DHD Saturday: 16.4 M THE VOW | 16.5 M SAFE HOUSE | 12.4 M JOURNEY ll | 8.7 M SW l | 5.5 M CHRONICLE

[kayumanggi]

http://www.deadline....afe-house-530k/

SATURDAY PM: “Looks like that first-ever 4 openings over $20 mil on a non-holiday weekend has happened,” a studio exec emails me tonight. (On the 2008 holiday weekend December 26-28, all four movies opened on Christmas to $20+M openings that three-day weekend: Fox’s Marley And Me $36.4M, Disney’sBedtime Stories $27.4M, Paramount’s Benjamin Button $26.9M, and MGM/UA’sValkyrie $21M.) By the way, this is Screen Gems’ biggest opening, topping Dear John at $30.5M. That’s a Channing Tatum 1-2 punch. A record-breaking weekend gets even bigger at $175M overall moviegoing, or +25% from last year. It’s also the biggest non-holiday Fri-Sat-Sun in February of all time, kicking up the red hot 2012 start even more. I for one am relieved not to have to write the word ‘slump’. Full analysis coming.

Here’s the Top Five:

1. The Vow (Screen Gems/Sony) NEW [2,958 Theaters]

Friday $15.3M, Saturday $16.4M, Weekend $41M

2. Safe House (Universal) NEW [3,119 Theaters]

Friday $13.8M, Saturday $16.5M, Weekend $39M

3. Journey 2: Mysterious Island 3D (Warner Bros) NEW [3,470 Theaters]

Friday $6.5M, Saturday $12.4M, Weekend $27M

4. Star Wars 3D: Phantom Menace (LucasFilm/Fox) NEW [2,655 Theaters]

Friday $8.6M, Saturday$8.7M, Weekend $23M

5. Chronicle (Fox) Week 2 [2,908 Theater]

Friday $3.5M, Saturday $5.5M, Weekend $12M (-46%), Cume $39.8M

6. The Woman In Black (CBS Films) Week 2 [2,856 Theaters]

Friday $3.3M, Saturday $4.7M, Weekend $10.4M (-50%), Cume $35.6M

7. The Grey (Open Road) Week 3 [2,801 Theaters]

Friday $1.3M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $5M, Cume $42.7M

8. Big Miracle (Working Title/Universal) Week 2 [2,133 Theaters]

Friday $920K, Saturday $1.7M, Weekend $3.7M, Cume $13M

9. The Descendants (Fox Searchlight) Week 13 [1,581 Theaters]

Friday $872K, Saturday $1.6M, Weekend $3.4M, Cume $70.6M

10. Underworld Awakening (Sony) Week 4 [1,657 Theaters]

Friday $666K, Saturday $1.1M, Weekend $2.5M, Cume $58.9M

Edited February 12, 2012 by kayumanggi

[kayumanggi]

That's one huge Saturday jump for JOURNEY ll!

[kayumanggi]

That's awesome for CHRONICLE too!

[Magic]

Holy Shit for Journey 2... until it drops...

[kayumanggi]

This weekend is INSANE. Just INSANE.

[kayumanggi]

By the way Nikki is expecting THE VOW to drop 43% on Sunday?

[Magic]

What's the difference between now and a few months ago? The films are no better now and yet basically everything is breaking out. It's just rather odd.

Edited February 12, 2012 by Magic

[kayumanggi]

Yes. The sudden change is staggering. Unbelievable. By the way, JC needs this revived interest in movies from Americans.

Edited February 12, 2012 by kayumanggi

[Fanboy]

Wow at Journey 2. Nice for The Vow and Safe House too. We now have our first 40M+ OW of 2012, and what should be two 100M+ movies. If this trend continues, 2012 is going to be one hell of a year.

[reddevil18]

These numbers are insane.If this keeps up throughout the summer, then we're in for some big records...

[kayumanggi]

LOL I'm so anticipating Summer numbers. Box office is on fire.

[kayumanggi]

Biggest opening weekend by a film opening the year - THE DEVIL INSIDEFirst time ever to have two films open to over 20 M during the Super bowl weekend - CHRONICLE and THE WOMAN IN BLACKFirst time ever to see four movies open to 20 M each in a non-holiday weekend - Feb 10 - Feb 12 weekendBiggest non-holiday 3-day weekend in February...EVER.

Edited February 12, 2012 by kayumanggi

[Magic]

Yes. The sudden change is staggering. Unbelievable. By the way, JC needs this revived interest in movies from Americans.

It's just that it all started with the first movie of 2012. It didn't just start picking up in March when the bigger films come out, it's as if at the turn of the year movies are "in" again.

[boxofficeth]

Love those numbers. Possible two films opens over 40M? Once again studios release things people wanna see.2012 reminds me a bit of 2009 when almost everything broke out and many films overperformed after such a slump the BO had in December 2008. I do hope this BO on fire will continue into March and April. In 2009 it took a long break after Watchmen.BTW the first half of February has become such a time that many films coexist. In 2010 3 films opened north of 30M during President's Day and 2011 3 films opened over 25M and this weekend 4 films are opening over 20 M with 2 films earning close to 40M.Just impressive numbers.

[Cedarpoint1111]

Wow @ Journey 2! Almost 100% increase!!!

[kayumanggi]

There were a lot of "watchable" films in 2011 that general audience didn't see. Something was really wrong last year.

[XenoZodiac]

WTF at Journey 2!!!

[forg]

Man! Why this didn't happened during Thanksgiving weekend last year? Would love to see all 3 family movies (The Muppets, Hugo and Arhtur Christmas) broke outAmazing for Journey 2 since almost all predicted it to perform below 20 million

[darthdevidem01]

Disappointed in TPM numbers, very sad :(Everyhting else did awesome!

[A Marvel Fanboy]

insane jump for Journry 2.