SATURDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock received the bounce it needed, up 9% from Thursday, to make $18.8 million on Fourth of July Friday from 3,965 theaters. 
That gives the Will Smith dramedy $60.1M from its first 3 1/2 days. The studio expects a 3-day weekend in the low $60sM to put Hancock "comfortably over 100" for the 5 days -- around $105M. But the buzz is bad on the pic that cost $150M. Yet the studio feels Hancock's franchise hopes are still alive because "there is a huge disconnect between audiences and critics when you have big numbers added to the world's most bankable movie star."
Meanwhile, Picturehouse made a huge mistake by only platforming Kit Kittredge: An American Girl 10 days before Wall-E opened, and then waited for a wider release until July 2nd after the Disney/Pixar toon was a blockbuster. As an insider explained, "They had the right date all along: the momentum was there, the reviews were there, and Wall-E was not! But then Picturehouse put Kit Kittredge down in the middle of freeway. Suicide." After making $857K Friday in 1,843 theaters , the Picturehouse pic that opened so promisingly was #8 for what should only be a FSS of $3.3M and cume of $6M.
Other films: #2 Disney/Pixar's Wall-E made $9.1M Friday (-61% from its opening day) from 3,992 venues. It should make $38M for FSS and a cume of $133M. #3 Universal's Wanted $5.3M (-72% from its opening) Friday in 3,185 runs, $22M FSS, cume $92M. #4 Warner Bros' Get Smart $3M Friday from 3,574 plays, $12M FSS, cume $98M. #5 DreamWorks Animation/Paramount's Kung Fu Panda $2M Friday in 3,347 theaters, $8M FSS, cume $194M.
#6 Universal's The Incredible Hulk $1.2M Friday from 3,043 venues, $5M FSS, cume $125M. #7 Paramount's Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull $1.1M Friday in 2,192 plays, $4.7M FSS, cume $307M. #9 HBO Films/New Line/Warner Bros' Sex And The City $630M Friday from 1,275 theaters, $2.4M FSS, cume $145M. #10 Sony's You Don't Mess With The Zohan, $475M Friday from 1,731 venues, $1.9M FSS, cume $94.7M. (This post will be updated all weekend.)
FRIDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock keeps adding to its domestic box office dough but at a slower pace that its fast start. It made $17.1 million from 3,965 theaters for Thursday, down only 2% from its Wednesday opening., bringing its 2 1/2 day total (including Tuesday's evening shows) to $41.3M. The studio still has its sights set on the Will Smith dramedy earning more than $100M -- but $115M seems out of reach. Although the film is doing big business overseas, there's some doubt now whether this can still be Sony's next franchise (or Will Smith's ... remember Warner Bros' Wild Wild West?)
THURSDAY AM: Sony Pictures now has a hefty $24.2 million total domestic gross in 1 1/2 days for its dramedy Hancock starring Will Smith and directed by Peter Berg: $6.8M Tuesday (from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters) and $17.3M Wednesday (from its full run in 3,965 venues for its official opening). I hear Sony is hoping for rain on July 4th around the country because it's traditionally not a big moviegoing day. Still, Hancock should have no trouble getting over $100M and maybe to $115M for the 5-day holiday.
WEDNESDAY AM: Sources tell me that very early numbers show that Sony Pictures' dramedy Hancock about a troubled superhero made a super-terrific $6.8 million Tuesday night from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters before its official opening today. (For comparison purposes, Iron Man took in $5 mil from its Thursday night shows before its official Friday May 2nd debut, and Transformers earned $8.8 mil last July 3rd before U.S. Independence Day. And those pics went on to become $300+M in domestic gross blockbusters.).
Today 3,965 theaters will be playing PG-13 Hancock, and I'm told Sony is projecting $100 million to $115 million for the 5 1/2-day July 4th weekend opening which Will Smith has traditionally owned based on the past performance of his movies which opened on that holiday like Independence Day, Men In Black, and Men In Black 2. All went on to earn $442+M in worldwide gross. Because of that impressive track record from the one actor whom Hollywood considers able to reliably open a movie these days, my box office gurus are predicting at least $105M for Hancock's 5 1/2-day weekend (all the way up to $115M) and at least $65+M for the Friday/Saturday/Sunday total because of the 92-minute running time which allows for more shows per day. But the film has received spotty reviews (only 33% positive on Rotten Tomatoes).
