The box office was off to a rough start on Friday thanks to some weak performances from this weekend’s new releases.
Director Tommy Wirkola’s Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters earned around $6.1 million on opening day. Although this figure isn’t exactly strong, it was apparently large enough to propel the action-horror hybrid into the top position. Estimates put the film’s three-day haul at around $17 million.
According to The Hollywood Reporter , this weekend’s other new releases didn’t fare much better than Witch Hunters . The Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez thriller Parker earned around $2.1 on opening day. Taylor Hackford’s flick also fell short of studio expectations.
The comedic anthology Movie 43 , which features such strong talent as Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Gerard Butler, and Naomi Watts, failed to make much of a dent at the box office on Friday as well. According to Deadline , the film earned around $5 million on opening day. However, the film’s $6 million budget takes some of the sting out of that figure.
Last weekend’s number one movie Mama has claimed the second place position with $3.8 million in receipts. Director David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence generated around $2.3 million on Friday, while Kathryn Bigelow’s controversial thriller Zero Dark Thirty also earned about $2.3 million.
According to The Chicago Tribune , Paramount and MGM had hoped Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters would bring in around $25 million over the course of the weekend. However, it would appear that estimates may have missed the mark by $8 million.
FilmDistrict will also have to make some adjustments to its forecast for the Jason Statham flick Parker . Instead of $10 million, the latest motion picture featuring author Donald Westlake’s professional thief is expected to make around $6 million.
Which movie do you think will emerge victorious at the box office this weekend? Are you planning to catch Hansel and Gretel , Movie 43 , or Parker in theaters?
