Steve’s Box Office Report: July 2013
Top 10 Films for the Month of July:
1. Despicable Me 2 – $368,065,385
2. The Conjuring – $137,400,141
3. Grown Ups 2 – $133,668,525
4. The Wolverine – $132,556,852
5. Pacific Rim – $101,802,906
6. The Lone Ranger – $89,302,115
7. Turbo – $83,028,128
8. The Smurfs 2 – $71,017,784
9. RED 2 – $53,262,560
10. R.I.P.D. – $33,618,855
Honorable Mentions:
1. Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain – $32,244,051
2. The Way Way Back – $21,506,546
3. Fruitvale Station – $16,101,339
July Winners: Despicable Me 2, the Conjuring, Grown Ups 2, and Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
We continue on through the summer of 2013 as we hit the month of July and we were coming off a red hot start with May and June, and the slate of films this month seemed to skew more towards families with three animated films coming out though there were still plenty of options for everyone. With this many blockbusters coming out this month, it was going to be interesting to see which films broke out and which ones would fall by the wayside, and we had quite a few films do very well. The first film that makes it into this category is the animated film Despicable Me 2, the sequel to the 2010 film that sees Gru be recruited to assist in solving a mystery while he juggles being a new father. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt it was a slight step behind the first one though it was still a fun movie, and it would finish with over $368 million which I will delve into later in the recap. The next film from this month that makes it into this category is the horror film the Conjuring, a film based on the true story of the Warrens as they assist a family who are dealing with disturbing events in their new house. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt it was a well-crafted horror film, and it would finish with over $137 million which was a huge win for this film and we will see if anything comes of this. The next film that makes it into this category is the comedy film Grown Ups 2, the sequel to Grown Ups which sees Lenny and his friends face new challenges after Lenny moves back to his hometown. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was even worse than the first one, but it would end up finishing with over $133 million which was a major win despite the bad reviews. The last film from this month that makes it into this category is the standup film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, a film which features Hart’s performance at Madison Square Garden as well as highlights from his tour. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt it was a fine showcase for Hart, and it would finish with over $32 million which was a big win for a standup film. These four films did extremely well with three of them taking the top 3 of the month and the last one holding well even out of the top 10, and the momentum that the summer had looks like it will continue strong into August.
July Losers: Pacific Rim, the Lone Ranger, Turbo, the Smurfs 2, RED 2, and R.I.P.D.
Even though we did have a good number of films make it into this last category, we have been on a stretch of the months having more winners than losers though sadly that run ends here. As mentioned, there were a lot of films that came out this month that could either sink or swim, and sadly there were a bunch from this month that ended up sinking. The first film that makes it into this category is the action film Pacific Rim, a film about humanity creating giant mecha-robots to combat sea monsters bent on world destruction. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who did feel it had more style than substance, and it would finish with over $101 million which was a bit of a disappointment though we will see if it does end up spawning a sequel. The next film that makes it into this category is the Western film the Lone Ranger, a film about a Texas ranger who teams with a Native American to avenge his brother. The film would receive negative reviews from critics and it also suffered from controversy with the casting of Johnny Depp as Tonto, and it would finish with over $89 million which makes it one of Disney’s biggest bombs in history. The next film from this month that makes it into this category is the animated film Turbo, a film about a snail who obtains super speed and dreams of winning the Indy 500. The film would receive mixed reviews from critics who felt it was a fine film though didn’t take full advantage of its premises, and it would finish with over $83 million as it was quickly swallowed up by Despicable Me 2. The next film from this month is the hybrid film the Smurfs 2, the sequel to the original Smurfs which sees Gargamel create the Naughties to bring Smurfette back to the real world and the Smurfs must save her. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was a step down from the previous film, and it would finish with over $71 million which was a major step down from the previous film as well. The next film that makes it into this category is the action film RED 2, the sequel to the first film which sees Frank Moses reunite with his team to track down a nuclear device. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was not nearly as fun as the first film, and it would finish with over $53 million which wasn’t a good showing for the film. The final film that makes it into this category is the action film R.I.P.D., based on the comic of the same name of a dead Boston detective who is paired up with a lawman from the Old West to capture souls who escape judgment. The film would receive harsh reviews from critics who considered it one of the worst comic adaptations of all time, and it would finish with over $33 million which makes it one of the bigger bombs of the year. Despite the efforts of the films in the previous category, the films that made it into this category definitely dragged the month down and we will see how it ends up affecting the month as a whole.
