box office

Depending on who you talk to or what report you read, the cost to make and market James Cameron's Avatar changes from person to person. I'm jut going to go with the last number I saw -- $430 million... It sounds close enough!

According to Box Office Mojo's Weekend Studio Estimates for December 18-20, 2009, Avatar (Read Review), "earned an estimated $73 million on approximately 7,000 screens at 3,452 sites over the weekend, claiming the highest-grossing opening ever for a movie that's neither a sequel, a remake nor a direct adaptation. It was also the second highest-grossing December opening weekend after I Am Legend ($77.2 million)."

The L.A. Times reported that the studio estimates reach $232.2 million in worldwide ticket sales, and claim that weather conditions are the reason the movie failed to top I Am Legend.

"In the U.S. and Canada, bad weather limited the haul for the film to a solid but far from spectacular $73 million. Depressed attendance in the snowy Northeast and mid-Atlantic region Saturday probably kept it from beating the December record of $77.2 million set by "I Am Legend" two years ago. "

Weekend Studio Estimates For December 18-20, 2009

1 Avatar $73,000,000
2 The Princess and the Frog $12,224,000 ($44,756,000)
3 The Blind Side $10,030,000 ($164,734,000)
4 Did You Hear About the Morgans? $7,000,000
5 The Twilight Saga: New Moon $4,370,000 ($274,561,000)
6 Invictus $4,170,000 -($15,845,000)
7 A Christmas Carol (2009) $3,419,000 ($130,789,000)
8 Up in the Air $3,100,000 ($8,106,000)
9 Brothers $2,630,000 ($22,091,000)
10 Old Dogs $2,289,000 ($43,574,000)  read more »

Sandra Bullock's The Blind Side flipped-flopped with The Twilight Saga: New Moon taking the number one spot at the box office this weekend.

Weekend Studio Estimates for December 4-6, 2009

1 The Blind Side $20,440,000 ($129,264,000)
2 The Twilight Saga: New Moon $15,704,000 ($255,639,000)
3 Brothers $9,700,000
4 A Christmas Carol (2009) $7,520,000 ($115,006,000)
5 Old Dogs $6,901,000 ($33,934,000)
6 Armored $6,600,000
7 2012 $6,600,000 ($148,787,000)
8 Ninja Assassin $5,030,000 ($29,790,000)
9 Planet 51 $4,300,000 ($33,966,000)
10 Everybody's Fine Mira. $4,027,000

1 2012 - $65,000,000
2 A Christmas Carol (2009) $22,325,000 ($63,289,000)
3 The Men Who Stare at Goats $6,200,000 ($23,376,000)
4 Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire $6,090,000 ($8,915,000)
5 Michael Jackson’s This Is It $5,100,000 ($68,211,000)
6 The Fourth Kind $4,744,000 ($20,588,000)
7 Couples Retreat $4,253,000 ($102,133,000)
8 Paranormal Activity $4,200,000 ($103,847,000)
9 Law Abiding Citizen $3,932,000 ($67,326,000)
10 The Box $3,185,000 ($13,206,000)

Weekend Studio Estimates For November 6-8, 2009

1 A Christmas Carol $31,000,000
2 Michael Jackson's This Is It $14,000,000 ($57,855,000)
3 The Men Who Stare at Goats $13,309,000
4 The Fourth Kind $12,521,000
5 Paranormal Activity . $8,600,000 ($97,430,000)
6 The Box $7,855,000
7 Couples Retreat $6,428,000 ($95,980,000)
8 Law Abiding Citizen $6,172,000 ($60,873,000)
9 Where the Wild Things Are $4,225,000 ($69,268,000)
10 Astro Boy $2,588,000 ($15,073,000)

Does anyone else find it odd that Michael Jackson's movie, This Is It, was number one at the box office on a Halloween weekend? Jackson's life was kind of stuck in a perpetual masquerade. He not only constantly hid himself and his children behind masks, but his face made him look like he permanently belonged in a George Romero film.

Before you jump all over me, remember, on the weekend when ghost and ghouls normally reign supreme, Jigsaw or Michael "The Boogeyman" Myers were not number one, Michael Jackson was. Kind of a fitting end to his legacy. Jackson not only the "King of Pop," but also the "King of Things That Go Bump in the Night."

I also find it odd that a country who witch hunted the man twice, for being a pedophile while he was alive, have once again fallen in love with him now that he is dead. America is a bunch of morbid hypocrite freaks!

