SATURDAY 11 PM, 5TH UPDATE: Theatrical grosses are still not returning to normal. Instead of the Aurora shooting tragedy spooking box office, the red-hot London Olympics ('NBC Holds American Viewers Hostage: Day 9') is distracting filmgoers. Total moviegoing this weekend looks like $120M which is down yet again (-25%) from last year. Sony Pictures' reboot of 1990's Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Total Recall now starring Colin Farrell couldn't give Warner Bros' and 
Legendary Pictures' third-weekend-veteran The Dark Knight Rises the tight race Hollywood expected. (Nice to hear from my opinionated gurus again') Right now it looks like TDKR (4,242 theaters) bounced back for #1 its third straight $36.2M or a domestic total of $354.4M. Creeping in soft to begin with, Total Recall (3,601 theaters) 'performed in line with tracking and expectations,' Sony said $26.5M opening. Actually, the studio had expected more: $28M-$30M. Problem is, as rival studios point out, this weekend's take won't be enough to make up the pic's $150M cost unless it hits big overseas. Worse, the CinemaScore is only a 'C+' meaning word of mouth won't improve over the weekend.
I don't know why Hollywood keeps thinking Colin Farrell can carry a movie. He's just not box office, and this pic proves that again. And Total Recall was a completely unnecessary remake that ignored the elements that made the original worth watching. The last version directed by Paul Verhoeven starred Ah-nold at the height of his film career. The marketing even made fun of his iconic status by promo-ing the hell of that scene putting him in a dress as he sneaked into Mars. This new version directed by Len Wiseman is still based on Philip K. Dick's seminal short story 'We Can Remember It For You Wholesale' but without Arnie or Mars or the campiness. There are five credited writers: screen story by Ronald Shusett & Dan O'Bannon and Jon Povill and Kurt Wimmer, with screenplay credited to Wimmer and Mark Bomback. The producers are Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe. The campaign for Total Recall focused on men and therefore on sports programming, the American Idol finale, the MTV Movie Awards, and other male-centric TV like Anger Management, Louie, Wilfred, and Brand X. Digital centered around the WelcomeToRekall.com interactive website. Sneak peeks and special spots ran in WWE Raw, Breaking Bad, Falling Skies, and a UFC fight on Fox. The cast rolled out the film at Comic-Con, followed by a press day in Miami, an international tour in France and Brazil, and a junket and premiere in Los Angeles, as well as the daytime and late-night talk shows. The talent will continue to promote the film as it rolls out internationally with a tour to Russia, Spain, Germany, the UK, Ireland, and China.
On the other hand, Fox's PG-rated Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 3 (3,392 theaters) was made on only a $22M negative just like the first two. When Fox 2000 first bought the books, there were 1 million in print; now there are 75 million in print in 40 different languages. Author Jeff Kinney has been involved in all 3 films. Elizabeth Gabler, always a huge advocate, worked closely with the production when itds longtime executive Carla Hacken left for New Regency. This is the first time any installment of this successful Wimpy Kid franchise isn't releasing in March. Bad decision. While the original and sequels scored $22.1M and $23.7M respectively, the new one called Dog Days opened for only $14.5M. The CinemaScore of 'A-' could mean stronger numbers from the excellent word of mouth. Fox and producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson combined Books 3 and 4 but used the title of the 4th book, Dog Days, 'because we wanted to make a movie both set and released in the summer,' Jacobson told me. This installment pumps up Steve Zahn's role, which the producers had been wanting to do. Pic was directed by David Bowers; screenplay credit goes to Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky.
Here's the Top Ten based on weekend estimates:
1. Dark Knight Rises (Legendary/Warner Bros) Week 3 [4,242 Runs] PG13
Friday $10.2M, Saturday $14.8M, Weekend $36.2M, Cume $354.4M
2. Total Recall (Sony) NEW [3,601 Runs] PG13
Friday $9.2M, Saturday $9.8M, Weekend $26.5M
3. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 3 (Fox) NEW [3,391 Runs] PG
Friday $5.8M, Saturday $5.1M, Weekend $14.5M
4. Ice Age 4 (Fox) Week 4 [3,542 Runs] PG
Friday $2.4M, Saturday $3.3M, Weekend $8.0M, Cume $131.5M
5. The Watch (Fox) Week 2 [3,168 Runs] R
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.5M, Weekend $6.3M (-50%), Cume $25.3M
6. Ted (Universal) Week 6 [2,767 Runs] R
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $5.5M, Cume $203.4M
7. Step Up Revolution (Summit/Lgate) Week 2 [2,606 Runs] PG13
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.0M, Weekend $5.3M, Cume $23.1M
8. The Amazing Spider-Man (Col/Sony) Week 5 [2,425 Runs] PG13
Friday $1.2M, Saturday $1.9M, Weekend $4.5M, Cume $250.8M
9. Brave (Pixar-Disney) Week 7 [2,110 Runs] PG
Friday $811K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.8M, Cume $223.2M
10. Magic Mike (Warner Bros) Week 6 [1,202 Runs] R
Friday $470K, Saturday $740K, Weekend $1.7M, Cume $111.2M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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