Saturday update:
Universal’s “Green Zone” became the latest Iraq War-themed movie to fall down the box office rabbit hole, debuting to just $5 million in the U.S. and Canada Friday, according to studio estimates.
With Disney’s 3D adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” still strong in week two -- it grossed a box-office-leading $17.4 million, despite a 57 percent week-to-week drop -- “Green Zone” could find little traction, getting out to a pace that will give it less than $15 million for its premiere weekend.
That would be even less than the modest pre-release expectations for the $100 million film, which reteams star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass, who worked on the Universal’s last two “Jason Bourne” franchise installments. The film was put into production during the co-chair term of Marc Shmuger and David Linde.
Amid an overall North American box office that was up 56 percent year-to-year on Friday, Summit Entertainment’s Robert Pattinson delivery mechanism “Remember Me” scored $3.6 million for its opening, putting the modestly budgeted ($16 million) youth-oriented drama right around pre-release forecasts.
Paramount comedy “She’s Out of My League” -- which is also after younger moviegoers, despite an R rating -- delivered about what was expected too, with $3.3 million on its first day.
Both “Remember Me” and “Out of My League” are pacing for three-day totals just under $10 million.
Meanwhile, a fourth film opening wide this weekend, Fox Searchlight multi-ethnic comedy “Our Family Wedding,” got off to a $2.5 million start at 1,605 locations. If the low-budget comedy, which stars Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera and Carlos Mencia, holds to its current pace, it will also end up on the better side of its pre-release forecast with around $8 million.
Among holdovers, Disney’s Tim Burton-directed “Alice” is expected to pass the $200 million mark in its second weekend of North American release.
And Fox’s “Avatar” continues to stretch an epic 3D run that started all the way back in mid-December, dropping just 15 percent Friday to $1.7 million.
Post-Oscar bumps, meanwhile, produced mixed results: Fox Searchlight’s “Crazy Heart,” which yielded the actor trophy for Jeff Bridges last weekend, dropped just 7 percent -- but declined, nonetheless -- to $1.7 million.
Warner’s long-legged “The Blind Side” -- featuring best actress-winner Sandra Bullock -- spiked 39 percent to $465,000 Friday, despite dropping 19 percent of its engagements.
Box office figures for Summit Best Picture winner “The Hurt Locker” will be available later on Saturday.
Here’s how the top 10 at the domestic box office looked on Friday:
“Alice in Wonderland” ($17.4m)
“Green Zone” ($5.0m)
“Remember Me” ($3.6m)
“She's Out of My League” ($3.3m)
“Our Family Wedding” ($2.5m)
“Shutter Island” ($2.4m)
“Avatar” ($1.7m)
“Brooklyn’s Finest” ($1.4m)
“Cop Out” ($1.3m)
“The Crazies” ($1.2m)
Thursday preview:
Unfortunately for the four films opening wide at the box office this weekend, “Alice” still lives there.
Disney’s Tim Burton-directed “Alice in Wonderland” opened to $116.1 million in North America last weekend -- a record high for a film bowing in the first three months of the year.
