Steve’s Box Office Report: August 2013
Top 10 Films for the Month of August:
1. We’re the Millers – $150,394,119
2. The Butler – $116,632,096
3. Elysium – $93,050,117
4. Planes – $90,288,712
5. 2 Guns – $75,612,460
6. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters – $68,559,554
7. Instructions Not Included – $44,467,206
8. Blue Jasmine – $33,405,481
9. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones – $31,165,421
10. One Direction: This is Us – $28,873,374
Honorable Mentions:
1. Kick-Ass 2 – $28,795,985
2. The World’s End – $26,004,851
3. You’re Next – $18,494,006
4. Jobs – $16,131,410
5. Getaway – $10,501,938
6. Paranoia – $7,388,654
August Winners: We’re the Millers, the Butler, Planes, and Instructions Not Included
We continue on through the summer of 2013 as we hit the month of August, and typically August can be a hit-or-miss month depending on how well the films released this month end up doing. Since there is usually not a major blockbuster that comes out this month, the films that do come out have some pressure on them to deliver and we did see a few from this month that did. The first film from this month that makes it into this category is the comedy heist film We’re the Millers, a film about a pot dealer who convinces his neighbors to pose as his family to bring in a shipment from Mexico. The film would receive mixed reviews from critics who felt the film didn’t fully live up to the potential it had, but the audience felt otherwise as it would finish with over $150 million which was a major win for a film released in August. The next film from this month that makes it into this category is the drama film the Butler, a film loosely based on the true story of a White House butler who served for 34 years and through numerous presidencies. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt the film was carried by the strong performances of the actors, and it would become a surprise hit by making over $116 million which I will delve into later in the recap. The next film from this month that makes it into this category is the animated film Planes, a film about a crop duster who dreams about being a racing plane. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was a weaker entry from Disney, but it would finish with over $90 million which was a solid win and we will see if this ends up spawning a franchise. The final film from this month that makes it into this category is the comedy-drama film Instructions Not Included, a film about a Mexican playboy who finds out he has a child and travels to California to find the mother. The film would receive mixed reviews from critcs and would end up finishing with over $44 million which was a solid win for this foreign film amongst bigger films. These four films did pretty well this month even against some of the blockbusters of the summer still lingering around, and these four films did what they could to try and lift the month up to a fairly high level.
August Losers: Elysium, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and Paranoia
There were some films that were released this month that were looked at to be major hits and coming out in August seemed like the right move since August doesn’t typically have a big blockbuster, but sadly the films that end up in this category wound up falling flat and now the question was how bad did they do and how far down does the month drag because of them. The first film from this month that makes it into this category is the sci-fi film Elysium, a film about a parolee living on an ravaged Earth who works with a hacker to reach the artificial world Elysium. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt it was a fine entry for director Neill Blomkamp though they said it was a step down from District 9, and the film would end up with over $93 million which was a disappointment given some of the hype behind it. The next film that makes it into this category is the next installment in the Percy Jackson franchise with Sea of Monsters, a film which sees Percy and his friends travel to the Sea of Monsters to retrieve the Golden Fleece to save their home. The film would receive mixed reviews from critics who felt it was a step down from the previous film, and it would finish with over $68 million which was another disappointment and in essence killed any potential to continue the franchise. The next film that makes it into this category is the fantasy film the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, based on the novel of the same name of a teenager who discovers a group called the Shadowhunters while learning about her own heritage. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was a weak attempt as starting a new YA franchise, and it would finish with over $31 million which would put an end to any potential sequels going forward. The last film that makes it into this category is the thriller film Paranoia, a film about a corporate employee who is ordered to spy on his boss’ former partner under threat of arrest. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was too cliched and unoriginal, and it would finish with over $7 million which made it one of the bigger bombs of the year. Given that most of the films in this category were expected to do really well, the fact that they made it into this category is not a good sign for how the month will end up doing even against how well the winners did.
