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tomatometer:

17% Transformers: Age of Extinction

85% 22 Jump Street

91% How to Train Your Dragon 2

24% Think Like a Man Too

50% Maleficent
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93% Snowpiercer

metacritic:





*click pic(s) for source*

‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’ Rules with $100 Million

“Transformers: Age of Extinction” dominated the global box office this weekend, debuting to an estimated $100 million in the U.S. and $301.3 million worldwide, while announcing itself as a box office blockbuster in a summer defined by welterweights.

Both the domestic and international figures represent high-water marks for the year and set the film up for what promises to be a competitive Fourth of July holiday.

Backed by Paramount Pictures, the film cost $210 million after rebates, while trading in the troubled star of the original films Shia LaBeouf for the more press-friendly Mark Wahlberg, a move that seemed to extend the life of the $2.6 billion-grossing series.

“All of the new elements worked out great,” said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures. “Mark Wahlberg has taken on the leadership of the franchise and Michael [Bay] has re-energized this franchise.”

Stateside, the Michael Bay production unspooled over 4,233 locations, more than 350 of them boasting Imax. The wide-screen format contributed a total $10.7 million to the picture’s domestic receipts, with other premium large formats from AMC, Cinemark, Carmike and Regal generating a healthy $7 million in receipts.

So far, the film pulled in $41.6 million on Friday and dropped slightly to $32.1 million on Saturday.

Overseas, the picture is shaping up to be a monster, with the film hitting $201.3 million across 37 markets internationally including such territories as South Korea and Russia. Among the highlights, the film scored the biggest opening weekend of all-time in Hong Kong with $4.8 million, captured $8.3 million in Taiwan and nabbed a robust $10 million debut in Australia.

But the big story was China, where Paramount’s decision to film parts of the production throughout the People’s Republic, while enlisting local talent like Li Bingbing and an array of Chinese sponsors paid off with the biggest opening weekend in the country’s history, an astounding $90 million debut.

In Imax showings, the picture delivered $10 million in China, more than double its previous record of $4.5 million for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”

“This franchise is in the bullseye for what the Chinese market seems to like,” said Greg Foster, chairman and president of Imax Entertainment. “It’s a big action movie with iconic characters and it’s all beautifully delivered.”

The results are also notable because the film was saddled with a nearly three-hour run time, an intimidating proposition for those who like their mass destruction in easily digestible form, and the critical reaction was frosty. Audiences, who were more than 60% male, disagreed with reviewers, handing the film an A- CinemaScore.

Given that reaction, Moore said he predicts that the film will play well into Independence Day.

“These movies have traditionally played over the Fourth of July holiday,” he said. “There’s lots of generational viewing, with parents watching them with their kids, so it feels like we should have a great ten or eleven days.”

In non-giant robot related news, “22 Jump Street” surpassed the total domestic run of its predecessor in its third week of release, hitting $140 million cumulatively, making a “23 Jump Street” look like a fait accompli. It earned $15.4 million, good enough for a second-place finish in a weekend in which “Transformers: Age of Extinction” sucked the air out of the box office.

“How to Train Your Dragon 2″ slid into third place with a $13.1 million haul, while last weekend’s champ, “Think Like a Man Too” had a steep drop off of 65%, capturing the fourth slot with $10.4 million. “Maleficent” rounded out the top five with $8.2 million, bringing its domestic total to $201.8 million.

Among other milestones, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2″ surpassed $200 million domestically, although after nearly two months in theaters, it hit that figure later than Sony Pictures would have liked.

In limited release, Bong Joon-ho’s long-delayed “Snowpiercer” finally scored a domestic release with the Radius-TWC production amassing $162,127 across eight screens, while The Weinstein Company’s “Begin Again” hit the right note with a $148,300 debut in just five locations. The musical comedy stars Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley and sparked a bidding war at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. The Weinstein Company will expand it to 175 theaters next weekend and will put the film in more than 500 by July 11.

“It’s the perfect date movie and it’s counter to what’s out there in the marketplace,” said Erik Lomis, The Weinstein’s Company’s head of theatrical distribution. “It’s going to have strong legs and lay in there and just play for a long time.”

Also worth noting, A24′s abortion comedy “Obvious Child” expanded into 196 theaters grossing $555,000 and brining its total to $1.2 million, while Open Road’s breakout hit “Chef” spent its sixth week in the top ten, adding $1.6 million to its nearly $20 million bounty.

