The North American box office hit a slump at the weekend with top earner The Possession taking in less than $10 million. That’s the first time since 2008 that no film took $10 million or more at the domestic box office.
With only a couple of new releases to tempt movie fans, horror movie The Possession pulled in an estimated $9.5 million in the United States and Canada.
Early September is historically sluggish. After blockbuster releases over the summer, Hollywood studios reserve their big films for the November and December holidays. But revenues for the three-day movie-going weekend were particularly low, with the total gross for all films expected to be $65-$68 million.
If the numbers hold when final figures come in on Monday, it could make the weekend the worst since September 21-23, 2001 — two weekends after 9/11 — when revenue topped out at $59.7 million.
“It is pretty scary when the top movie comes in at only $9.5 million,” said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst at Hollywood.com.
“This is one of the worst-grossing weekends of the last 10 years. In the summer, single movies had opening weekends bigger than this entire weekend gross,” he added.
However, Dergarabedian said hope was on the way next week with the next instalment of the Resident Evil horror franchise and the re-release of Disney/Pixar’s 2003 family film Finding Nemo, this time in 3D.
This weekend’s lows follow a mixed summer that saw blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers but a number of flops that led to a five per cent drop in summer ticket sales in North America compared to summer 2011.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2012.
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hahahaha Mr. righty rightest are you a writer? If so I surely want to read some of your work. I really enjoyed the choice of words in your comments. Fun to read. cheers
Holywood is producing same old stuff over and over again. I am watching Korean movies for clean & quality entertainment :).
@mr. righty rightist One thing you have to understand is movies are mostly meant for entertainment. People like you think watch some cinema we can change the world , then you are wrong.People like you only want themselves entertained and don't care about people who don't have a good life.For a labourer, if movie like 'Dabangg' makes him happy then the purpose of film is satisfied.You can sit and download "so called gr8 movies' and watch them.
@mr. righty rightist I laugh at your ignorance. Making a movie in 20 years if its a gr8 achievement, then you can consider it. This is the exact reason why your country is a failed state because you do want to accept facts. Even countries like Iraq makes gr8 movies and we are happy and proud of our film industry .They have entertained us for the last 100years and will continue next 1000years.I am not interested and dont care about BOL or another movie.
@saim Baig ..Dude first stand on your own legs and then comment about others. Yes we make movies like Bol Bacchan for masses, But there are also movies like 'Kahaani','Paan Sigh tomar,'Gangs of wasseypur','Shangai,'Barfi' and many more which are gr8 movie.You cannot do anything on our own.People from your country come running to India for work.You can only beg infornt of US,IMF.
pakistan's movies are doing trillion of business in zimbabwean dollars :) we are the no.1
@Ahmed: Are you serious man?
@Saim Baig: have you not heard of a movie called Ek Tha Tiger which is rocking the box office all over the world?
It's got a better plot than those psychological thrillers that Hollywood is looking to do business with.
@Rahul Yes, Third class movies like "Bol Bacchan" are doing good Business. This shows how much the your viewers & Bollywood are "Rocking"!!!
But bollwood is Rocking this year !!