Ride Along sets new MLK record
Ice Cube has made a good career for himself with his brand of charismatic irascibility and Universal used his appeal plus that of rising comedy star Kevin Hart to good effect over the weekend. The pair buddy up in Ride Along, which scored the biggest three-day Martin Luther King weekend at the North American box office on an estimated $41.2m (about £25m), narrowly edging out Cloverfield from 2008 on $40.1m (£24.4m). Paramount's low-budget genre smash holds the record for the biggest four-day MLK gross on $46.1m (£28m), so let's see how Ride Along compares when the studio releases fresh numbers on Monday.
Lone Survivor continues to ride high
Last weekend's number one picture Lone Survivor slipped to number two, but no matter. The independently financed war movie has amassed a solid $74.1m (£45.1m) in four weekends and looks a dead cert to cross $100m (£60m), which would be quite an achievement because it reportedly cost $40m (£24m) to make. International box office numbers were unavailable at time of writing but the movie is preparing to venture beyond US borders and could prosper with Mark Wahlberg front and centre.
The Wolf roars at last
I wasn't sure how The Wolf Of Wall Street would play out, given that it is three days long, but it is starting to show its mettle. Plus people want to see Golden Globe winner Leo DiCaprio in action and he is a lot of fun, even if this is not a great Martin Scorsese movie. Fast-approaching the $100m (£60m) mark, the dark comedy has mustered $90.3m (£54.9m) in four sessions and around $60m (£37) internationally through financier Red Granite's licensees. It is headed in the right direction and needs to keep going because it cost a lot of money. Box Office Mojo lists the price tag at $100m (£60m) but I heard from international buyers that the number could be as high as $140m (£85m). Martin Scorsese doesn't scrimp. Still, $150m (£91m) from the worldwide box office is pretty good going so far.
Whither the Jack Ryan franchise?
It's great to see Kenneth Branagh flex his action director chops and Chris Pine is an appealing actor, if not a star… yet. So, what to make of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit? Well, the number four debut on an estimated $17.2m (£10.5m) is not good enough. Four actors have portrayed the CIA analyst in the 23-year-old action franchise – Harrison Ford most famously in Patriot Games and Clear And Present Danger, Alec Baldwin in the one that started it all, The Hunt For Red October, and Ben Affleck in The Sum Of All Fears 11 years ago. Only one of these movies opened lower than Shadow Recruit and that was Red October, which is understandable given that it was a franchise starter. However it went on to finish on $122m in North America back in 1990, which equates to around $213m (£130m) these days when adjusted for inflation. Shadow Recruit won't get anywhere near that at this rate.
Best picture Oscar race heats up
American Hustle has raced past $115m (£70m) in North America and grossed a further $35m-plus (£21m) internationally including a record $12m-plus (£7m) haul in the UK for director and co-writer David O Russell. This is a superb performance for a movie that cost in the region of $40-50m (£24-£30m) and was financed by Sony Pictures and the deep pockets of Oracle founder Larry Ellison's daughter Megan Ellison. It's got a good shot at the best picture Oscar after winning SAG's best ensemble on Saturday; however, the two frontrunners must now be 12 Years a Slave and Gravity following Sunday's unprecedented tie for best film at the PGA awards.
North American top 10, 17-19 January 2014
1. Ride Along, $41.2m
2. Lone Survivor, $23.2m. Total: $74m
3. The Nut Job, $20.6m
4. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, $17.2m
5. Frozen, $11.9m. Total: $332.6m
6. American Hustle, $10.6m. Total: $116.4m
7. Devil's Due, $8.5m
8. August: Osage County, $7.6m. Total: $18.2m
9. The Wolf Of Wall Street, $7.5m. Total: $90.3m
10. Saving Mr Banks, $4.1m. Total: $75.4m
