Steve’s Box Office Report: March 2014
Top 10 Films for the Month of March 2014:
1. Divergent – $150,947,895
2. Mr. Peabody and Sherman – $111,506,430
3. 300: Rise of an Empire – $106,580,051
4. Noah – $101,200,044
5. God’s Not Dead – $60,755,732
6. The Grand Budapest Hotel – $59,301,324
7. Muppets Most Wanted – $51,183,113
8. Need for Speed – $43,577,636
9. The Single Moms Club – $15,973,881
10. Sabotage – $10,508,518
Honorable Mentions:
1. Bad Words – $7,779,614
2. Veronica Mars – $3,322,127
3. The Raid 2 – $2,627,209
March Winners: Divergent, God’s Not Dead, and the Grand Budapest Hotel
We continue on through the year of 2014 and as I’ve mentioned before, March is typically the first big month of the year by having a few major blockbusters come out along with some smaller films. This month was interesting in that there wasn’t a huge blockbuster that was set to be released, but there were plenty of films coming out that looked to have potential though ultimately only a few ended up breaking out. The first film that makes it into this category is the sci-fi action film Divergent, based on the novel of the same name of a girl who learns of a sinister plot by the government that will destroy the seemingly perfect society. The film would receive mixed reviews from critics who felt it was a disappointing start for the potential franchise, but it would finish with over $150 million which was a good showing and showed there was potential for this series. The next film that makes it into this category is the Christian drama film God’s Not Dead, a film about a college student who challenges his professor into the existence of God. The film would receive negative reviews from critics though received strong praise from the religious community, and it would finish with over $60 million which was a strong showing and could potentially begin an unlikely franchise. The third and last film that makes it into this category is the comedy-drama film the Grand Budapest Hotel, a film about a hotel concierge who is framed for murder and must clear his name while also trying to claim a fortune. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who named it one of the best films of the year, and it would finish with over $59 million which was a tremendous showing despite just missing the top 5 for the month. While these three films definitely overdelivered on their expectations, the fact that only three films made it into this category is not a good showing for the month of March.
March Losers: Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Noah, Need for Speed, and Sabotage
Typically, March has usually had more winners than losers and on a few occasions, both categories would have the same amount of films in them which helps the month out in terms of determining how well it did. Sadly, this month bucks that trend as we do end up having more films in this category than the previous one and that is not a good sign especially since the year has been somewhat tepid and this was not a good sign as to how the rest of the year could potentially go. The first film that makes it into this category is the animated film Mr. Peabody and Sherman, based on the TV short of the same name of Peabody working to prove that he can be a good parent to Sherman as they travel all through time. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt it was a fine film though suffered from a convoluted plot, and it would finish with over $111 million which was slightly disappointing for this film which was probably seen as one that could carry the month. The next film that makes it into this category is the biblical epic film Noah, loosely based on the Bible story of Noah and his family working on an ark as God plans to flood the Earth. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who praised certain aspects though felt it was fairly controversial, and it would finish with over $101 million which was again slightly disappointing given the star power of the film. The next film that makes it into this category is the action film Need for Speed, based on the video game franchise of the same name of a street racer who looks to avenge the death of his friend at the hand of a fellow racer. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it was a weaker video game adaptation, and it would finish with over $43 million which was again considered a disappointment. The last film that makes it into this category is the action film Sabotage, a film about a DEA and his team who are being hunted down after stealing money from a cartel raid. The film would receive negative reviews from critics who felt it wasted whatever potential it had, and it would finish with over $10 million which barely got it into the top 10 for the month. While none of these films were major bombs that hurt the month too much, there were still pretty disappointing given that a few of these films were looked at to carry the month to better heights.
