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By Todd Cunningham
"Dark Knight Rises” has tightened its grip on the domestic box
office, taking in $10.4 million Friday to put itself on track for a $36
million weekend.
The final entry in director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, still
in 4,242 theaters, has been No. 1 since opening on July 20. It has
grossed $354 million in North America for Warner Bros., $570 million
worldwide.
“Total Recall” grossed $9.2 million on its first day and looks on
pace for a three-day total of around $27 million. Colin Farrell stars in
Sony’s remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi classic, which
is playing in 3,601 theaters.
Also read: 'Total Recall': What the Critics Are Saying
The showing of the top two films were in line with expectations, but
the overall box office may still be feeling the effects of the Olympics
and fallout from the Colorado shootings. It’s on a pace nearly 25
percent down from the same frame last year, when “Rise of the Planet of
the Apes” drove the weekend with a $54 million opening.
Fox's tween-targeting “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” the weekend’s
other wide opener, brought in $6 million Friday and will likely wind up
with around $17 million for the three days.
Two other Fox films, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” and “The Watch,"
are battling for fourth place, on pace for weekends of $8 million and $6
million respectively.
Universal’s comedy “Ted” crossed the $200 million overall domestic
gross mark in its sixth week and is looking at $5.5 million for the
three days.
Summit's "Step Up Revolution" is on track to make $5.3 million in its second week.
Earlier ...
“Dark Knight Rises” will take a third-week victory lap at the North
American box office this weekend say industry analysts, who predict a
$37 million three-day haul. But the focus will be on the “Total Recall”
remake starring Colin Farrell.
Sony, buoyed by a late surge in tracking, is looking for its redo of
the 1990 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger to open at $30 million or a
little lower. The analysts, who set their projections earlier, see it
bowing at around $23 million. That's dangerously close to the weekend’s
other wide opener, Fox’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” pegged for
$21 million.
Hard to imagine Arnold getting beat up by a wimpy kid, isn’t it?
That's part of the intrigue going into the weekend, in which neither the
Olympics' second weekend nor the lingering effects of the Colorado
shootings aftermath are expected to be much of a factor.
The creative team and the marketing department at Sony faced the same
conundrum with “Total Recall” all movie re-dos deal with: How do you
offer a take fresh enough to attract new moviegoers without alienating
devoted fans of the original?
Also read: 'Total Recall' Review: Over-Hyper Remake Will Make You Totally Recall Ahnuld's Version
It can be done. Fox scored with last summer’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which opened to $54 million in the U.S."