Green Lantern continues the trend of underperforming summer movies. Ryan Reynolds' turn as Hal Jordan came in on top yet underwhelmed in terms of superhero openers. With a $52.6 million debut, Green Lantern fell behind X-Men: First Class' $55.1 million and Thor's $65.7 million. The former is a greater insult given “First Class” did not even have the benefit of 3-D surcharges. Mr. Popper’s Penguins was also a disappointment. Kid friendly movies simply have no place in this summer’s race. Carrey can usually hold a big audience but those days must be behind him. “Penguins” came in third with $18.2 million.
Super 8 split the two with a 40 percent drop from last week. Green Lantern suffered thanks to bad buzz from beginning to end. The Tomatometer stands at 25%, an off-putting slight. The budget crossed $200 million, more than $40 million more than Thor. The ending set it up for a sequel, but only international success will solidify that opportunity.
Thor and Fast Five are officially out of the top ten. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer and Midnight in Paris hold the bottom rungs respectively. “Judy Moody” has made a whopping $11.1 million in its run so far. Children’s movies have been a tragedy this summer, but perhaps Cars 2 will change the tide next weekend.
The Top Ten
1. Green Lantern - $52.6M (weekend)…$52.6M (gross)
2. Super 8 - $21.2.0M…$72.7M
3. Mr. Popper’s Penguins - $18.2M…$18.2M
4. X-Men: First Class - $11.5M…$119.9M
5. The Hangover Part II - $9.6M…$232M
6. Kung Fu Panda 2 - $8.7M…$143.3M
7. Bridesmaids - $7.4M …$136.8M
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - $6.2M…$220.3M
9. Midnight in Paris - $5.2M…$21.7M
10. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer - $2.2M …$11.1M
The sequel to the 2006 Pixar car flick will open at 3,900 cinemas. The original made $244 million domestic and another $217 million worldwide. $461 million doesn’t seem like much, but with merchandizing, the studios made a mint. The 3-D medium will be a help to an animated feature, and with the flawless Pixar brand, this sequel will out gross the original’s debut of $60 million. Animated films benefit from familiarity and big family audiences. With school officially out, it will be difficult for Cars 2 to fail.
Bad Teacher, a hard R-rated comedy, will offer counterprogramming for adult and teenage fans. The crass subgenre did not do well earlier in the year, but both Bridesmaids and The Hangover Part II prospered this summer, so Bad Teacher stands a chance. Moreover, having a female lead may not be such a stumbling block after the success Kristen Wiig has had with her chick flick. Cars 2 will obviously be the winner of the weekend, but how far Bad Teacher will trail behind is anyone’s guess.
