ROTTEN TOMATOES: Box Office Guru Wrapup: Watchmen Scores $55.7 Million Opening

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Watchmen Scores $55.7 Million Opening

Madea drops to second best but continues its stellar run.

by Gitesh Pandya | March 08, 2009

The adult-themed superhero film Watchmen seized control of the North American box office posting the biggest debut of the year with an estimated $55.7M in ticket sales over the Friday-to-Sunday period. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead), the R-rated film based on the acclaimed 1986 comic series averaged a muscular $15,413 from 3,611 theaters. It was the third best March opening ever trailing 300 ($70.9M) and Ice Age: The Meltdown ($68M) and the sixth largest bow for an R-rated film after The Matrix Reloaded ($91.8M), The Passion of the Christ ($83.8M), 300, Hannibal ($58M), and Sex and the City ($57M).

With a reported budget of about $125M, the anti-heroes began the weekend with a terrific $25.1M on Friday including $4.6M in Thursday night shows beginning at midnight. Saturday fell sharply by 25% to $19M while Sunday is estimated to drop 38% to $11.6M.

Expectations were high for Watchmen with many thinking it could match or even beat 300's debut given that it boasted the same director, studio, release weekend, and rating. But the Spartan tale played broader as an exciting stylish actioner of the moment with more female appeal. Watchmen generated less interest with women and stuck mostly to a finite fan base of lovers of the comic and graphic novel. Still, the debut was impressive as it wasn't an easy sell. Reviews were mixed and the longer running time of 2 hours and 43 minutes meant less showtimes per auditorium.

But Watchmen did enjoy a less competitive field as no studio dared to counter with another wide release this weekend. The rest of the Top 20 stole away $56.5M versus $75.5M for 300's opening weekend. The superhero saga managed to gross more than the next 17 films combined and eked out a new record for the widest launch of an R-rated pic inching past the 3,603 sites for Reloaded from May 2003.

In the world of superheroes that jump from the page to the screen, Watchmen performed just like the first films in the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises which bowed to $54.5M in 2000 and $56.1M in 2005, respectively. All three were based on ensemble groups of characters, had large built-in fan bases, but were not universally known heroes like Spider-Man or Batman. Watchmen had a more restrictive rating and played outside of the prime summer season, however it also enjoyed higher ticket prices.

Imax played an important role in Watchmen's debut. 124 of the total theaters offered the large-screen presentation at slightly higher prices grossing an estimated $5.5M making it the second biggest Imax bow ever after The Dark Knight which debuted in 94 sites. That translated to a sensational average of $44,556. Imax accounted for just 3% of the Watchmen locations but 10% of the weekend gross.

Overseas where Paramount is handling the release, Rorschach and company grossed a solid but not spectacular $27.5M from 45 markets. The global bow was $83.2M.

Following its two-week stint on top, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail dropped down to second place with an estimated $8.8M in its third weekend of release. The PG-13 comedy has so far grossed $76.5M in 17 days and currently ranks as Lionsgate's fourth biggest grosser ever after Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119.2M), Saw II ($87M), and Saw III ($80.2M). Already Perry's top career pic, look for Jail to end its run as the second biggest hit ever for the distributor. The movie mogul remains busy with his next film I Can Do Bad All By Myself, which also features the Madea character, set to be released this September and the sequel Why Did I Get Married Too slated for Easter weekend next year. Lionsgate once again will distribute. Perry's seven films to date have grossed a combined $356M domestically.

Fox's sleeper hit thriller Taken enjoyed yet another solid performance with audiences taking in an estimated $7.5M for a low decline of just 25%. That boosted the cume to a robust $118M. Dropping 42% in its 17th weekend was Oscar champ Slumdog Millionaire with an estimated $6.9M boosting the tally to date to $125.4M. The Danny Boyle-directed hit is on course to beat Juno's $143.5M to become the top-grossing film ever for Fox Searchlight. The global cume has now surpassed $225M.

