Monsters University took first place at U.S. and Canadian theaters last weekend with $82.4 million in ticket sales, overcoming Brad Pitt’s zombie apocalypse tale World War Z, which was second with $66.4 million.
The films battled it out with last week’s top movie, Man of Steel, which dropped to third, according to Hollywood.com. World War Z, from Paramount Pictures, beat forecasts that ranged from $45 million to $50 million. Monsters University surpassed estimates, including the $78 million projection of Boxoffice.com.
World War Z, hampered by early publicity focused on soaring costs and re-shoots, benefited from positive reviews and a marketing blitz that included personal appearances from Pitt to highlight the scenes of zombie hordes racing through cities on the attack. The efforts helped Paramount avoid a potential box-office disaster like Disney’s John Carter, which lost $200 million last year.
“They made the hard decisions and spent the money and ultimately this is going to be the saving grace of this film,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations Co.
In the film, based on Max Brooks’ novel, Pitt portrays a retired United Nations researcher called on to discover the origin of the zombie virus. He witnesses a global apocalypse during a search that takes him to Korea, Israel and Britain. The film had a 68 percent fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com.
Bloomberg News critic Greg Evans compared the film’s realistic presentation of the fantastical to the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist.
“World War Z is a throwback to the full-throttle horror films of the 1970s, posing its zombie what-ifs with the same realism summoned to imagine what might happen if a Georgetown girl met the devil,” he wrote.
“The re-shot conclusion opens the possibility for a sequel, something the studio is considering,” Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore said before the film opened.
The film was the biggest opening ever for Pitt, Hollywood.com said.
Monsters University, a prequel to Pixar’s 2001 hit Monsters Inc., follows creatures Mike and Sulley during their college training to become full-fledged monsters. The movie features the voices of Billy Crystal and John Goodman. Monsters Inc. opened with $62.6 million and had global sales of $562.8 million.
The debut of Monsters University at No. 1 continues a Pixar streak, with all 14 of its feature films premiering atop the box office. The film also was the second biggest debut for the studio, behind 2010’s Toy Story 3 ($110.3 million).
Man of Steel had sales of $41.3 million and has taken in $210 million since June 12.
The movie, produced by Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan, is infused with a darker tone than previous Superman films. In the new version, the young Kryptonian, played by British actor Henry Cavill, becomes a drifter, working odd jobs while trying to discover his purpose and place among humans.
The Bling Ring took in $2 million in 650 theaters to place 11th.
The movie, directed by Sofia Coppola, is loosely based on the true events about fame-obsessed teens who burglarize the homes of celebrities, including Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. The R-rated film features Harry Potter star Emma Watson and Taissa Farmiga, the younger sister of Oscar-nominated actress Vera Farmiga.
MovieStyle, Pages 32 on 06/28/2013