Though this weekend’s box office was up nine percent compared to the same time last year, late August is typically an uneventful time regarding new releases. Still, three new releases all underperformed while two holdovers from last weekend both remained strong.

Of the three new releases, “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” “The World’s End” and “You’re Next,” none were able to take the top spot — or even second spot — which respectively went to “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” and “We’re the Millers.”

Maintaining the top spot for the second weekend in a row was The Weinstein Company’s “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which earned $16.5 million. Audiences and critics alike have responded favorably to the film, which stars a high-profile cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, Robin Williams and Liev Schreiber.

The film continues to maintain its strong position at the box office because of great reviews, strong word-of-mouth – it has an ‘A’ rating on CinemaScore – and significant Oscar buzz. The film was made for an estimated $30 million and is on track to earn close to $100 million.

In second place was Warner Bros.’ surprise hit comedy, “We’re the Millers,” which grossed $13 million. Made for $37 million, the film is on its way to gross nearly triple that. It’s great news for Jennifer Aniston, whose career has been negatively affected by a series of box office flops.

Sony Pictures’ “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” ranked third at $9.3 million, which is disappointing, considering the film is an adaptation of the worldwide best-selling series of novels with a cult-like following.

One problem was bad marketing. While the film is similar to other young adult fiction films like “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games,” Sony failed to effectively showcase both good fight scenes and special effects. Both are two main aspects that attract audiences beyond the teen demographics.

Sony must have known the film would not do well, given its lackadaisical approach to advertising and marketing. Audiences were also not impressed, given the low 12 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. With the film’s $60 million production budget and less than $35 million spent on prints and advertisements, it is absolutely critical that the film perform strongly overseas. Will it? Probably not.

Focus Features’ “The World’s End,” the second new release this weekend, took fourth place with $8.8 million. The film was directed by Edgar Wright and stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost from “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.” Those two films earned $13.5 million and $24.6 million, respectively. Their movies have had limited success, so if history is any indication, the newest installment will gross somewhere in range of the two prior films.

The final new release, “You’re Next,” claimed the sixth spot with $7 million. Lionsgate may have expected a better opening, given the film’s positive reviews and decent 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Regardless, it will be profitable for Lionsgate, as the studio reportedly acquired it for only a couple of million.

Published on August 28, 2013 at 12:50 am