As for “Transformers 5,” Paramount is ruling it out, but Moore insists that nothing is currently in the works.

“As long as Michael Bay, working with Steven Spielberg, the producer on the films, keep developing new, fresh ideas that excite them creatively, we’re happy to keep financing them,” he said.

*click pic for full list/source*


*click pic for full list/source*

 

[Ovid]

Get ready for Transformers 5 guys.

 

[Majmun]

I hope EoT will reach the $100mln mark

 

[Escape Goat]

Who the hell is America Ferrara and why do her parents hate her?

 

[Kusagari]

lol at that estimate.

It will definitely be under 100m in actuals.

 

[Abounder]

Maleficent, interesting

Get ready for Transformers 5 guys.

Do you mean get ready for at least 5 more Transformers movies? The allspark lives in the box office apparently

 

[mcfrank]

Shocked how to train your dragon has not been bigger.

 

[arab]

no god

 

[Slayven]

Transformers tanks the yard trash, and clears the way for GOTG to reign the rest of the summer.

 

[kswiston]

Chinese estimate is inaccurate. Companies that actually track box office in China (ie Chinese organizations) are estimating $98M through Sunday. The American outlets are playing a game of telephone with a number predicted by one of the American sites after getting Friday numbers.


Edge of Tomorrow didn't drop too badly even with Transformers. Given the holiday next week (and light slate of openers), I am going to go ahead and say that $100M is happening.

How To Train Your Dragon is way under the first film's third weekend now, and is likely heading towards a Kung Fu Panda 2 gross range of $160-175M. Probably the biggest disappointment of the summer since everyone was calling for Edge of Tomorrow's weak performance months ahead of release.

 

[duckroll]

US - $100 million
China - $90 million

It's going to be a pretty close fight for TF4 between the two major territories.

Chinese estimate is inaccurate. Companies that actually track box office in China (ie Chinese organizations) are estimating $98M through Sunday. The American outlets are playing a game of telephone with a number predicted by one of the American sites after getting Friday numbers.

Wow, it's even closer than I thought!

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

$90 million opening weekend in China, god damn!

 

[strafer]

TF slayed.

 

[FullMetalx117]

300 million ww opening? looks like it will easily cruise past 1 billion.

 

[duckroll]

Looks like Maleficent has now passed both Godzilla and Amazing Spiderman 2. I think I hear someone crying...

 

[MIMIC]

Wow...."Maleficent" is doing EXTREMELY well.

 

[PhantomOfTheKnight]

Who the hell is America Ferrara and why do her parents hate her?

What, you don't remember Ugly Betty?

 

[HomerSimpson-Man]

lol at that estimate.

It will definitely be under 100m in actuals.

It just made $300 million worldwide opening weekend. I don't think they are going to worry too much. They knew exactly what they were doing filming a good chunk of the movie overseas.

 

[Jimmyfenix]

Looks like Maleficent has now passed both Godzilla and Amazing Spiderman 2. I think I hear someone crying...

Hehe some people said it would bomb

 

[Slayven]

Looks like Maleficent has now passed both Godzilla and Amazing Spiderman 2. I think I hear someone crying...

When we going to get an Ursula movie?

 

[JdFoX187]

Hopefully, Godzilla can limp its way up to $200M.

 

[Escape Goat]

Captain America did great. I had no idea it was still in theaters either.

 

[Slayven]

Captain America did great. I had no idea it was still in theaters either.

On your left

 

[duckroll]

When we going to get an Ursula movie?

Right after Nala of the Pride Lands.

 

[Sapiens]

When we going to get an Ursula movie?

Unless John Waters somehow finds a way to resurrect Devine to play the part, it ain't happening.

Hearing rumours about a possible Jaffar movie though with F Murray Abraham starring.

 

[Slayven]

Unless John Waters somehow finds a way to resurrect Devine to play the part, it ain't happening.

Hearing rumours about a possible Jaffar movie though with F Murray Abraham starring.

Everybody knows Ursula was a young hot good witch until she was wronged by King Triton.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Looks like Maleficent has now passed both Godzilla and Amazing Spiderman 2. I think I hear someone crying...

Not me. Godzilla was trash and I skipped ASM2.

I did enjoy Maleficent though.

 

[gatti-man]

Hopefully, Godzilla can limp its way up to $200M.

Hopefully not. My worst movie of the summer so far (that I've seen).

