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Weekend Box Office Report: 'Monsters University' Schools 'World War Z'
Zombies may be really hot right now, but there's one thing that is (and probably always will be) a bigger deal: Pixar. Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' performed quite well in its opening weekend, but even the biggest zombie movie of all time couldn't keep pace with 'Monsters University.'
|Per Screen
|Monsters University
|World War Z
|Man of Steel
|$41,215,000 (-64.7)
|This is the End
|$13,000,000 (-37.3)
|Now You See Me
|$7,870,000 (-28.6)
|Fast and Furious 6
|$4,725,000 (-50.7)
|The Internship
|$3,425,000 (-52.1)
|The Purge
|$3,412,000 (-59.0)
|Star Trek Into Darkness
|$3,000,000 (-52.0)
|Iron Man 3
|$2,175,000 (-26.4)
It's typical of Pixar to open huge, so $82 million for 'Monsters University' is an expected (but excellent) start for what's sure to be one of the larger hits of the summer. Since things have been pretty sparse on the "fun for the whole family" front, the film was destined to open well. The only people unhappy with this one taking the box office by storm are the folks behind 'Epic,' who won't be able to take advantage of the lack of competition anymore. 'Monsters University' should cross $200 million with a breeze, but only time will tell if it'll join the likes of 'Up' and 'Toy Story 3′ to become one of the company's biggest moneymakers (our money is on no, but we've been wrong before).
Everyone who wasn't watching a cute animated movie about monsters was off watching the expensive live-action movie about Brad Pitt killing monsters. 'World War Z' went into the weekend as the pricey zombie epic with a troubled production, and emerged with a solid box office start. 'World War Z' was insanely expensive, but $66 million is not a number to shrug at, especially since we're dealing with a genre that has rarely operated outside of micro-budgets. The big question now is whether or not the film's blockbuster pedigree will give it legs — horror movies infamously have massive, crippling drops in their second weekends. That's rarely an issue with most horror since it's so inexpensive, but this one? It could be a problem.
Speaking of big drops, 'Man of Steel' took an expectedly large tumble in its second week, taking in another $41 million for a $210 million total. That is a massive drop-off, but that's bound to happen when your movie opens to such big numbers in the first place. In any case, the new Superman movie has already handily outgrossed 'Superman Returns' and it's fairing quite well overseas. It won't do 'The Dark Knight' or 'Avengers' money, but it will certainly do well enough to get a sequel off the ground. Expect a final gross of between $275 million and $300 million.
In fourth place, 'This is the End' earned $13 million for a $57 million total. That's not bad at all for a modestly budgeted comedy like this. Actually, it's pretty terrific. More importantly, it only had a minor drop-off from last week, suggesting that it might have some pretty strong legs for the weekends ahead. However, it has a pretty big rival in 'The Heat' next week.
The rest of the top 10 is a showcase for movies that are beginning to sputter to a halt. 'Now You See Me' won't be around too much longer, but with a current gross of $94 million, that $100 million mark is looking all too likely. Right below it, 'Fast and Furious 6' has $228 million in the bank, making it the highest grossing film in the franchise (even though our prediction of $250 million is starting to look more incorrect by the day).
And the rest? 'The Internship' is still dead on arrival and 'The Purge' is just hanging around at this point, having made most of its money in its opening weekend. At the very bottom, 'Star Trek Into Darkness' and 'Iron Man 3' continue to cling on, but both are just about ready to call it a day.
Next weekend sees the release of 'The Heat' and 'White House Down.' We expect that they'll both open quite well.


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The Chicago Park District's 13th annual Movies in the Parks series kicks off Thursday, June 13 and will feature 195 screenings of current and classic movies in 150 citywide parks through Sept. 14. The series is part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks initiative, which features more than 750 citywide cultural and arts activities this summer, making parks a safe haven and a hub of activity. Movies in the Parks is presented by Charter One with additional support by RCN.
"The Chicago Park District's Movies in the Parks series is a popular summer tradition in the neighborhood parks," said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Michael Kelly. "This program is one of our many cultural offerings that allow patrons to engage with others in their community."
"This is Charter One's third consecutive summer serving as presenting sponsor of Movies in the Parks," said Marc Paulhus, President, Charter One and RBS Citizens, Illinois. "This sponsorship represents our commitment to serving our communities and providing individuals and families throughout Chicago with safe, free and easily-accessible entertainment options in their local neighborhoods."
Highlights this summer include:
• The James Bond 60th anniversary celebration featuring screenings of Dr. No, Thunderball and Skyfall.
• The Lakeside Cultural series, which kicks off with Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds.
• Bollywood movie screenings plus a dance program as part of the Eye on India festival.
• The Curators of Dixon School, a documentary by local filmmaker about a school on Chicago's south side.
Click here for the Movies in the Parks 2013 schedule. Admission is free, and all movies begin at dusk, weather permitting. Patrons can call the Movies in the Parks hotline for daily listings and updated weather-related cancellations at 312-742-1134.
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