Box Office: 'Lone Survivor' Claims the Top Spot
Credit: AP Photo/Universal Pictures, Gregory R. Peters
A patriotic film carried by a strong showing in heartland America took the top spot at the weekend box office: Peter Berg's Lone Survivor, starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster, opened with a massive $38.5 million -- far above the relatively modest expectations for the the fact-based Navy SEALs drama.
Not only does Lone Survivor's huge premiere constitute the strongest showing of any post-9/11 war film, its big opening weekend marks the second-biggest debut of all time for the month of January after Cloverfield, which opened to $40.1 million in 2008. Performing strongest in Texas, Lone Survivor has a total gross of $38.9 million when factoring in its initial awards qualifying run in New York and Los Angeles.
Lone Survivor is a huge victory for the studio and for its stars, but it's also a big win for director Peter Berg, whose last film -- the big-budget disaster, Battleship -- was a notable, high-profile flop. This film, which is based on Marcus Luttrell's memoir about a team of Navy SEALs sent on a perilous mission in the Middle East, was made on a budget of $40 million. With the profits of just this weekend alone, the film is well on its way to recouping its production budget and turning a significant profit, considering the relatively modest expectations for the film, going in.
"It's a great story about patriotism, survival and heroism, and incredible courage. It worked well everywhere, but Middle America really, really responded. The publicity and marketing effort was amazing, including supporting Marcus in reaching out everywhere to tell his story. Pete and Mark were everywhere, too," said Nikki Rocco, Universal's domestic marketing chief.
However, not every new arrival was as fortunate as Lone Survivor: the Kellan Lutz-starring action drama, The Legend of Hercules, debuted with a poor $8.6 million, tying it with American Hustle for the No. 4 spot. Both films failed to put a dent in the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut known as Disney's Frozen, which came in at No. 2. Grossing around $15 million, the animated film's domestic total is now in excess of $317 million, while its international gross has reached $394.6 million, bringing its worldwide gross to $712.2 million. The No. 3 spot, meanwhile, belongs to Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, which climbed in its third weekend with $9 million. Its North American total is now in the ballpark of $78 million.
Another notable showing at the box office included the nationwide expansion of August: Osage County, which performed well above expectations, taking in $7.3 million for seventh place. The considerable gross for the film is credited largely with the star power of its two leads -- Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep -- as well as a strong showing in rural, midwest areas.
"The success of the film clearly speaks to the popularity of Meryl and Julia," said Erik Lomis, the TWC distribution chief. "People are judging it on its own merits, whether or not they have seen the play."
And while it didn't score in the top 10, the weekend's other big nationwide expansion, Spike Jonze's Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix as a lonely writer who falls in love with an operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), impressed with $5.4 million. The awards season contender ultimately finished at No. 11 for the weekend.
Also building steam is Disney's Saving Mr. Banks, which came in at No. 8 with $6.6 million in its fourth weekend in nationwide release. Meanwhile, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has surpassed $800 million worldwide with its showing this weekend. Though it's unlikely to catch the $1 billion gross of An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug remains one of the biggest box office success stories of the quarter.
You can check out the full Top 10 below:
1) Lone Survivor ($38.8 million)
2) Frozen ($14.6 million)
3) The Wolf of Wall Street ($9 million)
4/5) The Legend of Hercules ($8.6 million) / American Hustle ($8.6 million)
6) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ($8 million)
7) August: Osage County ($7.3 million)
8) Saving Mr. Banks ($6.3 million)
9) Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones ($6.3 million)
10) Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues ($6.1 million)
Via: The Hollywood Reporter / Deadline