So, “True Grit” wins the box office this weekend. It’s lucky to be up against such flimsy competition, but this thing could get close to $150 million when it’s all said and done. I’d say the film has turned into one of the most profound box office stories of the year.
(Courtesy: Exhibitor Relations)
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32 responses to “BOX OFFICE: Holy ‘Grit’”
“Black Swan” with an astounding drop of only 6% seems to be the real story here for me.
It’s doing well, not to undercut it, but I wouldn’t say it’s the “real story,” per se. The western is notorious for being box office poison, after all.
Either way, why put one above the other? It’s great to see them both succeeding against all odds.
It definitely is one of the major box office stories of 2010. A western — in its third weekend — tops the U.S. box office. That’s just nuts! Sure, a very slow weekend, but still.
Equally impressive though is Black Swan. It dropped a meager 6% from last weekend despite not adding a significant amount of theaters. Nearly everything else dropped in the 20-50% range, and this movie (which has been out for a while now) barely even lost a step from last weekend! Nuts!
Now that’s a headline, Kris
Blue Valentine did over $700,000 this weekend with a TPA of $17,000 in 40 Theaters. It’s already over 1.1 mil in just it’s second week. pretty damn good. I’m glad good adult movies are making money hopefully the studios will take notice.
Amazing. If only other (and sorry, better) Coen brothers films did this well.
Oh, and 2010 baffles once again: amazing, unexpected numbers for “True Grit,” “Black Swan,” and “The King’s Speech.”
“Harry Potter” can’t even cross $300 mil. “Narnia” a dud (although hardly a surprise, I guess). What happened?
I am so happy over the success for “Black Swan”. While it’s great, “True Grit” is doing as well as it is. Was it ever a question, that it wasn’t going to be successful? “Black Swan” proved audiences are hungry for something unique and different.
“While it’s great, “True Grit” is doing as well as it is. Was it ever a question, that it wasn’t going to be successful?”
Look at the numbers for the genre. Yes, I think it was in question. Even the action-oriented 3:10 barely crossed $50 mil. The last to cross $100 mil was Unforgiven.
It was a perfect storm, of course. I think Bridges winning the Oscar coupled with and uptick in popular Coen appreciation and, frankly, TRON, have helped it there, though. And a killer trailer. Not to take anything away from the movie.
I’m so happy for the Coens and True Grit! Good to see a western (and a fairly traditional western at that) do so well at the box office!
Considering this is one of the only Western film in years released and accessible to mainstream audiences with heavy advertising, directed by two notable directors, and starring many familiar faces, I wouldn’t say True Grit’s hall is shocking, but it certainly is surprising. I didn’t really expect it to out-gross “Burn After Reading” but then again, this movie is less.. out there… and more accessible to the average audience.
I find it more impressing that many are seeing “Black Swan” over usual crowd-pleasing fare, and its number 5 in the box office, without being in main-mega theaters like Regal Group’s.
I am happy for both, but must agree with those who think that Black Swan’s success is the bigger story.
That a $13 mill-budgeted Aronosfky/Portman ballet psychodrama can get to $100 million at the box office (potentially) just blows my mind.
I’m also happy for ‘The King’s Speech’, ‘Blue Valentine’, and ‘The Fighter’.
That said, though it’s doing quite well, I think that ‘The Fighter’ is getting the short end of the stick with all the ‘True Girt/Black Swan/King’s Speech’ hype/buzz. ‘The Fighter’ will end up doing good business, but not as much as previously thought. It’s all about timing, I suppose.
True Grit is doing so well in part because there are so few family movies to see that are any good. How many movies have the Coens made that you could take your whole family to see?
The Fighter may have gone wide too early.
What a triumph and coup for the Coens. Who knew they had a 100 million dollar hit in them! Even though it has come from their most middle-brow film, it is a worthy achievement. Many great auteurs completely fail to taste commercial success in their lifetimes.
The film itself is solid, albeit alarmingly single-minded, but it will surely be a fondly remembered film and will be seen again and again.
If they put together a good package, it will be a hot seller on DVD/Blu-Ray too.
Looking at this week’s figures, The King’s Speech has almost half the takings of True Grit, yet is on only about 1/4 of the screens. With about a $9,000 per screen average. *There’s* a good box office story, too!
It’s kinda shocking. Looking at the figures above and Kris’ contenders list to the right, I see that for the first time in years (ever?), all the films in line for Best Picture (including Winter’s Bone, by the way) have made a shitload of money and/or are doing well at the box office *and* I like all of them. Unbelievable. Will this also translate into better ratings for this year’s telecast?
::cue ominous music::
…and then there’s 127 HOURS, not setting any box office records…
I personally was not such a great fan of True Grit. It’s a solid effort, but nothing spectacular. But if the box office success of their recent films provides them an easier opportunity to make their personal passion projects like A Serious Man, then hooray!
Just saw ‘Blue Valentine’ in a half-full theater (big theater). I am very happy it is finding an audience, thus far.
Very, very difficult film to watch. I definitely think it’s good. It makes you think. It makes you talk about it afterewards, at length (ideally with people you just saw it with).
The performances are pretty special; though, I actually think I preferred Williams in ‘Brokeback’ and Gosling in ‘Lars & the Real Girl’. But both performances are CERTAINLY nom-worthy to me.
So, yeah. Quality film. But a very tough sit for me.
Umm, not to sound like a douche, but I’d like to say right now that I totally called 100 million for True Grit back in November. I believe it was on this site as well. So yeah, I had no doubt.
Rabbit Hole isn’t in too many theatres but its per theatre average is not great – slightly above $3000.
It’s probably my second or third favourite film of the year after Social Network and maybe Animal Kingdom.
I hope more people see it when its release expands. It’s not what you would expect and is incredibly honest and unpretentious.
You had no basis for having no doubt, though, Drew.
Open Range was a financial success although it didn’t break 60 either. However that and Yuma were both R rated.
I offered my reasons. The PG-13 rating, the likleyhood of its reviews, Christmas release date, Oscar season. This movie, despite it’s genre, was gonna do fine. Maybe I just had good instincts.
I think most expected True Grit to do very well (most people seemed excited for it, not just the cinephiles), but I’d say very few sincerely thought it’d make $100m, let alone whatever the sum will be when all is said and done.
Did anyone else find True Grit a complete bore? I love the coens but it’s not the best movie of the year. disappointed by black swan as well, which I thought was just a complete mess —
Hey JJ1 -= i loved revolutionary road — was it that kind of difficulty you had in watching blue valentine?
Why is Rabbit hole taking forever to go wider? I think it’s supposed to go wider this weekend but how wide. Nicole gives the performance of the year.
sam, quite similar, actually.
The slight difference is – Rev. Road was very difficult for me because of what occurs to her in the end. In Blue Valentine, it’s just a constant feeling that things aren’t going to go well for them as a couple (and you get that notion from the very beginning). That isn’t to say that you couldn’t figure that out with Rev. Road, it’s just that the ending of Rev. Road is so … absolute.
Blue Valentine is difficult because there’s really no story. It’s 2 people for 2 hours in a plain setting interacting VERY well and VERY badly (for the most part). It’s heartbreaking. Rev. Road is difficult because of the dread in the end.
2 hard films to swallow. That’s how I felt. :)
I just hope that Rabbit Hole can find some sort of audience and turn a profit by the end. The film deserves it.
I guess so, Drew. I’m nevertheless surprised.