Captain America did great. I had no idea it was still in theaters either.

Them dollar theaters. My buddy has 3 kids and only goes to the discount theaters. He just saw it last night and loved it. Funny how I'm always hearing him want to talk about movies I saw two months ago.

 

[Htown]

The epitome of "review-proof".

$90 million opening weekend in China, god damn!

This is the part that blows my mind.

Michael Bay is a goddamn genius.

 

[Sapiens]

Everybody knows Ursula was a young hot good witch until she was wronged by King Triton.

Maybe that woman from drop dead diva could do it.

 

[FairyD]

Nice opening for Transformers. Wonder if it will have legs.

 

[Escape Goat]

Maybe that woman from drop dead diva could do it.

Judi Dench is Ursula the Sea Witch in Disney's "Ursula"!

 

[Daingurse]

Hopefully, Godzilla can limp its way up to $200M.

Hopefully, fuck these haters.

 

[kswiston]

Nice opening for Transformers. Wonder if it will have legs.

It will at least do well in the next week thanks to Fourth of July Weekend and nothing major opening.

 

[Slayven]

Maybe that woman from drop dead diva could do it.

Margret Cho? Bold choice.

 

[kswiston]

Chinese daily totals in local currency for those interested:

Friday - 189M Yuan ($30.4M)
Saturday - 214M Yuan ($34.4M)
Sunday - 210M Yuan ($33.8M)

Sunday's number is still an early estimate and may be revised down a bit tomorrow (Saturday was initially said to be $36M), but China easily beat the US/Canada gross on Saturday and Sunday for Transformers.

 

[alfredofroylan]

When we going to get an Ursula movie?

Something, something 300

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Judi Dench is Ursula the Sea Witch in Disney's "Ursula"!

Naw, it would be Melissa McCartney.

 

[Lebron]

Cinderella is going to do gangbusters.



Bayformers still got the robot game on lock.

 

[Darkgran]

Worst big budget movie of the summer has the biggest opening.

Good job America!!!!

 

[TacticalFox88]

Cry moar Bay haters.

 

[Neoxon]

It's impressive that Transformers got the numbers it did despite its reviews.

Though the effect of the terrible reviews are probably gonna hit the movie hard this week.

 

[FullMetalx117]

I'm looking at the release calendar and outside of Apes, which itself may not have an impact, I don't really see anything stopping this Transformers train.

 

[Escape Goat]

I'm looking at the release calendar and outside of Apes, which itself may not have an impact, I don't really see anything stopping this Transformers train.

Astrotrain

 

[And_Gignac]

'X-Men: Days of Future Past' is now the #1 movie of the year with $713 million worldwide

Amazing. The worldwide drops weren't affected by Tranformers, it seems.

 

[JdFoX187]

It's impressive that Transformers got the numbers it did despite its reviews.

Though the effect of the terrible reviews are probably gonna hit the movie hard this week.

Revenge of the Fallen had the worst reviews and went on to gross the most of the trilogy, domestically. Dark of the Moon got shit on by critics and still managed to do insane numbers. There's nothing that can touch it next week AND it's a three-day holiday weekend. You're crazy if you think Age of Extinction will shit the bed next week.

 

[kswiston]

Maleficent is now at $585M worldwide and opens in Japan next weekend. The movie could be quite big there based on other Asian countries and the reception of Alice (which made well over $100M in Japan). Even if Japan's totals are soft, Maleficent will have no issue passing $600M.

Amazing.

That title will last 2 more weeks unfortunately.

 

[Slayven]

Worst big budget movie of the summer has the biggest opening.

Good job America!!!!

So when do folks start blaming China?

 

[Dead]

Revenge of the Fallen had the worst reviews and went on to gross the most of the trilogy, domestically. Dark of the Moon got shit on by critics and still managed to do insane numbers. There's nothing that can touch it next week AND it's a three-day holiday weekend. You're crazy if you think Age of Extinction will shit the bed next week.

ROTF did the most numbers as it was coming off the the first which was a huge hit with audiences, so the hype was thru the roof.

 

[Neoxon]

Revenge of the Fallen had the worst reviews and went on to gross the most of the trilogy, domestically. Dark of the Moon got shit on by critics and still managed to do insane numbers. There's nothing that can touch it next week AND it's a three-day holiday weekend. You're crazy if you think Age of Extinction will shit the bed next week.

Well, shit.