Sunday December 14, 2014
Weekend Box Office: Thou Shalt Have No Moses Before Charlton Heston!
Thou shalt have no Moses before Charlton Heston, apparently.
Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” starring Christian Bale as Moses, opened to bad reviews (28% RT) and weak box office ($24 million), but that was still good enough to win the weekend. “The Hunger Games” sequel (shorter version: “THGMP1”) was second with $13.2 million. We’re all out shopping.
Chris Rock’s “Top Five,” which did open to good reviews (89%), finished fourth, with $7.2 million, even though it only played in 979 theaters. Patricia and I saw it yesterday. My review will be up tomorrow. (Psst: I’m in the 11%.)
Is it a bad weekend to open a movie? It looks like it, unless you’re a Tolkien adaptation:
- Dec. 13-15. 2013: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Samug: $73 million
- Dec. 14-16, 2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: $84
- Dec. 16-18, 2011: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: $39
- Dec. 10-12, 2010: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: $24
Or maybe we’re all just getting sick of lengthy subtitles.
What are the big winners of Fall 2014 so far? Below:
- THGMP1: $277 million
- Big Hero 6: $185
- Interstellar: $166
- Gone Girl: $164
And will THGMP1 trump Guardians of the Galaxy to be the year’s biggest box office hit? Don’t touch that mouse!
The sixth-biggest opening of Ridley Scott's career but a disappointment, considering.
Twitter: @ErikLundegaard
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