That's a clean bill of 12 No 1 launches for Pixar, the animation hit factory whose Cars 2 was way too strong for the US competition over the weekend. The estimated $68m debut was above Disney's projections, which themselves may have been influenced by the lukewarm reviews. Yes that's right: a Pixar movie actually elicited a less-than-rapturous response from the critics. Mainstream audiences could not care less what critics think, however, and I reckon Cars 2, which was also the top film in the international arena, should prove itself to be critic-proof.
That $68m opening weekend compares favourably with the 2006 launch of Cars, which, adjusted for inflation, opened on around $67m. We'll be hearing a lot about the movie in the coming weeks, especially outside the US, where Disney will unload it in several waves. This is because the studio knows word of mouth on Cars 2 will be strong and will sustain audience interest. There's no need to orchestrate a day-and-date worldwide blitz, and this way Disney can customise the release pattern to take advantage of different school holiday slots.
The $31m second-place debut for Sony's Bad Teacher was a great result for the R-rated comedy featuring a deliciously crass Cameron Diaz. It's a shame the rest of the movie isn't as appealing as its lead, but the studio won't mind and reported several encouraging debuts outside the US. Box office for Warner Bros' DC Comics adaptation Green Lantern dropped 66% in the second weekend and should cross $100m before long. At this rather slow rate the movie, which cost around $200m to make, needs to do the business overseas to look in good health. The international running total so far is around $29m.
I mentioned last week that Woody Allen is enjoying a purple patch at the box office and at $28.6m Midnight in Paris has become his biggest hit in 25 years since Hannah and Her Sisters. Not bad for a 75-year-old veteran who clearly feels rejuvenated by his ongoing European sojourn and last week announced the cast of his next movie, The Bop Decameron, which starts shooting in Rome next month.
The willingness of European financiers and buyers to invest in Allen is key to all this, and for the first time the film-maker has hooked up with Italian powerhouse Medusa. If and when he tires of Europe, one wonders if Allen might scour Asia next; can you imagine what he'd accomplish working alongside someone like Takashi Miike? More power to him: Allen has been smart to seek money from Europe, where he continues to be revered. The relationship between non-US studios and English-language film-makers and talent is nothing new. France's EuropaCorp is a prime example of a willing collaborator, albeit in a higher budget bracket, bankrolling thrillers such as the Transporter series, Taken and next year's Guy Pearce sci-fi thriller Lockout.
North American top 10, 24-26 June 2011
1 Cars 2, $68m
2 Bad Teacher, $31m
3 Green Lantern, $18.4m. Total: $89.3m
4 Super 8, $12.1m. Total: $95.2m
5 Mr Popper's Penguins, $10.3m. Total: $39.4m
6 X-Men: First Class, $6.6m. Total: $132.8m
7 The Hangover Part II, $5.9m. Total: $243.9m
8 Bridesmaids, $5.4m. Total: $146.7m
9 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, $4.7m. Total: $229.1m
10 Midnight in Paris, $4.5m. Total: $28.6m
