THE BOX OFFICE REPORT: AUGUST 19

Like I said last week, I’m on the East coast this week, but I figured I’d at least throw up the numbers from this weekend, a solid weekend for Hollywood in general (numbers were up from last year) but a bit lower than I’d expected from the film with the highest gross.

On to the results!

1. The Expendables 2 - $28.8 (first week)

The Expendables 2 opened well, but well below the first film and you have to wonder if that will have any effect on the reported third film in the series, which according to producer Avi Lerner, already has a wish-list lined up. He said, in a recent interview: “We’ve approached Clint Eastwood to be one of the guys… We’ve got a character in mind for him. We’re talking to Harrison Ford. Wesley Snipes when he comes back from prison… [W]e’ve got Nicolas Cage to play [one of the characters]…And we’re going to bring Mickey Rourke back, if he won’t be too crazy. I like Mickey. And of course, all the existing stars [will return]”

Wow. Indiana Jones, Nic Cage, and Clint Eastwood himself? I mean, that all sounds great and all. But if the sequel doesn’t start picking up (word-of-mouth is decent thus far) then who knows – we may not even be able to see that come to fruition. Either way, I can’t help but think this is a slightly disappointing opening for Sly and Company.

2. The Bourne Legacy – $17.0 ($69.6 total)

Bad word of mouth really hurt the action pic, as I expected. It still has an outside chance of hitting the $100 million mark, but even if it does, it’s still not a huge success like Tony Gilroy hoped, I’m sure.

3. ParaNorman – $14.0 (first week)

The animated film that’s not a Tim Burton film but looks like a Tim Burton film did an average amount of business for a kids flick, but very low for an animated film, especially after the success of Brave, Ice Age 4, and Madagascar 3.

4. The Campaign – $13.4 ($51.7 total)

This has certainly exceeded my expectations, but it still appears like it will be lower than many of the recent Ferrell offerings (see last week’s postings for the comparisons).

5. Sparkle – $12.0 (first week)

Whitney Houston’s final film appearance, anchored by “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, did roughly the same as concert films (like, say, Katy Perry) but that’s not a good thing when it in fact is not a concert film. I’d expect a pretty huge drop next weekend as I can’t imagine a whole lot of people making their way out to see Sparkle in its second weekend.

6. The Dark Knight Rises – $11.1 ($409.9 total)

Goodbye Katniss. Batman passed up The Hunger Games to become the second highest grossing film of the year and moved within $6 million of Toy Story 3 for the 11th spot on the all-time list. There shouldn’t be any problem moving into the Top 10 when all is said and done.

7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – $10.9 ($15.2 total)

Very low numbers for the Jennifer Garner live-action family film. Adding in the $4 million or so on Wednesday and Thursday, it still doesn’t look like much of a success for Disney.

8. Hope Springs – $9.1 ($35.1 total)

Senior citizen sex continues to sell.

9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days – $3.9 ($38.8 total)

Hanging around, hanging around… the kid has alligator blood (bonus points for anyone who can name the film that quote is from…)

10. Total Recall – $3.5 ($51.8 total)

You remember that old idiom that says “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb”? Yeah, well, Total Recall came in like a lamb and out like a lamb. Disappointment all around.

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There you have it. It’s mid-August! And next Friday, we have two wide releases. We have the meh-looking comedy, Hit and Run and the campy action adventure Premium Rush, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It’s hard to predict what will happen next weekend, but I’d have to guess that Expendables 2 will remain on top after all is said and done. I don’t think anything will get over the $20 million mark, though, as the box office will be down a bit with little to offer the general public.

Until then…