Inception Dreams Up A Big Opening Weekend At #1

July 19, 2010 | by The Infamous Billy The Kidd |

It’s nice to see a truly great movie atop the box office this past week. Christopher Nolan’s INCEPTION, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, debuted in the #1 slot at the movies to the tune of $60.4 million. That number was well below what The Kidd predicted, based on the major money THE DARK KNIGHT pulled in for its opening, but I guess that just goes to show you that Nolan’s name doesn’t have the same value for mainstream audiences as it does for movie geeks, unless Batman is attached. However, the $60+ million is an extremely strong opening this summer, especially after quite few disappointments have flopped over the past several weeks, and with strong word-of-mouth and critical acclaim, I would expect only a small drop-off in week 2 for INCEPTION, giving the film some legs that could carry it through the remainder of the summer.

I think INCEPTION was hurt a bit by the top secret nature with which Warner Bros. and Nolan have marketed the film, not giving audiences a clear picture as to what the movie is about. Of course that is a bit sad that people want everything handed to them in the TV spots and trailers before they go, but the secrecy should help INCEPTION long-term if audiences keep spreading positive reactions to it, rendering it as a must-see for those who have yet to see it. And while the IMAX screens were sure to boost the numbers a bit, the film’s 2 hour and 28 minute running time worked against it, lessening the amount of shows a given theatre could screen per day (at least in IMAX; The Kidd’s home theatre was showing INCEPTION nearly every half-hour during the evening hours on Friday and Saturday).

DESPICABLE ME only dropped 1 slot to #2 with $32.7 million, pushing it over the $100 million mark for the summer, and virtually guaranteeing that more DESPICABLE sequels will be on the way (as planned) now that Universal finally has a hit on its hands. Unfortunately, the strong 2nd week of Gru and his Minions meant disastrous news for Walt Disney Pictures, who suffered their 2nd massive flop of the summer. Following the mediocre run by PRINCE OF PERSIA, THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE didn’t fare much better. $17.3 million was all Nicolas Cage and company could muster in their opening weekend, in addition to the measly $7 million accumulated over the film’s first 2 days since opening on Wednesday. The Jerry Bruckheimer express of creating mindless movies with lots of special effects looks to have been derailed for the time being, with THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE falling way short of coming even remotely close to making its cost back with the flick having a budget of somewhere near $150 million. Disney is really going to have to re-examine their strategy in terms of live-action movies, because what they’ve been doing as of late clearly isn’t working. PRINCE OF PERSIA and THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE obviously were developed with franchise possibilities in mind, but it’ll be one and done for each. Fans had better hope that a different result befalls TRON: LEGACY, because these last 2 Disney pictures cannot create any type of confidence that things will work out okay.

PREDATORS experienced the biggest audience drop-off (just about 73%) in plummeting from #3 all the way to #8 with $6.8 million. Who knew that Fox would be longing for that disappointing $25 million weekend take again? Certainly not Adrien Brody or the rest of the crew responsible for this lackluster sequel.

The Kidd was way off with predicting the box office this weekend, falling about $40 million short of INCEPTION’s opening tally and not seeing THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE tanking this badly. Hopefully, I can get back on my game with the new releases on tap. This coming weekend, Angelina Jolie’s SALT hits as does 20th Century Fox’s RAMONA & BEEZUS, starring Disney Channel star Selena Gomez. I’m not expecting much from the latter, as TOY STORY 3 and DESPICABLE ME should once again do battle for the family audience. RAMONA & BEEZUS should do business more in line with Fox’s other family release based on a children’s novel this year, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID. I’m skeptical that Selena Gomez’s popularity can break through the crowded summer field, so $15 million should be an adequate return for the studio. As for SALT, The Kidd predicts something in the neighborhood of $44 million, but I don’t think that’ll be good enough for #1, as I expect INCEPTION should hold on for its 2nd consecutive week, pulling in about $49 million.

Here’s the full top 10 from this weekend’s box office: