Zero Dark Thirty, the controversial account of the CIA’s operation to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden, dominated the weekend box office with $24 million in ticket sales. Zero Dark Thirty box office sales received an extra boost over the weekend after the film collected five 2013 Oscar nominations on Thursday.
Zero Dark Thirty Credit: Sony Pictures
Despite negative attention from critics over the portrayel of Zero Dark Thirty torture scenes, the film was a hit with movie-goers at the weekend box office. There is just nothing more American than a movie about spies, big guns, torture and mass murdering bad guys, right? America, f**k yeah!
Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is the big winner of the holiday box office take this year, beating out runner-up Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows with an estimated $42.2 million in ticket sales over the four-day holiday weekend.
The fourth in the Mission: Impossible film series starring Tom Cruise has already raked in over $78.6 million at the domestic box office so far. M:I:4 reportedly cost around $145 million to make, but is already on track to beat the total income of 2006’s Million: Impossible III, which took in over $134 million in domestic sales and almost $264 million overseas.
X-Men: First Class took the top spot at the weekend box office with an estimated $56 million in ticket revenue. The pre-weekend estimates predicted the film would probably bring in $50-60 million in box office takes, which puts the movie right about in the middle of expectations.
X-Men: First Class, Source: 20th Century Fox
“We are ecstatic,” says Chris Aronson of 20th Century Fox told USAToday.com of the film’s weekend box office opening. “This was a complete reboot. We completely redid the cast. And it still was a hit.”
Starring James McAvoy, January Jones and a cast of up and coming fresh young actors, X-Men: First Classis set in the 1960s during the Cold War and Cuban Missile Crisis. The film focuses on the relationship of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr (Magneto) and the creation of their respective mutant groups, theX-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.
X-Men: First Class reportedly cost around $160 million to produce. The film easily beat out last weekend’s top movie, The Hangover: Part II, which came in second with an estimated $32.4 million. Kung Fu Panda 2 landed in third place with $24.3 million. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Bridesmaids rounded out the top five with $18 million and $12.1 million respectively.
Thor, the Marvel Studios movie take on the mythical god and comic book superhero staring Chris Hemsworth, is expected to pound the competition with its weekend box office take. Although Thor will probably not make it to the $86.2 million take from the debut of Fast Five last weekend, predictions are that it will bring home up to $70 million for Marvel Studios from the weekend box office.
Chris Hemsworth & Natalie Portman in 'Thor' - Marvel Studios
Of course, Thor does not have a lot of strong competition over the weekend besides Fast Five, now in its second week. The only two relatively large releases are both wedding comedies — Something Borrowed and Jumping the Broom. Neither is really likely to appeal that much to that big guy demographic. They are probably THRILLED to have an excuse to see Thor instead of having their girlfriends drag them to one of those sappy chick-flicks.
So far, Thor reviews have been decent on the whole, which is actually pretty high praise for a superhero movie. Still, it’s not exactly rocket science and it does also star Natalie Portman, who is one of Hollywood’s most wanted woman these days. Black Swan to No Strings Attached to  Thor, that girl certainly does pick the oddest movies…
Thor will undoubtably take the top spot at the weekend box office, followed by Fast Five at somewhere around $35 to $40 million. Something Borrowed and Jumping the Broom will battle it out, but we’re giving a slight edge to Something Borrowed. The G-Rated Rio will likely take the number five spot with its strong draw for the family with small kids crowd.
Despite foul language of the worst kind and a ridiculous plotline, the comic book-inspired movie Kick-Ass failed to kick much in the way of ass at the weekend box office. Normally, for some insane reason, films with nasty language spewing in all directions and a complete lack of a believable plot do extremely well at the box office, so we were actually a bit surprised Kick-Ass fell short in the film’s premiere in theaters.
'Kick-Ass' (Universal Pictures/Lionsgate)
How To Train Your Dragon was almost the big dog at the weekend box office this time around, barely losing out to Kick-Ass for the top spot. Earlier estimates actually put Kick-Ass in second place, but more recent reports show the film barely squeaking ahead. Not that either film took home a huge load in the rankings.
How To Train Your Dragon brought in around $19.6 million based on box office estimates, with Kick-Ass taking about $19.8 million. The numbers were so close, so Kick-Ass barely pulled out a last minute victory and it was kind of a pathetic win.
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Tina Fey and Steve Carell’s Date Night placed in third at the weekend box office top five, followed by Death at a Funeral in fourth and Clash of the Titans in fifth.
Tim Burton‘s Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp, topped the box office this weekend for the second week in a row. The re-imagined 3-D film based on the works of Lewis Carrol raked in an estimated $62 million in ticket sales.
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney)
Alice in Wonderland has already made over $200 million since it hit theaters March 5. In addition to massive ticket sales, the film has also set a number of box office records. Alice had the sixth largest box office opening of all time, the highest debut ever for a 3-D film and the best ever Imax launch.
Coming in second for the weekend was the Matt Damon Iraq war film Green Zone, collecting a relatively paltry $14.5 million for NBC Universal. Rounding out the top five at the weekend box office were Jay Baruchel‘s She’s Out of My League, Robert Pattinson‘s Remember Me and America Ferrera‘s Our Family Wedding.
James Cameron‘s sci-fi epic Avatar dominated the box office over the weekend, raking in over $73 million in ticket sales. The massively expensive film still has a way to go however, before it recoups the reported $300 to $500 million spent making the movie.
Avatar
Avatar topped the box office over the weekend with $73 million in U.S. ticket sales, the second-highest grossing December debut of all time. Avatar has raked in around $232 million worldwide so far. Although exact figures have not been released, it is estimated the film cost between $300 and $500 million to produce and market.
Although some critics were a bit put off by previews of the film, Avatar has been widely praised by reviewers and audiences alike since its release. The movie is surprisingly thoughtful for such a big-budget blockbuster and few can argue that film is spectacularly gorgeous to watch.
Disney’s The Princess and the Frog came in at number two in the weekend box office with $12.2 million, followed by the dark horse Sandra Bullock flick The Blind Side with $10 million. The Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans came in at fourth with $7 million, followed by The Twilight Saga: New Moon in fifth with $4.4 million.
Next weekend Avatar will battle for the top spot against upcoming releases Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and the romantic comedy It’s Complicated, starring Meryl Streep.