The Surprise/Story of August 2013: “We’re the Millers” wins bloated August 2013 to end the summer on a tepid note
August typically is a dumping ground for films right as we get to the end of the summer and the school year is about to begin, and this month in particular was bloated as we had a grand total of 16 films come out this month which is an insane number even for a summer month. There were several films that came out this month that were pretty anticipated and looked to end the summer on a strong note, and coupled with a few of the July blockbusters still making money it seemed like the summer of 2013 would end on a high note. In the end, We’re the Millers ended up being one of the sole highlights of the months along with the Butler while the rest of the films either slightly underdelivered or flat out bombed, and as a result the month does end up being a bit more average than expected and it ended the summer on a somewhat tepid note. This was about one of the more average Augusts that we’ve had as we haven’t seen an August overdeliver though we have had a few that have not been well, and it will be interesting to see going forward if that changes and if a major blockbuster can make the difference.
Overachiever of August 2013: The Butler
Going into this month, there were plenty of films that had a lot of eyes on them and the Butler was clearly under the radar for the most part, and also coming out in the middle of the month also seemed like a bit of a death slot with nothing else major coming out that same weekend. However, the Butler would end up resonating with audiences who felt it was good counterprogramming to the other films coming out that month, and it would also have a strong showing over Labor Day weekend as it was a good film for adults to see while their kids were starting the school year. Bolstered by positive reviews from critics and the underwhelming performances of some of the other films coming out this month, this film would exceed even the modest of expectations and easily deserves the title of overachiever of the month though it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the other overachievers of the year.
Underachiever of August 2013: Kick-Ass 2
Back in April 2010, the first Kick-Ass came out and while I did name it the underachiever of that month, it would end up gaining a cult following and now over 3 years later, we get the release of the sequel which sees Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl try to live normal lives while also being part of a superhero team and an old rival seeks revenge. Unlike the previous film which did receive positive reviews from critics, this film received more negative reviews who felt the film fell short of replicating the magic of the first film. The film would also fall flat out of the gate going up against the Butler in its opening weekend and it didn’t get better as it would finish with over $28 million which was short of the first film and even that bar was low, and this film would even finish in the top 10 for the month and all the goodwill the first film had built up was squandered here. As a result, any hopes for a third film to complete the trilogy were dashed and much like its predecessor, this film ends up being the underachiever of the month and it is easily a bigger underachiever than the first film.
August 2013 Awards Watch: Blue Jasmine, Jobs, and Getaway
When it comes to award contenders, the month of August usually only sees a handful of films make it into this category and sometimes they have no films make it, but this month does see a few films make it into this category. While it is only a few films and not that many, the fact that there were a few that did make it helps prop this month up a bit. The first film that makes it into this category is the comedy-drama film Blue Jasmine, a film about a New York socialite who falls on hard times and moves into her sister’s apartment in San Francisco. The film would receive critical acclaim from critics who consider it one of the best of the year and it would finish with over $33 million, and it would win one Academy Award (Best Actress) while being nominated for two more (Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay). The film would also win one Golden Globe Award (Best Actress – Drama) while being nominated for one more (Best Supporting Actress), and if anything this was more of a showcase for Cate Blanchett in what many consider one of her finest performances. The next film that makes it into this category is the biographical film Jobs, a film about the life of Steve Jobs and the creation of Apple. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was a weak adaptation of the life of a legendary figure and it would finish with over $16 million, and it would be nominated for 1 Golden Raspberry Award (Worst Actor) which it wouldn’t win. The last film from this month that makes it into this category is the action film Getaway, a film about a former race car driver who finds out his wife has been kidnapped and he must save her. The film would receive harsh reviews from critics and it would finish with over $10 million, and it would be nominated for one Golden Raspberry Award (Worst Actress) though it wouldn’t win. It is interesting that of the three films that made it into this category, one film was on the positive side and the other two were on the negative side and it will be interesting to see how the month of August delivers in future years in terms of award contenders.
Overall Thoughts of August 2013:
Overall, the month of August 2013 ended up being a pretty average month as there was nothing standout about the month, but there was nothing completely terrible to drag it down. The summer of 2013 was so hot that it was inevitable that August was going to be a bit of a letdown due to the lack of a major blockbuster, but fortunately it wasn’t too bad that it killed off all the momentum that the summer had going in. In August’s defense, we did have two films that crossed the $100 million mark though there were quite a few films in this month that did bomb, and the rest of the films did just well enough that it kept the month hovering at average. 2013 has been an interesting year to this point as it started fine, really peaked with May and June, and now as we head into the fall we will see how the next two months play out before the loaded holiday season. As for the month of August 2013, it ends up being a fairly standard month and falls in line with past Augusts of note.
Final Grade: C+