Climbing one spot to fifth place was the durable comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop which dipped only 25% to an estimated $4.2M boosting the remarkable cume to $133.6M. Now in its eighth weekend, the Sony release has never dropped by more than 40%. Another comedy showing good legs is the date flick He's Just Not That Into You which declined by only 33% to an estimated $4M for sixth place. Warner Bros. has taken in $84.6M with this New Line production.

Falling 37% to an estimated $3.3M was the stop-motion animation hit Coraline. The Focus release has now taken in a stellar $65.7M to date and ranks as one of the year's top ten grossers. The Isla Fisher comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic got off to a rocky start but has now posted back-to-back weekends with drops of less than 35%. The Buena Vista release took in an estimated $3.1M, off 33%, and lifted its sum to a decent $38.4M.

Disney's Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience suffered one of the largest second weekend drops in box office history crumbling a stunning 78% to an estimated $2.8M. This followed what was widely considered an underwhelming debut last weekend of $12.5M which was enhanced by $15 ticket prices. After ten days, the G-rated music pic has grossed $16.8M underscoring how the Jonas brand is not nearly as popular as the Hannah Montana name. That character's 3D concert film from last year fell by 67% in its sophomore session and banked an amazing $53.2M in its first ten days despite playing in half as many theaters.

Rounding out the top ten was the high school comedy Fired Up with an estimated $2.6M for Sony, down just 30%, for a new total of $13.4M.

The top ten films grossed an estimated $98.9M over the weekend which was up 14% from last year when 10,000 B.C. opened in the top spot with $35.9M; but down 27% from 2007 when 300 debuted at number one with a stunning $70.9M.

Author: Gitesh Pandya, BoxOfficeGuru.com

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(1-20 of 103 posts) | Reply

Sammmy Jankis writes:
on Mar 08 2009 04:32 PM

I didn't like Watchmen at all. I thought it butchered the graphic novel.

(Reply to this)

BatsInTheBelfry writes:
on Mar 08 2009 04:47 PM

It definitely could've been better, but I thought overall it was worth seeing. I was expecting more of a $65 million opening with its record release and all.

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 04:49 PM

I LOVED Watchmen, seen it twice and will go again this week. I am trying not to compare it to the graphic novel, and even if I did the movie would still look really good. I only wished it was longer. This is by NO MEANS a bomb, it wasn't huge like people thought (like I thought) but it still performed well. Depends on how it holds up I think. I think Non-Watchmen fans have really not been liking it, I have met people who've hated it. On Yahoo it has like a B- but you cant trust those ratings because all Tyler Perry movies there all have like A minuses. WATCHMEN is already on IMDBS top 250 list, I wonder how long it will be there... Also this was an R rated 2 hour and 40 minute movie that out performed Batman Begins and Superman Returns, so I don't see this being a bomb at all. Plus Warners is going to make a crap load of money with there DVD releases.

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hope524 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:02 PM

three people here hated it (all non-novel fans). Awkward, terrible music choices. Half a dozen groups in our theater filtered out at various points thru the flick.

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Colyn B. writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:09 PM

I thought the movie was so boring as hell and I am a Graphic Novel fan. Unless Rorschache was on the screen killing people I wanted to go to sleep, or shoot myself either one. This movie was a complete and utter dissapointment.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:21 PM

In reply to this comment (#2361548)
I LOVED the music choices. They were generally great pop culture references- Ride of The Valkyries I thought was a good Apocalypse Now reference, and I loved it when HALLELUJAH- that scene was funny and it was suppose to be. I also loved the Nat King Cole song in the beginning fight. I thought they were all brave choices, and I can respect bravery even if it always isn't successful.