The Surprise/Story of July 2013: Audiences flock back to see their favorite Minions as “Despicable Me 2” easily takes top spot of July 2013
Going into this month, there were a few films that had potential to be major hits and in the end, five films do end up making over $100 million though there was no question that there was one film that was the most anticipated. Despicable Me 2 had a lot of goodwill going into its release thanks to the first film and the Minions had become cultural icons in that short time, and with the other two animated films this month not getting good reviews the month was pretty much Despicable Me 2’s to lose though it ended up running away with the month. That coupled with the rest of the films in the top 5 making over $100 million and the month does end up being a success, and even the rest of the films from that month ranged from solid to poor though there were a few bombs as well. After the strong start to the summer, this does feel like a slight bump in the road and we will see how August ends up finishing the summer.
Overachiever of July 2013: Despicable Me 2
Back in July 2010, the first Despicable Me came out and was an unexpected hit as it was one of the biggest films of that year and nearly overtook Inception as the top film of that month, and 3 years later Despicable Me 2 builds on that momentum and easily takes the top spot of the month. Even though the reviews for the film were slightly lower than the first film, the film had built up plenty of goodwill and as mentioned, the Minions had become popular characters for their antics and had become strong merchandise movers. As a result, this film finishes with well over $368 million which puts it well above the first film and ensures that the franchise still has plenty of legs, and it will be interesting to see if we get the third film to complete the trilogy or if the Minions potentially get a spinoff first though there is no question this film is the overachiever of the month.
Underachiever of July 2013: The Wolverine
Back in May 2009, Wolverine got his first solo film with X-Men Origins: Wolverine which sadly underwhelmed and was the underachiever of that month, and over 4 years later we get his next solo film with the Wolverine, which sees Logan head to Japan where he is stripped of his healing powers and must deal with an old acquaintance while dealing with Jean Grey’s death. With this film following the original X-Men trilogy and almost retconning the events of Origins, the film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt it was a major step up from Origins. The film would also finish with over $132 million though it would finish quite a bit behind Origins, and it wouldn’t even finish in the top 3 as the Conjuring and Grown Ups 2 finished just above it. As a result, the film does end up joining Origins as being the underachiever of the month though this is not as weak of an underachiever as Origins, and it will be interesting to see if they give Wolverine one more solo film and how that will do if so.
July 2013 Awards Watch: Despicable Me 2, Grown Ups 2, the Lone Ranger, and the Smurfs 2
After last month had no award contenders at all, this month does have a few films that make it into this category as July usually does see the contenders start coming out though typically it can be a bit on the low side. But after the previous month with no contenders, it is good to see at least a few films from this month make it into this category. The first film that makes it into this category is Despicable Me 2 which was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Animated Film and Best Original Song) though it wouldn’t win, and it was also nominated for one Golden Globe Award (Best Animated Film) which it wouldn’t win as another animated film this year overtook it as the best. The next film from this month that makes it into this category is Grown Ups 2 as it was nominated for 9 Golden Raspberry Awards (Worst Film, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actor, Worst Supporting Actress, Worst Screen Combo, Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel, and Worst Screenplay) though surprisingly it didn’t win any as there were even worse films. The next film that makes it into this category is the Lone Ranger which was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects) though it wouldn’t win either, and it would win one Golden Raspberry Award (Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel) while being nominated for 4 more (Worst Film, Worst Director, Worst Actor, and Worst Screenplay). The last film from this month that makes it into this category is the Smurfs 2 which was nominated for one Golden Raspberry Award (Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel) though it wouldn’t win. This was an interesting month in that of the four films that made it into this category, three were amongst the worst of the year while the other was amongst the best and it is always unique seeing that dynamic.
Overall Thoughts of July 2013:
Overall, the month of July 2013 was a pretty good month though it is a step down from the previous two months, but it is not bad enough that it completely derailed the momentum that the summer had going into the month. This month was pretty much dominated by one film though there were a few films that did fairly well as we had five films make over $100 million with the top one reaching over $300 million, and the rest of the films were a mixed bag though we did have at least two films that bombed. 2013 has been an interesting year as it started a big weak, but has really rebounded throughout the last few months though it is still a bit lower than where we were at this point last year. As we continue throughout the year, we will see how the summer ends with August and if we have any momentum going into the fall. As for the month of July 2013, it is a very good month that continues the hot summer of 2013 though it is not as strong as the previous two months.
Final Grade: B+
