Box Office Report: The Wolverine Wins By Default

WINNER OF THE WEEK: Woody Allen. Forty-three films into his career, and hes still surprising viewers and box office analysts. His latest, the well-reviewed Cate Blanchett dramedyBlue Jasmine, opened on just six screens, but it earned an estimated $612,767, for a per-screen average of$102,128 per screen. Thats a ridiculously high average. (The Wolverine, the weeks highest-grossing movie, had a per-screen average of just $14,106. All but four movies this weekend had averages under $5,000.) Thats the highest per-screen average of any movie so far in 2013. It compares favorably to the $99,003 per screen earned by AllensMidnightin Parisduring its six-screen opening two years ago, and that went on to become Allens top-grossing movie ever (not adjusting for inflation). So signs are good that, at the very least,Blue Jasminecould be the breakout indie hit of the summer.

Last weeks winner,The Conjuring, also did better than expected this weekend. Horror movies tend to fall off steeply in their second weekend, butConjuringslipped one spot to second place on estimated earnings of $22.1 million, down a modest 47 percent from last week. Its per-screen average was $7,313, and its two-weekend total comes to $83.9 million.

Wolverine Through the Years

EvenDespicable Me 2, now in its fourth week, still had legs. It came in third, mustered up another estimated $16.0 million, and crossed the $300 million threshold. With a total to date of $306.4 million, its the second highest-grossing movie of the year, behind onlyIron Man 3.

LOSER OF THE WEEK:The Wolverine. True, it debuted at Number One, but it had no new wide-release competition. Plus, it was projected to open around $70 to $75 million, but it scored just an estimated $55 million. Thats a hair below the $55.1 million debut of the last X-Men movie, 2011sX-Men: First Class, and well below the $85.1 million debut ofX-Men Origins: Wolverinein 2009, and that movie didnt have the benefit of 3D surcharges, as most screenings ofThe Wolverinedid. The earlierWolverine, which disappointed a lot of viewers, may have squandered much of the goodwill for another movie about Hugh Jackmans clawed mutant hero. Still, like so many soft-opening blockbusters this summer,Wolverineis likely to make it up overseas; indeed, the movie grossed an estimated $86.1 million abroad this weekend. Plus, there arent a whole lot more action blockbusters due this summer that might compete for the same audience. So weep not for Twentieth Century Fox, which spent a reported $120 million makingThe Wolverine.

Also underperforming expectations was new indie comedyThe To-Do-List.Opening on just 591 screens, the movie about a high school valedictorian (Parks & Recreations Aubrey Plaza) eager to lose her virginity before college was expected to debut with about $3 million, but it opened with just an estimated $1.5 million. Thats about what it cost to make, so at least the movie should break even.

Rounding out the top five wereTurbo(Number Four), earning an estimated $13.3 million in its second weekend, for a two-week total of $55.8 million, andGrown Ups 2, in fifth place, with an estimated $11.5 million, for a three-week total of $101.7 million.

FRUIT LOOT:Fruitvale Station, the true-life drama about the police shooting of an unarmed black man, continues to break out of the art-house pack, expanding from 34 venues to 1,064 screens this weekend, cracking the top 10 (at Number 10) and earning an estimated $4.7 million. In three weeks, its earned $6.3 million. Just behind it was coming-of-age dramedyThe Way, Way Back, coming in at Number 11 with an estimated $3.3 million on 886 screens (up from 404 last week), for a four-week total of $8.9 million. Along withThe To-Do ListandBlue Jasmine, theyre proof that theres money to be made catering to summer viewers who want to see something other than epic-scale mutant adventures.