In a savvy effort to counter-program, Picturehouse's family fare Kit Kittredge: An American Girl opens wide this weekend in 1,747 theaters after making $450.1K in limited release since June 20th. Not only does this well-reviewed G-rated pic star that kid favorite Abigail Breslin, but also Will Smith's 7-year-old daughter Willow. (Prompting Smith to reveal he told her, "Daddy loves you sweetie, but I gots to stomp you at the box office.") My box office gurus think Kit Kittredge can make $17M to $20M for the 5-day weekend, and $12M to $14M for the 3-day weekend. But Picturehouse thinks the start of the film franchise will make $10M for the extended holiday.
Holdovers Wall-E from Disney/Pixar made $7.7M from a full day and night of screenings on Tuesday, and Universal's Wanted $4.7M. Predictions are for Wall-E to hang onto a strong $55M hold over the holiday, and Wanted maybe $40M.
Not a surprise at all. Everyone knew this would open big.
The big question is how well does it hold up through the weekend, and how bad will the legs be. This will open huge, but with big drops, I’d be shocked if this makes it to the 300M needed to top the summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up fourth, fifth, or even lower for the summer.
A Will Smith summer movie SHOULD be critic proof. But from what people are saying about this, it’s not just a bad movie, it’s a movie that is such a mess that it’s not FUN. Not to mention that it doesn’t deliver the action/comedy promised in the trailer and instead switches to drama/romance in the middle, which is sure to annoy audiences.
This will be a one weekend wonder, forgotten by the end of the summer.
Comment by milo — July 2, 2008 @ 8:16 am
What people are you speaking of that hated it? Critics? Try seeing it first before believing what critics say. It is one of the best films of the summer…imo.
Comment by Dan — July 2, 2008 @ 8:26 am
I wasn’t that interested in Hancock despite being a Peter Berg film. That was until I read a negative review of the film in which the writer compared it to Last Action Hero.
Now I can’t wait to see it. Not sure what that says about me.
If WANTED plunges anything less that 50% in it’s second weekend I will have an incredible amount of crow to eat as I never thought this film would break out the way it did.
I can’t believe that audiences are so starved of R rated pics that they’d clamour all over this insipid, superficial, lightweight, piece of unoriginal, nonsense. The only person who doesn’t shamelessly phone in their performance is James McAvoy.
How exactly Universal think they are going to get a franchise out of this I’ve no idea.
Also, this really is the summer of bizarre instances. Here we have a summer where Warner Bros appear to have two female skewing hits on their hands (SATC, American Girl) and neither feature the female lead in a low cut top.
And ol’ Mr. Summer Movie himself M. Night is coming off the back of a solid, yet unspectacular financial success and he has the best comedy of the summer. Surely he wouldn’t seriously write and direct a film that has Marky Mark trying to run away from a gust of wind…..
..would he?
Comment by Warner Borg — July 2, 2008 @ 9:19 am
movie tickets cost too much for fans to waste their money…if Hancock is a terrible movie, then word of mouth will kill it.
Comment by boo — July 2, 2008 @ 10:19 am
Why does everyone (including Nikki), keep pushing this myth of Will Smith being Mr. Fourth of July? Will Smith has had one…that’s ONE movie open on the fourth of July weekend during this decade (MEN IN BLACK 2). In the nineties, I believe he had two July 4th openings.
I mean, granted, Will Smith is a HUGE movie star. In a good movie, he can have a blockbuster on any date his movie opens. What does July 4th have to do with it? Nothing!
Comment by Jumper — July 2, 2008 @ 10:40 am
So Dan, you went to one of the previews yesterday? I’m speaking of regular people who have seen it - there have been many reactions online that are similar to what most critics have said.