Weekend Studio Estimates For October 30-November 1, 2009

1 Michael Jackson’s This Is It $21,300,000 ($32,509,000)
2 Paranormal Activity $16,540,000 ($84,780,000)
3 Law Abiding Citizen $7,303,000 ($51,385,000)
4 Couples Retreat $6,097,000 ($86,663,000)
5 Saw VI $5,560,000 ($22,824,000)
6 Where the Wild Things Are $5,081,000 ($61,800,000)
7 The Stepfather $3,400,000 ($24,748,000)
8 Astro Boy $3,035,000 ($10,891,000)
10 Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant $2,809,000 ($10,521,000)

1 Where the Wild Things Are $32,470,000
2 Law Abiding Citizen $21,250,000
3 Paranormal Activity . $20,163,000 ($33,717,000)
4 Couples Retreat $17,949,000 ($63,339,000)
5 The Stepfather $12,300,000
6 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $8,100,000 ($108,284,000)
7 Zombieland $7,800,000 ($60,823,000)
8 Toy Story / Toy Story 2 (3D) $3,011,000 ($28,594,000)
9 Surrogates $1,922,000 ($36,332,000)
10 The Invention of Lying $1,905,000 ($15,495,000)

Box Office for October 2-4, 2009

Zombieland (Read Review) -- Plot: Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss - but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-totin', zombie-slayin' badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies. (Plot from Traileraddict.com. Numbers estimated by BoxOfficeMojo.com)

1 Zombieland $25,000,000
2 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $16,700,000 ($82,392,000)
3 Toy Story / Toy Story 2 (3D) $12,500,000
4 The Invention of Lying $7,350,000
5 Surrogates $7,344,000 ($26,387,000)
7 Capitalism: A Love Story $4,850,000 ($5,252,000)
6 Whip It $4,850,000
8 Fame (2009) $4,754,000 ($16,634,000)
9 The Informant! $3,800,000 ($26,580,000)
10 Love Happens $2,777,000 ($18,910,000)

Ths kids film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs scored number one at the box office again this weekend. The best new release went to Surrogates with an estimated $15 million, followed by Fame with $10 million.

1 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $24,600,000 ($60,036,000)
2 Surrogates $15,000,000
3 Fame (2009) $10,033,000
4 The Informant! $6,915,000 ($20,992,000)
5 Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself 4,750,000 ($44,543,000)
6 Pandorum $4,408,000
7 Love Happens $4,327,000 ($14,728,000)
8 Jennifer's Body $3,500,000 ($12,306,000)
9 9 $2,832,000 ($27,101,000)
10 Inglourious Basterds $2,722,000 ($114,460,000)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs served up the highest-grossing September animation debut on record earning an estimated $30.1 million at the box office this weekend. Meanwhile Matt Damon's The Informant! (Review) netted $10.5 million, and Megan Fox's horror/comedy Jennifer's Body (Review) flopped with $6.8 million.

Weekend Box Office For September 18-20, 2009

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs -- Plot:C loudy with a Chance of Meatballs will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children's book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain. (Plot from Traileraddict.com. Numbers estimated by BoxOfficeMojo.com)

1 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $30,100,000
2 The Informant! $10,545,000
3 Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself $10,060,000 ($37,932,000)
4 Love Happens $8,456,000
5 Jennifer's Body $6,800,000
6 9 $5,458,000 ($22,794,000)
7 Inglourious Basterds $3,603,000 ($109,901,000)
8 All About Steve $3,400,000 ($26,678,000)
9 Sorority Row $2,489,000 ($8,870,000)
10 The Final Destination $2,375,000 ($62,392,000)

I missed doing last week's box office numbers because I was in Filthadelphia for the Britney Spears concert, but it was a big week for horror fans as Warner Bros. and the Weinstein Company played a little box office chicken with their horror franchises, The Final Destination and Halloween 2. Final Destination 4 won the battle putting another nail in the Weinstein's coffin, and this week it continued to beat up on Rob Zombie's film taking the number 1 slot for a second week in a row. Halloween 2 slipped to number 6 and Sandra Bullock's All About Steve came in second.

Weekend Box Office for September 4–6, 2009

The Final Destination (Read Review) -- Plot: On what should have been a fun-filled day at the races, Nick O’Bannon has a horrific premonition in which a bizarre sequence of events causes multiple race cars to crash, sending flaming debris into the stands, brutally killing his friends and causing the upper deck of the stands to collapse on him. When he comes out of this grisly nightmare Nick panics, persuading his girlfriend, Lori, and their friends, Janet and Hunt, to leave…escaping seconds before Nick’s frightening vision becomes a terrible reality. Thinking they’ve cheated death, the group has a new lease on life, but unfortunately for Nick and Lori, it is only the beginning. As his premonitions continue and the crash survivors begin to die one-by-one–in increasingly gruesome ways–Nick must figure out how to cheat death once and for all before he, too, reaches his final destination. The film marks the latest in the highly popular Final Destination series, and its first 3D installment, giving horror fans an especially visceral thrill ride. (Plot from HorrorYearbook.com. Numbers estimated by BoxOfficeMojo.com)

1 The Final Destination $12,435,00 ($47,566,000)
2 All About Steve $11,200,000
3 Inglourious Basterds $10,847,000 ($91,042,000)
4 Gamer $9,000,000
5 District 9 $7,000,000 ($101,274,000)
6 Halloween II (2009) $5,608,000 ($25,664,000)
7 Julie & Julia $5,200,000 ($78,840,000)
8 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra $5,100,000 ($139,415,000)
9 The Time Traveler's Wife $4,215,000 ($54,557,000)
10 Extract $4,187,000

*(movie's total gross)