From ew, Warner Bros. sure did give couples an easy fix for their February holiday. Valentine’s Day took in approximately $67 million over the four-day frame, grossing an estimated $21 million on the actual day itself. The romantic comedy’s success practically greenlights Warner Bros. next attempt at a holiday-themed ensemble comedy, New Year’s Eve, which they are contemplating putting into production immediately. The weekend was also a boon for the family literary adaptation. While there didn’t seem to be much heat on Percy Jackson & the Olympians going into the weekend, moviegoers still showed up in droves. The PG-rated film, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus, grossed an estimated $39 million for a second place finish. It outshone Universal’s R-rated Wolfman, which also had an auspicious beginning of $36 million for the four-day frame. Early rumblings of a troubled post-production and a delayed release date did little to quell moviegoers’ anticipation for the horror classic starring Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt.
The three new wide releases coupled with an astounding $30 million for Avatar and $19 million for the romantic drama Dear John put the President’s Day holiday cume into record-breaking territory. Rounding out the top ten were The Tooth Fairy earning an additional $7.7 million to put its total take at $43.6 million; From Paris With Love grossing $6.8 million for the seventh slot and a total two-week earning of $18 million. Mel Gibson’s film Edge of Darkness grossed $5.7 million to put its three-week total at $37 million. Ninth spot went to the Jeff Bridges-starrer Crazy Heart which grossed an additional $4.2 million during its second weekend in wide release. The indie drama’s total take now stands at $17.5 million. The Book of Eli took the tenth spot grossing $3.6 million more for a total gross of $88 million.
If the numbers stay as estimated, the weekend will likely bring in over $220 million for the holiday, the most ever for President’s Day. And the new releases should hold up well next frame when the only new entry is Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited thriller Shutter Island. It will surely bite into Wolfman’s earnings, but the other two films should be able to hold in strong. Enjoy the holiday folks. See you next weekend.
