ArtsBeat Blog: 'New Year's Eve' Leads Box Office ...
‘New Year’s Eve’ Leads Box Office but Trails Expectations
The Champagne was flat: “New Year’s Eve” was No. 1 at North American theaters over the weekend with about $13.7 million in ticket sales. But it failed to meet the prerelease estimates of analysts, who had anticipated sales of over $20 million.
Warner Brothers had hoped that this romantic comedy, which cost about $55 million to produce and tens of millions more to market, would soar on the backs of its star-speckled cast; a similar endeavor last year, “Valentine’s Day,” was a global hit. But that movie featured stars like Julia Roberts and Jamie Foxx. “New Year’s Eve” included actors better known for TV — Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Sofia Vergara — and some whose careers appear to be ice cold (Hilary Swank, Halle Berry).
“The Sitter,” a low-budget comedy from 20th Century Fox that represented Jonah Hill’s first attempt at anchoring a film, was a soft second. Despite the film’s innovative marketing campaign, audiences did not appear ready to accept Mr. Hill as a solo headliner. “The Sitter” took in about $10 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box office data. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1” (Summit Entertainment) was third, with about $8 million in sales for a four-week total of $259.5 million. Showing continued power, “The Muppets” (Walt Disney Studios) placed fourth, selling about $7 million in tickets for a three-week total of $65.8 million. Rounding out the top five was “Arthur Christmas” (Sony Pictures Entertainment), which sold roughly $6.6 million in tickets for a three-week total of $33.5 million.
ArtsBeat Blog: 'New Year's Eve' Leads Box Office ...
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