The White Rabbit in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (top); Greg Kinnear, Matt Damon in Green Zone (middle); Emilie de Ravin, Robert Pattinson in Remember Me (bottom)
As previously reported, Alice in Wonderland was the #1 movie at the North American box office on Friday, March 12, grossing an estimated $17.4 million (an impressive $4,667 per screen) according to Box Office Mojo.
However, Tim Burton’s fantasy-adventure blockbuster had a 57.4 percent drop from the week before. Though not a huge drop, it was higher than the 50 percent some prognosticators had expected. Another decrease in attendance of that magnitude and Alice in Wonderland will make less than $8 million next Friday. Having said that, expect Saturday business to pick up considerably.
Alice in Wonderland stars Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, and the voices of Stephen Fry, Barbara Windsor, and Michael Sheen.
At a distant #2, Paul Greengrass' Iraq War drama Green Zone grossed $5 million at 3,003 screens, or $1,665 per screen. That doesn't bode very well for the $100 million production starring Matt Damon, though it'll possibly end up earning more on the first weekend than distributor Universal expected.
Remember Me, Robert Pattinson's first non-vampire starring role since his meteoric rise to fame, took in $3.6 million at 2,212 screens, or $1,627 per screen — only slightly lower than Green Zone, though at about 800 fewer theaters. (Generally speaking, if movies are equally popular, the one playing at fewer theaters should have a higher per-screen average.)
Like Green Zone, the downbeat romantic drama Remember Me isn't going to break any box-office records, but both — unusual and not terribly well-received — films did find an audience on Friday and could hardly be considered disappointments on their first day out. Saturday business will tell what the overall weekend picture will look like for them.
Another new entry, She's Out of My League earned $3.3 million at 2,956 or $1,116 per screen. The box-office figures themselves are fine for a teen comedy movie with no big names in front or behind the camera, but the per-screen average was on the low side — about 50 percent less than the figures for Green Zone and Remember Me. If business doesn't pick up on Saturday, She's Out of My League will disappear fast.
Our Family Wedding, featuring Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and America Ferrera, grossed $2.5 million at 1,558 screens or $1,605 per screen. Not a great opening, but distributor Fox Searchlight probably wasn't expecting a gigantic hit.
At #6, Martin Scorsese’s dark thriller Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, took in $2.4 million, while James Cameron’s Avatar earned $1.67 million. One of the two — or perhaps both — could squeeze their way into the top five before the weekend is over. Avatar, in particular, has always posted huge increases on Saturdays and small decreases on Sundays.
At #8, down four spots, Antoine Fuqua’s Brooklyn’s Finest earned only $1.4 million at the beginning of its second weekend. The cop drama stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes.
Rounding out the top twelve were Kevin Smith’s Cop Out ($1.26 million), Breck Eisner’s The Crazies ($1.1m), Jeff Bridges‘ Crazy Heart ($875K), and Chris Columbus‘ Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief ($775K).
Photos: Alice in Wonderland (Disney Enterprises); Remember Me (Myles Aronowitz / Summit Entertainment); Green Zone (Jasin Boland / Universal)