Richard Matheson’s classic story I AM LEGEND was seen as a huge big money maker for studio execs over at Warner Brothers, who crafted the tale into the mould of a I, ROBOT or INDEPENDENCE DAY action vehicle for Will Smith.
And they were right to do so.
Studio estimates say that I AM LEGEND took home a remarkable $76.5 million, the sort of figure usually reserved for movies opening when the weather is at it’s warmest and people can walk around getting a tan. The movie is by far the biggest opening of Smith’s career (his big movies open at around $52 million) and the film further cements him as one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, as this film was only marketed on one actor.
And here’s the killer stat. I AM LEGEND made around $4 million more than one of the most hyped movies in recent years, the last installment of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, THE RETURN OF THE KING which opened on a similar weekend in 2003.
What a fantastic achievement, especially in WB putting together one of the smartest trailers of the year.
Coming it at second, and just to go to show how much THE GOLDEN COMPASS flopped last week is ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, the live action/CGI movie starring Jason Lee which has astonishingly finished second in the charts with a $45.3 million taking. That’s way more than COMPASS made last week (and indeed, more than COMPASS has made now) and for a $60 million film it should make a huge profit.
For a film with little buzz and let’s be honest, looking god-awful, it’s cracked the top 8 December openings of all time.
New Line’s woes continue at third. Dropping 69% was THE GOLDEN COMPASS, taking home an embarrassing $9 million, which now leaves the film around $150 million short of it’s production budget domestically. This one looks like it could be all but gone by the New Year.
ENCHANTED, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (whose smart gradual release, has seen it make more than I thought it would) whilst ATONEMENT never did find that U.S. audience, making less than $3 million after 10 days.
And all in all, the box office was really strong this weekend. $150 million taking for the top ten flicks, a good $45 million more than last year when Will Smith once again topped the box office with THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Smith should be a real happy man today…
| 1 | I Am Legend (2007) | $76.5M | $76.5M | |
| 2 | Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) | $45M | $45M | |
| 3 | The Golden Compass (2007) | $9.03M | $41M | |
| 4 | Enchanted (2007) | $6M | $92.3M | |
| 5 | No Country for Old Men (2007) | $3M | $33.6M | |
| 6 | Fred Claus (2007) | $2.31M | $69M | |
| 7 | This Christmas (2007) | $2.3M | $46M | |
| 8 | The Perfect Holiday (2007) | $2.96M | $3.61M | |
| 9 | Atonement (2007) | $1.85M | $2.96M | |
| 10 | August Rush (2007) | $1.78M | $28.1M |
source – imdb, coming soon
5 Comments
This blows me away. I didn’t think for a second that I Am Legend would be this huge. Wow.
As for the Golden Compass, what an epic flop. $100 million is an unfathomable amount of money to lose, and I’m guessing that’s around where it’s going to end up. Yikes.
I think it’s safe to say Tom Cruise’s crown as Most Bankable Star is now Smith’s. And don’t the folks who bitched non-stop about the “crappy special effects,” feel SO stupid now?
Give Will Smith credit. No matter how much sh*t he takes, he always comes back bigger and stronger.
I would not be in the least bit surprised if Golden Compass made more in the UK over the weekend than it did in the USA. Which is frankly embarassing for whoever was in charge of marketing in the States considering the huge difference in population.
I’m sad, my thoughts were wrong due to the ice storms in the mid-west. Hopefully, it’ll pick up some legs on the dvd release.
To be fair Peter, the competition in the U.K. was non-existent where in the U.S. they had The Juggernaut of Will Smith to deal with it.
Still it’s no excuse and after STARDUST failed, studio’s will seriously begin to wonder whether going for a LOTR or HARRY POTTER like new franchise is really worth the hassle.
Jaysmack,
The special effects still look stupid. I haven’t seen the film yet but I’m hoping that CGI isn’t as bad as that deer scene.