Comment by milo — July 2, 2008 @ 10:56 am
This movie is a TOTAL mess. The first half-hour had the audience laughing — and then it turned suddenly into a serious and stupid super-hero movie once the Charlize Theron character gained more screen time. People were left scratching their heads at the final half-hour, it just was so bizarre how the tone changed. Needless to say as a cohesive whole it was a total disaster.
No doubt it will have a huge opening but word of mouth will kill this movie. It feels like MEN IN BLACK 2 or WILD WILD WEST all over again.
Comment by Dave Desmond — July 2, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
@ Warner Borg: Maybe you’re onto something there, Warner Borg. Maybe the marketers screwed up The Happening campaign and mistook it as a drama when Night was really aiming for a Wayan Bros-esque comedy.
Comment by Michael Dobrofsky — July 2, 2008 @ 4:19 pm
Hancock looks like interesting spin on the latest superhero movie craze… if nothing else at least Will Smith tends to be pretty funny
Comment by patrick — July 3, 2008 @ 3:50 am
Nikki, 1st thing 1st. The list of Will’s B.O from Media by Numbers is missing one other movie from Dreamworks production starring Will himself, ‘Shark Tale’.
Domestic: 160,861,908
Foreign: $206,413,111
Worldwide: $367,275,019
Hancock is sure to gross more than 100M so that will make Will the only star with 8 movies grossing above 100M
Both Cruise and Hanks are only with 7 consecutive 100M grossing movies. So no matter what, Will is still the champ. How is that for a record breaker
Now, back to B.O predictions
No brainer to think Hancock will not be the number 1 movie this weekend and 100M is def possible. But I do have reservations on whether it can topped I AM Legend final B.O tally domestically. ‘Legend’ opened big due to a couple of reasons, one being the insatiable appetite of the paying audiences last Dec after the gluts of pathetic releases and also having a good storyline.
Can’t say the same for Hancock though. But then, isn’t summer is all about fun and leaving your brains at the door? If stupid movies like ‘ The Happening’ Narnia 2, Speedracer and Get Smart’ can gross to the millions, then why can’t Hancock get any bigger? Such a no-brainer..Duh!
Comment by Armand — July 3, 2008 @ 4:59 am
Why do I hate the face he’s making on the poster so damn much??! Just waht exactly is he trying to convey with this lips pursed like that??
Comment by Molly O'Poverty — July 3, 2008 @ 10:58 am
In my opinion I thought Hancock was a good but not great movie. I agree with most of you that the movie tried to do too many things at once. The movie should have really stuck with either being a comedy or a drama since the two aspects conflict with one another. If the filmmaker would have just stuck with one or two genres I think the movie could have been quite a bit better. Despite this fact I thought the movie was still good mostly due to the beggining which I thought was pretty good and pretty funny. I disagree with the people that think that Hancock was a disaster. While it wasn’t perfect I thought the movie still offered some enjoyment. In personally gave Hancock a 3.5/5
Comment by Eric — July 5, 2008 @ 5:05 am
Everyone that I’ve talked with loved this movie. We did not go to learn anything, only to be entertained. Of course the ladies loved him in all that tight blackness!!!!At times the movie was funny and heart tugging also. I hope he makes over a 100 million by Monday morning. As a matter of fact, I going babk to see it with my son!!!!Booya!!!!P.S. pass the popcorn LOL!!!
Comment by debbie green — July 5, 2008 @ 9:16 am
A movie only a Scientologist could love. And hype.
Comment by Paul — July 5, 2008 @ 10:59 am
I saw it on Wednesday night with my friends. It made us laugh really hard. I would say the movie is way better than what I was expecting. I personally give it a 10/10 because it has so much in it that I did not expect. It is definitely a movie worth watching. Truly great! I still want to watch it again!
Comment by Digimon — July 5, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
I saw it and I will telll you it is a good movie, it will make you laugh hard and I thought it ended beautiful. People did clap at the end. Don’t forget to wait up a bit after the credits roll. There is a super funny piece, everybody had to stop in their tracks and turn out to watch it, but people clapped again to it! It just made the experience even greater!
Comment by Jami — July 5, 2008 @ 4:56 pm