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UmbrellaLandFood writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:29 PM

In reply to this comment (#2361556)
ok i never read the graphic novel and saw the movie and loved it
i want to read the novel so bad now i thought the superheros were all amazing
obviously everyone is gonna love rorschace i mean he was the micky rourke of sin city for me in this one
the music i thought could have been better but i was expecting some pumpkins and nirvana like music goin in....got hippie and classical
not bad choices though i can totallly understand each choice he made just not my kind of music
people dont like this movie because they want xmen and they got a lot more in my opinion
way more personal confliction in each character and the narration was pretty damn good imo
but ya it was long, but so was TDK, LOTR, ect..... some movies need the extra hour to just be awesome

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beatlefan74 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:36 PM

This is going to sound harsh, but I absolutely believe its true...
I think that those who did not like Watchmen just didn't understand what it was about. They thought it was supposed to be some actioney superhero beat-'em-up, but didn't understand the thematic and tonal complexity and intelligence that it brought to the table. From a plot standpoint, no, it doesn't hold up to films like TDK, but from a thematic standpoint, this film was one with a message, and if you weren't looking for that message, you walked out disappointed.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:42 PM

In reply to this comment (#2361596)
I wouldn't go down the "they dont understand route", I just think a lot of people (NOT EVERYONE) was expecting an action movie... also yeah I liked it more then The Dark Knight. Maybe Snyder didn't make it accessible enough to general audiences but I think if he did that then in all honesty it would lose what makes it Watchmen.

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curtis O. writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:47 PM

Sorry but Watchmen was not good at all. The story was a mess. The music was great but i am happy it did not do to well in the boxoffice. Based on WOM,the legs will not be to good aswell. It was just to long boring for alot of people.

PS.

Good for Madea,Taken, and Blart and Slumdog. Those films are really becoming big hits.

(Reply to this)

niall1 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:51 PM

In reply to this comment (#2361611)
i agree with you that most people probably thought that it was going to be an action movie and i think that watchmen was a great adaptation..i had my doubts about snyder but he really knocked it out of the park..i thought he really got through it perfectly, i have a ton of respect for him now for being able to keep it faithful to the series..EXCEPT THE ENDING..those who have read watchmen know what im talking about..the ending SHOULDVE BEEN KEPT THE SAME..but besides that i thought it was great..

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reavus4983 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 05:52 PM

I thought the first 3/4 were great, especially Rorschach's noir storyline, who was simply bad *** and the most human of all of them (wish the entire movie was about him). It also did an awesome job of showing the heroes at their points in time. The end, post-prison break sequence, got cliche and boring, and I was getting really tired of seeing member 1 of the Blue Man Group's penis. Not sure if these are the movie's or the comic's fault since I haven't read it. Still, even with those complaints, it was much less homo erotic (and better all around) than 300, one of the most painful and mind-numbing movies I've ever had to sit through. At least Watchmen is analyzable and only about 5 minutes was slow motion, compared to 45 of 300. Guess that is a good way to save money by not having to film as much though...

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mightysourdough writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:04 PM

I have never read the novel, but I am a pretty big comic fan. I loved about the first 45min of watchmen, then it was really hit or miss for me. The music was just weird in parts. I get what the were trying to do with the music but I think they tried to hard. A few things I did't get that I'm sure I would if I had read the novel. I left the therte hating the film but could't get it out of my head. I now find myself looking forward to seeing it again. I just did't get the horned ligra that showed up at the end. And I wish there was less blue penis.

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willpower writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:18 PM

WM was up and down for me, lots of really great, cool parts like Dr. Manhattan, Roshack (sp?) and just flat out how ambitious and gutsy the thing was. It is a very unique film that dealt with hardcore topics and I think overall this is the best any fan of the GN could hope for.

I understand the people that disliked it, it felt very slow at times, pacing was an issue but the music was totally 80's and you gotta love that, c'mon!

(Reply to this)

bribios writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:19 PM

Didnt read the comic, but I thought the movie was great. I had absolutely no problem with the music either. I thought the Tears for Fears muzac in Ozymandius' lobby was kind of clever. From what I've read of the comics ending, I think I might prefer the ending of the movie. Giant Cephalopods would have been too wierd for most people.

(Reply to this)

dahluzz writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:37 PM

Watchmen wasn't good. It had a few cool fight sequences, but was mostly just a bad joke. The music was roundly inappropriate ("The Sound of Silence" at a funeral? can you be any more obvious? Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower" as they're flying in to Antarctica? that was just completely random. "99 Luftballons" blaring for 20 seconds before fading out as owl and spectre meet) The fact that the music stuck out as much as it did is a bad sign off the bat.

