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Sony (NYSE: SNE) had a great weekend at the domestic box office. According to Boxofficemojo, two of the company's film products, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, came in first and second, respectively, on the movie charts. This is the second weekend in a row at the top for Blart, and early estimates available at the time of this writing credit the comedy with $21.5 million for the three-day period. Underworld so far seems to have about $20.5 million in the bank, but whereas these are estimates, the numbers and rankings could change.
You've got to praise Sony for the marketing campaigns behind both features. The fact that Underworld virtually made as much as the more accessible comedy is pretty impressive to me. Those Underworld commercials were on all the right channels, and I bet they hit the demo that's still riding high from the success of Summit Entertainment's Twilight perfectly (in case you're not familiar, both pictures feature vampires). Twilight has so far grossed well over $180 million.
Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) Gran Torino came in third, and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) modest performer, Hotel for Dogs, was fourth. That latter picture has barked up (it's a tradition in the trade to use goofy puns when covering box-office results, sorry) a total of approximately $37 million at this point. Not too great, to be honest. But News Corp.s (NYSE: NWS) Slumdog Millionaire is moving up in the ranks thanks to the Oscar nominations surrounding it and a wider release pattern. It increased in rank to fifth place and has achieved a total tally of $56 million. Look for this one to hit $100 million.
And then we come to poor Lions Gate Entertainment (NYSE: LGF). My Bloody Valentine 3-D dropped from three to six during the movie's second weekend out, and its gross plunged over 50%. It's okay, though, since dropping 50% is par for the course for a horror film. Valentine 3-D has mined about $37 million in total (yet another pun), and it probably will start to fade fast. Hopefully the DVD will do strong business several months from now.
Again, my hats off to Sony. Blart and Underworld will never be confused for Oscar-caliber pictures, but they nevertheless are hitting the right buttons in audiences at multiplexes across the country. It will be interesting to see if Underworld will be as successful in its second weekend as Blart was in its own sophomore outing. That's what Sony should be shooting for.
Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.
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