Box Office: 'Need For Speed' Disappoints, Opens at No. 3
Credit: Dreamworks
It's bad news for videogame adaptations. Need for Speed, the Dreamworks blockbuster based on the videogame series of the same name, opening to a disappointing $17.8 million. This placed the movie at No. 3 behind Mr. Peabody & Sherman and 300: Rise of an Empire.
However, the news wasn't all bad for the Aaron Paul thriller.
The movie, which cost $66 million to make, made up the difference in overseas ticket sales. Need For Speed brought in $45.6 million from 40 different markets, including a $21.2 million debut in China. This brings the movie's worldwide debut gross to $63.4 million, just $2.6 million shy of its budget.
"It's a disappointing start on the domestic side, but to open to that number worldwide and nearly match the budget of the film is great. This was a very affordable movie and with many territories left to open, everyone will be just fine. We feel great about where we are," said Dave Hollis, distribution chief for Disney, DreamWorks' partner in releasing Need for Speed in North America and several international markets.
But the big surprise was the victory by Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which declined only 34% in week two, ruled the weekend box office with $21.2 million. This was enough to conquer 300: Rise of an Empire, which raked in $19.1 million, bringing its 10-day North American total to $78.3 million. The movie also remained strong overseas, bringing in an additional $41.3 million from 62 territories for a foreign gross of $158 million, and a worldwide gross of $236.3 million.
As for the rest of the box office, Need For Speed wasn't the only disappointing opening among this weekend's newcomers: Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club brought in $8.3 million, making this the worst opening of Tyler Perry's directing career, even worse than the $11.2 million debut of Daddy's Little Girls in February 2007. Approximately 80 percent of the audience was female, with an equal number over the age of 25. Yet that audience wasn't enough to keep the film's head above water, unfortunately.
But the news was better for underdog films: Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel continued its amazing run, taking in an impressive $3.6 million from 66 theaters, coming in at the No. 8 spot. Meanwhile, Veronica Mars finally hit theaters, grossing $2.02 million to come in at No. 10, just barely overtaking George Clooney's The Monuments Men ($2 million). The film took in just over a third of the $5.7 million budget earned from its fundraising campaign on Kickstarter. It's a landmark success that could change the film industry, as Veronica Mars is simultaneously available online and in theaters via Warner Bros. It's exceedingly rare, if not altogether unprecedented, for a movie to find success at the box office with this approach. Yet Veronica Mars is doing stunningly well.
"In many of these complexes, it was the No. 1 grossing film," said Warners executive vice president of distribution Jeff Goldstein. "There is just incredible interest in this film, and we released it theatrically to set it up for the ancillary markets. This is all outside the norm."
Info on digital sales and rentals will not be made available until Wednesday, but that hasn't stopped Veronica Mars from ranking No. 3 on iTunes. The movie has the potential to become an indie juggernaut, essentially avenging its early cancellation with considerable box office success.
Speaking of box office success, Disney's Frozen is officially unstoppable. The film came in at No. 9 with $2.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $396 million, while the worldwide gross is now north of $1.026 billion. This makes Frozen the No. 15 top-grossing film of all-time, surpassing Alice in Wonderland ($1.025 billion) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($1.017 billion). It's a success beyond what I imagine even Disney was expecting. Seriously, has any movie still been in the top 10 at the domestic box office the day before it's released on DVD? At the rate it's going, it just might end up being the highest-grossing animated film of all-time before it's all said and done. Frozen cannot be stopped!
You can check out the full Top 10 at the weekend box office below:
1. Mr. Peabody & Sherman ($21.2 million)
2. 300: Rise of An Empire ($19.1 million)
3. Need for Speed ($17.8 million)
4. Non-Stop ($10.6 million)
5. Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club ($8.3 million)
6. The LEGO Movie ($7.7 million)
7. Son of God ($5.4 million)
8. The Grand Budapest Hotel ($3.6 million)
9. Frozen ($2.1 million)
10. Veronica Mars ($2.02 million)