This whole time Snyder had us fooled into thinking he was more than the cheesiness of his "dawn of the Dead" remake or the testosterone-soaked meat head violence of "300." The trailers for "Watchmen" made it look like a legitimate adult drama. But it turned out to be a corny, stilted exercise in reverence for the source material.

The only good performances I thought were of Rorschach and The Comedian. Everyone else pretty much hammed it up, and what I thought would be a mature story quickly turned into a juvenile comic romp with a choppy story and only momentary hints of suspense. Maybe I went in with the wrong set of expectations. If I had assumed it was going to be as campy as it was, I might have been able to enjoy it at face value. But by thinking the film would take the graphic novel seriously, my expectations were set too high.

I am recommending that people not bother seeing it in theaters. And I saw the IMAX version too, so I got the full experience. There just wasn't that much to enjoy. Oh and on a screen that big, that's a WHOLE bunch of 50 foot blue dong to have in your face. The novel dealt with the good Doctor's nudity in a much less obvious way. Overall, the film is a major disappointment.

(Reply to this)

Iceman Cometh writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:48 PM

I loved the movie, and I have read the graphic novel. The friend I saw it with, who did not read it before, came out unsure of exactly what he saw. He said he needed to "sleep on it," which I totally understand given the complexity of the movie. I could see how the movie could be a little confusing, given that the events span 4 decades and what not. My main gripe is the scene where (SPOILER ALERT) Rorschach and Nite Owl realize Veidt is behind it all. I didn't feel like they connect all the pieces correctly, and overall it was anticlimatic (I might feel this way because I already knew Veidt was behind it, not sure). I liked the new ending, I thought it worked just as well as the novel's. Overall, great adaptation of the novel. Synder showed a lot of respect to the source material. I will be seeing this again to try and take in all the nuances of the film.

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:49 PM

In reply to this comment (#2361632)
The problem is if they used the original ending they would have to feel in SO MUCH stuff, like the missing artist and scientist. That would have added like 20 minutes to the movie. The new ending, to me, worked perfectly fine- maybe a bit rushed but it was more effective the second time. The second time I noticed VEITDT signs on buildings being reconstructed, it was as if he was building his Utopia and gets F.ucked. Also yeah I found the Tears for Fears in the lobby scene very cool.I am not saying people dont understand it, maybe its not there cup of tea, but I believe its going to be "miss-understood" by some, it just wasn't what people were expecting I think. I DEFINITELY recommend seeing it in theaters, I haven't seen a movie so visually rich in a long time. There are so many easter eggs in the back round. Anyone else notice how Night Owl saves Mr. and Mrs. Wayne in front of the Gotham Opera house in the beginning of the credits? Did anyone else notice how Veidts plan was titled SQUID on the monitors of showing cities attacked. Anyone else notice a file titled BOYS on Veidt's computer implying he is possibly gay? I think this is a love it or hate it movie. I LOVED the music and always found it creative. My only problem was pacing, I felt the stuff that was cut, and I think Snyder's Director's Cut will be amazing. I DONT LOOK AT THIS AS A GREAT ADAPTATION, BUT AN EXCELLENT MOVIE ON ITS OWN MERIT.

(Reply to this)

damon killian writes:
on Mar 08 2009 06:56 PM

Watchmen the book was great, but I didn't particularly care for the movie. I'm surprised it's mostly Watchmen readers defending the movie because personally I think if I had never read the book I would've enjoyed the movie a lot more. It was a nice action movie; plenty of gore, nudity, and special effects, but it felt soulless compared to the book.

(Reply to this)

BatsInTheBelfry writes:
on Mar 08 2009 07:22 PM

I think the big problem was Snyder was so invested in getting the look right that he lost all "between the panel" elements like tone, pacing, and for a large part, attitude. Final judgement of course can't be made until the Director's cut, but for now, I think word of mouth will sink this film fairly quickly. Of the eight people I know who've seen it, (discounting me) only one has thought it was good enough to see it in theaters, three though it would've been better to wait for video, and four didn't like it at all.

(Reply to this)

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