Box Office - June 13, 2011

It was a down weekend for the box office compared to the same weekend last year when The Karate Kid became a surprise box office smash.

Despite a massive PR campaign, Super 8 failed put people in the seats opening up to figure of about $36.5 million if you include some early screenings Thursday.  That's a far cry from The Karate Kid's $55 plus million bow last year.  It's too bad, too.  Not only is it a good movie, I hate to see something original underperform because it means we'll continue to get more sequels and crap "reimaginings" over original content.  Hopefully, Super 8 will have some legs in the theater, but genre films tend to pan out after the first week.  

In #2 with a little over $24 million, X-Men: First Class dropped about 56% in its second week.  The film will have direct competition next week with the release of Green Lantern.

The Hangover Part II claimed the #3 spot with a $17.6 million weekend.  It also made enough to surpass Fast Five and become the top grossing movie of the year in the domestic box office (although worldwide, it's no where near to toppling Pirates 4).  

#4 - Kung Fu Panda

#5 - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 

#6 - Bridesmaids

While Pirates was becoming the third film to top $200 million in U.S. box office, Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer did not live up to its title.  Opening with a very weak, $6.1 million, this modestly budgeted film will unlikely light up its studio's summer.

#8 - Midnight in Paris

#9 - Thor

#10 - Fast Five

Based on this weekend, I think Hollywood fight me facing a summer slump until Transformers storm into the box office in July.  Next week sees Green Lantern light up the screen followed by Cars 2 the week after.  While both films may open well, I don't know that they'll compete with Toy Story 3 which dominated the theaters the latter part of June last year.