Boxoffice® Pro - December 2013

2013: WORLD MARKET ANALYSIS
3D, became the highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Russia. The
film benefitted from a 3D boom in the country, with growing demand for
the format driving international investment to add more screens with the
latest technology.
October was a big month for 3D with the releases of Gravity and Stalingrad
only a week apart. Gravity opened in first place with a $7.5 million
bow on October 3. The momentum for Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi film was
stalled a week later with Stalingrad’s whopping $16.2 million premiere—pitting
two 3D sci-fi epics against each other for the rest of the month. Russian
audiences favored the domestic film, and the historical drama went on a
record-breaking hot streak that reignited the blockbuster potential of Russian
cinema. Stalingrad has grossed a total of $50.6 million as of press time,
already ahead of Iron Man 3’s $44.1 million blockbuster run. Gravity was
able to hold its own with a $20.8 million take as of press time, passing Pacific
Rim’s $20.6 million to become the year’s biggest sci-fi release in Russia.
Legend No. 17, a Soviet-set hockey biopic about hockey legend Valeri
Kharlamov, also posted an impressive run in its home country. The sports
flick skated to a successful $29.1 million gross after its April premiere.
The Russian box office proved to be eclectic in 2013, showcasing a
number of hits across several different genres. Animated fare like Despicable
Me 2 ($35.1 million), The Croods ($28 million), and Monsters University
($20.6 million) thrived in the market. Fast & Furious 6 ($34.1 million),
World War Z ($24.7 million), and The Wolverine ($22.2 million) were the
year’s standouts among action films. Hollywood comedies tend to struggle
in non-English-speaking markets, but Russia proved to be an exception
in 2013 with hits like The Hangover Part III ($17.3 million) and We’re the
Millers ($18 million). Sci-fi also proved popular beyond the aforementioned
hits Gravity and Pacific Rim; Oblivion ($19.1 million), Elysium
($15.8 million), and After Earth ($17 million) all enjoyed a bountiful haul
from the market.
SOUTH KOREA
n South Korean audiences continued to be loyal to domestic films at the
box office in 2013. The thriving domestic film industry registered most of
the year’s biggest hits, attracting audiences to films that spanned a variety of
genres. Miracle in Cell No. 7 became the smash hit of the year after grossing
$85.9 million since its January release. The film received blockbuster status
after word-of-mouth carried it through after an average $8.6 million debut.
Iron Man 3 was the second-biggest film of the year but never posed a
challenge to dethrone Miracle in Cell No. 7 from the top spot. The superhero
film finished its run in South Korea with $64.2 million. Historical
drama The Face Reader nearly outgrossed the latest installment in the Iron
Man franchise after finishing with a strong $61 million take.
The biggest opening weekend of the year came from The Host director
Joon-ho Bong’s latest film, Snowpiercer. The thriller featuring an all-star
cast headlined by star Chris Evans posted a $14.8 million opening weekend.
Snowpierecer finished its run in South Korea with $59.8 million.
South Korea was the hottest overseas market for two Hollywood releases
this year. World War Z survived bad press stemming from a troubled
production to go on and gross $539.5 million worldwide. South Korea
was the film’s biggest overseas market with a $33.7 million gross, about 10
percent of its total overseas performance. Red 2 grossed $18.8 million in
South Korea, its highest tally outside of North America. Red 2’s robust take
also represented a vast improvement over the original’s $3.1 million gross
in 2010. South Korea accounts for about a quarter of the total overseas box
office of Red 2.
SPAIN
n A slow year at the Spanish box office put into question the market’s
importance in the coming years. A market that used to deliver multiple
releases over the $25 million mark registered its first year in more than a
decade without a single film reaching $20 million. Animated films fared
best in the market, accounting for three of the top four films of the year.
The Croods was the top earner of 2013 with $18.3 million, only a third of
the total gross of last year’s top grosser, The Impossible.
Despicable Me 2 finished the year in a close second place to The Croods
with $18.1 million. The animated sequel opened slightly behind the original
but went on to outgross Despicable Me’s $17.2 million through a strong
holdover performance.
Two other animated sequels, Monsters University and The Smurfs 2, also
enjoyed success in Spain. Monsters University outgrossed the original’s $14
million with a $14.6 million take. The Smurfs 2 registered a $12.9 million
total to be among the top 10 films of the year, but the Smurfs sequel fell
short of matching the original’s $19.6 million from 2011.
Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited was the year’s top-grossing domestic
film with $6.5 million. The total gross of the Spanish auteur’s latest film is
well below the $12.3 million record set by Volver, Almodóvar’s highest-performing
film in his home country, but compares to the $6.6 million of his
previous film, 2011’s The Skin I Live In.
Silver Linings Playbook was the surprise hit of the year in Spain with a
$12.3 million take. Spain follows Australia’s $14.5 million to become the
second-biggest market for David O. Russell’s film. Silver Linings Playbook
built its reputation in Spain through strong word-of-mouth after a $1.9
million opening weekend in late January, becoming one of the country’s
biggest releases without once climbing to first place at the box office.
UNITED KINGDOM
n Despicable Me 2 grossed $549.4 million outside of North America to
become the second-highest overseas earner of 2013. The Minions reached
that tally without the help of a Chinese release, making the film’s success
even more extraordinary. Rather than relying on China for a big box office
boost, the Despicable Me sequel conquered the overseas markets by posting
significant gains over the original in every key territory. This was most
evident in the United Kingdom, where Despicable Me 2 posted its highest
overseas performance with a $72 million haul. The sequel more than doubled
the original’s $32.2 million take from 2010.
Les Misérables had a successful transition from the West End to the
silver screen. The musical posted a $13.1 million debut and went on to
gross $64.5 million, making the United Kingdom the film’s second-biggest
market behind Japan’s $65.3 million.
Disney had a great year in the United Kingdom with all but two of
its major releases grossing above the $20 million mark. The biggest disappointment
in Disney’s slate was The Lone Ranger’s paltry $7.1 million take.
Planes didn’t exactly take off with a $13.8 million gross but earned within
the same range as comparable films Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
($16.2 million), Turbo ($16.7 million), and The Smurfs 2 ($18.6 million).
Disney otherwise found hits with Thor: The Dark World ($22.3 million as
of press time), Oz the Great and Powerful ($23.3 million), and Wreck-It
Ralph (36.1 million). Iron Man 3 and Monsters University lived up to their
blockbuster status in the United Kingdom earning $57 and $47 million
respectively.
Captain Phillips earned $55 million overseas, in large part due to the
United Kingdom’s $21.5 million contribution. The country was responsible
for 42 percent of Captain Phillips’ overseas cume and represents the
film’s strongest market outside of North America. The Paul Greengrass film
will continue adding to that figure by year’s end, showing no signs of slowing
down in its current release.
The United Kingdom came in second only to China for a number of
other important Hollywood releases, reasserting the market’s importance
in the global box office. Other top hits of 2013 in the United Kingdom
include Fast & Furious 6 ($38.3 million), Star Trek Into Darkness ($39.3
million), The Croods ($43.1 million), and Man of Steel ($46.1 million).
24 BoxOffice ® Pro The Business of Movies DECEMBER 2013