Box Office Report: 'Jack the Giant Slayer' Underwhelms
From New Line and Legendary Pictures, Bryan Singer's revisionist take on the classic English story “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Jack the Giant Slayer,opened to $27.2 million in North America. The 3D fantasy-adventure cost north of $300 million to make, including a $190 million production budget.
Comparisons are being made to John Carter, which cost north of $250 million, and debuted to $30 million in early March 2012. Battleship, with a price tag similar to Jack, opened to $25.5 million on its way to grossing $65.4 million domestically and $237.6 million internationally for a world total of $303 million. Disney and Universal suffered major financial losses on both films.
Universal's R-rated comedy Identity Thief, starring Melissa McCarthy with Jason Bateman, made $9.7 million at its fourth week at the box office for a domestic total of $107.4 million. Internationally, the comedy has earned nearly $75 million.
In third place, 21 and Over, written and directed by The Hangover writers Josh Lucas and Scott Moore, debuted to $9 million. The $13 million comedy stars Justin Chon, Skylar Astin and Miles Teller as three friends embarking on a 21st birthday celebration.
Last Exorcism II, from CBS Films, came in number four with $8 million, well short of the $20.4 million opening of The Last Exorcism released by Lionsgate in late August 2010.
In fifth place, Snitch, produced and financed by Exclusive Media and Participant, brought Lionsgate $7.7 million at its sophomore weekend at the box office for a total of $24.4 million.
The Weinstein Co.’s animated 3D family feature, Escape From Planet Earth, directed by Cal Brunker, earned $6.7 million in its third weekend out for a sixth place showing on the box office charts and a total of $43.2 million.
Relativity Media's Safe Haven, directed by Lasse Hallstrom, came in seventh, earning $6.3 million over the film’s third weekend at the box office for a domestic total of $57.1 million.
In eighth place, Silver Linings Playbook, from the Weinstein Co., brought in $5.9 million for a total of $115.5 million during the film’s 16 weeks at the box office.
A Good Day to Die Hard, from 20th Century Fox, made $4.5 million on its third weekend at the box office, placing ninth and bringing the action film’s domestic gross to $59.6 million.
Rounding out the list at number 10, Microbudgeted horror film Dark Skies, which debuted last weekend to $8.9 million, made The Weinstein Co. $3.6 million for a total $13.5 million.
Also of note, Independent thriller Phantom, the weekend's fourth new wide entry, opened to a paltry $475,000 -- one of the worst debuts of all time for a film playing in more than 1,000 theaters. Starring Ed Harris, David Duchovny and William Fichtner, Phantom is distributed by RCR.
Box office numbers were obtained on boxofficemojo.com.