moviegoers ages 26 to 34 making up the largest sector.
As for the weekend’s other debut, Universal’s James Brown biopic “Get on Up” shook and strutted its way to $14 million. A so-so debut for a modestly priced $30 million piece of counter-programming. Opening weekend audiences were older (90% age 25 and older) and African-American (70%).
“Guardians'” good fortune didn’t leave a lot of room for other contenders. Last weekend’s champ, “Lucy,” slide 57% to $18.3 million, scoring second place at the stateside box office and bringing its domestic gross to $79.6 million. “Hercules,” another holdover, also saw “Guardians” take a bite out of its young adult fan base, dropping more than 60% to $10.7 million and putting its total at $52.3 million. Sliding in for fifth place, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” added $8.7 million to its bounty and has now passed the previous film in the franchise, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes'” domestic total, with an $189.3 million stateside haul.
On the specialty film front, Fox Searchlight’s n”Calvary” grossed an estimated $72,000 in a handful of theaters. It will expand next week to between 35 to 40 theaters.
More to come…