I Am Number Four movie with Alex Pettyfer: Domestic box office underperformer.- I Am Number Four movie box office: Starring Alex Pettyfer as an alien on the run from a bunch of deadly outer-space pursuers, D.J. Caruso’s sci-fi thriller has no chance of matching – let alone recovering – its reported budget in the domestic market.
- In other domestic box office news, John Whitesell’s crime comedy threequel Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son should be the final one in the critically lambasted franchise. Martin Lawrence and Brandon T. Jackson are the two leads.
I Am Number Four movie box office: Alex Pettyfer sci-fi thriller fizzles in the domestic market
Feb. 18–20 (Presidents’ Day) weekend box office (cont.): Trailing the Liam Neeson action-thriller Unknown on the North American (U.S. and Canada only) box office chart, D.J. Caruso’s critically derided sci-fi thriller I Am Number Four – featuring alien Alex Pettyfer on the run for his life – debuted with $19.4 million from 3,043 theaters according to final studio figures found at boxofficemojo.com. Monday (Presidents’ Day) cume: $22.8 million.
These are mediocre figures for the Walt Disney Studios release, which reportedly comes with a $60 million price tag (as always, not including marketing and distribution expenses). In fact, there’s little-to-no chance that I Am Number Four will as much as match its production budget – let alone recover it – in the domestic market.
Besides Alex Pettyfer, the I Am Number Four cast includes Dianna Agron, Teresa Palmer, Timothy Olyphant, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel, Brian Howe, and Jeff Hochendoner. James Frey and Jobie Hughes (both as Pittacus Lore) wrote the 2010 novel on which the movie is based.
International moviegoers come to the rescue – but that’s not enough
Update: Alex Pettyfer’s I Am Number Four ultimately collected $55.1 million domestically and a far better (estimated) $94.8 million internationally. Worldwide total: $149.9 million. In itself, that’s not a bad figure, but it was hardly enough for the sci-fi thriller to break even at the box office.
Its top international markets were China ($17.3 million), Australia ($7.5 million), Russia/CIS ($7.1 million), France ($6.1 million), the United Kingdom/Ireland ($5 million), Germany ($4.6 million), South Korea ($4.4 million), Japan ($3.5 million), Brazil ($3.4 million), Malaysia ($2 million), and Mexico ($2 million).
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son with Martin Lawrence and Brandon T. Jackson.Martin Lawrence crime comedy Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son lands with a thud
One of the worst-received titles so far this year – one that would likely make the list of Ten Worst Movies of any year – John Whitesell’s lowbrow crime comedy Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son opened at no. 5 on the domestic chart, earning a less-than-remarkable $16.3 million from 2,821 locations. Monday cume: $18.7 million.
A $32 million production released by 20th Century Fox, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son brings back FBI agent/crossdresser Martin Lawrence, now working/hiding alongside stepson Brandon T. Jackson (in the role previously played by Jascha Washington). Yet this latest Big Mommas flick had a far more sluggish debut than those of its two predecessors:
Back in 2000, Raja Gosnell’s Big Momma’s House (budget: $30 million) opened with $25.7 million (around $38 million today) from 2,802 sites, eventually bringing in a solid $117.6 million domestically and a far more modest (estimated) $56.4 million internationally. Worldwide total: $174 million.
In 2006, John Whitesell’s Big Momma’s House 2 (budget: $40 million) opened with $27.7 million (around $34 million today) from 3,261 sites, eventually bringing in $70.2 million domestically and, surprisingly, a respectable (for a comedy without any international box office draws) $71.3 million overseas. Worldwide total: $141.5 million.
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son won’t get near these figures.
Global dud
Update: The Martin Lawrence crime comedy Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son ultimately collected $37.9 million domestically and (an estimated) $44.8 million internationally. Worldwide total: $82.7 million – not enough to cover its overall cost.
Its top international markets were the United Kingdom/Ireland ($8.3 million), Mexico ($3.1 million), Brazil ($3.1 million), Germany ($2.9 million), and France ($2.8 million).
Top Five movies: Computer-animated romantic comedy surprises
The other two Top Five movies on this past weekend’s domestic box office chart (three-day figures) were:
- At no. 3, Kelly Asbury’s computer-animated romantic comedy Gnomeo & Juliet grossed $19.2 million (down a modest 25 percent on its second weekend). Monday cume: $56.4 million. Voice cast: James McAvoy and Emily Blunt.
- At no. 4, Dennis Dugan’s farce Just Go with It grossed $18.5 million (down 39 percent on its second weekend). Monday cume: $64.1 million. Cast: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Brooklyn Decker.
Note: Gnomeo & Juliet was the no. 1 movie on both Sunday and Monday.
”I Am Number Four Movie Box Office: Alex Pettyfer” endnotes
Unless otherwise noted, “I Am Number Four Movie Box Office: Alex Pettyfer Thriller Fails to Interest Moviegoers” box office information via Box Office Mojo. Budget info – which should be taken with a grain of salt – via BOM and/or other sources (e.g., the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Screen Daily, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline.com, etc.).
Comments about I Am Number Four, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, and other titles being hits/profitable or flops/money-losers at the box office (see paragraph below) are based on the available data about their production budget, additional marketing and distribution expenses (as a general rule of thumb, around 50 percent of the production cost), and worldwide gross (as a general rule of thumb when it comes to the Hollywood studios, around 50–55 percent of the domestic gross and 40 percent of the international gross goes to the distributing/producing companies).
Bear in mind that data regarding rebates, domestic/international sales/pre-sales, and other credits and/or contractual details that help to alleviate/split production costs and apportion revenues are oftentimes unavailable, and that reported international grosses may be incomplete (i.e., not every territory is fully – or even partially – accounted for).
Also bear in mind that ancillary revenues (domestic/global television rights, home video sales, streaming, merchandising, etc.) can represent anywhere between 40–70 percent of a movie’s total take. However, these revenues and their apportionment are only infrequently made public.
Lastly, although a more accurate reflection of a film’s popularity (i.e., its number of tickets sold), inflation-adjusted estimates should be taken with extreme caution. For instance, they’re based on average domestic ticket prices (via the National Association of Theater Owners, unless otherwise noted) whereas numerous major releases scored a large chunk of their box office take at top-priced venues.
Alex Pettyfer I Am Number Four movie image: John Bramley | DreamWorks | Walt Disney Studios.
Martin Lawrence and Brandon T. Jackson Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son image: 20th Century Fox.
“I Am Number Four Movie Box Office: Alex Pettyfer Thriller Fails to Interest Moviegoers” last updated in November 2022.