The Surprise/Story of March 2014: Divergent takes the win to fill the YA void and lead surprisingly weak March 2014
Since the last Harry Potter film came out in 2011, we have been looking for a new YA film to fill the void left behind and while the Hunger Games has been proving its worth, there have been many other YA adaptations that have come out that has disappointed. This month, we have Divergent which looks to slide into that spot behind the Hunger Games and despite the mixed reviews from critics, the film ended up doing well by taking the top spot for the month with over $150 million and now the eyes would be on the other two films in this trilogy to see how this franchise plays out. Sadly, that was the main highlight from this month as even though there were three other films from this month that made over $100 million which is quite the feat, there was a feeling that those films should’ve done more and coupled with other disappointing outings from the other films this month, there is no question that this month is not looking strong and is going to be a slight detriment to the year as a whole.
Overachiever of March 2014: God’s Not Dead
2014 was an interesting year in that we saw numerous films come out this year that were catering to the religious crowd, and after the unexpected success of last month’s Son of God we have another surprise success this month with God’s Not Dead. Even though the film did not receive positive reviews from critics, there was enough buzz from the Christian and Evangelical community who yearned for something different from Hollywood as opposed to the standard fare that usually comes out. This is proven to be true with the film making over $60 million which puts it in the top 5 for the month, and the fact that it made more than some other bigger films that came out from this month showed that there was a strong audience for this type of film. We will have to see if this ends up leading to anything in terms of a potential franchise which would be interesting to see happen, but at the end of the day there is no question that this film easily deserves the title of overachiever of the month.
Underachiever of March 2014: Muppets Most Wanted
Back in 2011, the Muppets made their way back to the big screen in nearly 12 years and that film ended up being a big hit, so you knew it was only a matter of time before they were given a sequel and we get that here with Muppets Most Wanted, a film which sees Kermit framed for robbery by a master thief who looks just like him and uses Kermit’s friends as pawns in his heists. The film would receive positive reviews from critics who felt while it wasn’t quite up to the 2011 film, it was still a fun film with some good performances and it did finish with just over $51 million. While that was a good outing for the film, it does feel quite underwhelming as this was a chance for the film to do very well even going up against Mr. Peabody and Sherman for the family audience, and given the Muppets seem more timely than Peabody and Sherman it should’ve done much more though Peabody and Sherman ended up outdrawing it by $60 million. As a result, it has now been 10 years since the Muppets have been on the big screen and while you know they will be back at some point, hopefully they have a stronger outing than this film which ends up being the underachiever of the month.
March 2014 Awards Watch: The Grand Budapest Hotel and Noah
As I’ve mentioned previously, March is when the new awards season begins as we kick off a new year of films who look to get a nod for one of the big three, and usually March can have a number of films make it into this category. However, this month ends up only having two films make it into this category which doesn’t speak well to these films that nothing else was able to make it into this category, but we did have two with one being the Grand Budapest Hotel which would win 4 Academy Awards (Best Costume Design, Best Hairstyling and Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design) while being nominated for 5 more (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing). The film would also win one Golden Globe Award (Best Picture – Musical or Comedy) while being nominated for 3 more (Best Actor – Musical or Comedy, Best Director, and Best Screenplay) which solidified its standing as one of the best of the year. The other film from this month that makes it into this category is Noah which was nominated for one Golden Globe Award (Best Original Song) which it didn’t win. While there were only two films from this month that made it into this category, one film was strong enough that you almost didn’t need any other films in this category.
Overall Thoughts of March 2014:
Overall, the month of March 2014 ended up being a fairly solid month though again if it has to be summed up in just one word, it would be disappointing. As mentioned, there were some pretty big films that came out this month and while there was no big blockbuster, the potential for these films was still very strong in that it could turn out a surprisingly strong month though it ended up being fairly weak instead. It is weird to call this month disappointing when four films from this month made over $100 million, but it was more about what those films could’ve done and the remaining films from this month were also pretty disappointing in terms of the money they made. 2014 has been a pretty tepid year to this point and while this month could’ve been the one to turn it around, it instead maintains the status quo and we will now see how April does to turn things around. As for this month, it is a pretty average month and again, it is disappointing considering what could’ve been.
Final Grade: C
