Minions shatter records at the box office

What the heck is going this year that we are witnessing movie after movie breaking box office records? This is a very peculiar situation and worth of some sociological studies. It is like suddenly people came to the sudden realization that watching movies in their first run at movie theaters is again...cool. Despite the so-so reviews by critics (54% rotten) the 'Despicable Me' franchise spin-off Minionsopened to a mammoth $115.2 million and leaving in the dust the long held records of Toy Story 3 ($110 million) and Shrek 2 ($108 million). It is now the second best opening ever for an animated film just behind Shrek The Third ($125 million). Internationally the Minions snatched a bounty of $280.5 million for a wideworld current total of $395.7 million. That is a phenomenal number for the modest budget spin-off ($74 million) which about the same budget as last year animated spin-off from a beloved franchise, The Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, but that film bombed miserably with a worldwide total of just $18 million. Maybe if it was released this summer it might have showed a profit? who knows...

Holding firmly in the second place Jurassic World added $18.1 million to its bank account for a current domestic total of $590 million. It might pass the $600 million mark this week and will beat 'Marvel's The Avengers' record in the following weeks.

Inside Out continues to charm in the third spot with $17.1 million for a domestic total and counting of $283.6 million.

In the fourth spot Terminator: Genisys took $13.7 million for a current total of $68.7 million. Overseas is doing better, but it is still way behind the numbers of the last franchise entry Terminator Salvation at this same point.

Debuting in fifth spot is the microbudget horror entry The Gallows which grossed $10 million. The independent film was made for under $360,000 and WB bought it for $2 million. So it has already showed a profit and can be considered a modest hit even if it disappears from the list next week.

Magic Mike XXL added $9.6 million in the sixth spot. Ted 2 is still struggling in the seventh spot with $7.6 million. Bombing upon arrival, Ryan Reynolds once again has ANOTHER turkey as a leading man as his Self/Less scifi thriller only snatched $5.3 million which is bad for the modest $25 million budgeted film.

But the really interesting story this week is the movie that debuted in the #9 spot: the Bollywood action/adventure film Baahubali: The Beginning. The Indian film grossed $3.5 million in only 236 screens! It had the SECOND highest per screen grosses than any other movie this week not titled 'Minions'. This numbers might make distributors reconsider putting more Bollywood films in more screens in the future to which Hanzy will be extremely pleased.

 

World population is getting bigger every year. That's all.

 

but they gotz money, they got carz...and blu-rays!

 

Ryan Reynolds - there's a guy that Hollywood tried to turn into a star, and it failed miserably.

 

It's more the price of movie tickets going up than anything else.

They should judge them on how many tickets sold, instead of how much money they bring in.


TFK

 

On that regard, 'Gone With The Wind' remains as the undisputed all time supreme movie ticket seller. No movie has ever come close to its record. In a distant second place is the original 'Star Wars' which sold more tickets than 'Titanic' & 'Avatar' combined! that gives us an idea how much ticket prices have inflated.