Industry analysts were forecasting “Scream 4” to open in excess of $25 million, with some eying a total of as much as $40 million. But when all was said and done, the third sequel to the 1996 horror blockbuster was a box office disappointment.
The film ended up grossing an estimated $19.3 million for the weekend. While not a terrible debut number, it is well below any serious expectations for the weekend and thus has to be considered a flop. In addition to the name value of the franchise, “Scream 4” had become something of a media darling, with many sites jumping at the chance to post casting information and trailers. With all that momentum, a number two debut at the box office–especially that low–is simply a letdown.
“Rio,” meanwhile, opened atop the box office, scoring an estimated $40 million in receipts. The family film’s opening took a chunk out of the performance for holdover “Hop,” which fell to third on $11.2 million.
Thanks to strong word-of-mouth and an unusually-high Cinema Score, “Soul Surfer” held up well, dropping only 30% for $7.4 million and fourth place. “Hanna” scored nearly the same amount for fifth.
On the more-limited front, “The Conspirator” garnered $3.9 million from just over 700 screens to net a ninth-place debut.
Weekend Top Ten
1) Rio – $40M
2) Scream 4 – $19.2M
3) Hop – $11.2M ($82.6M)
4) Soul Surfer – $7.4M ($20.0M)
5) Hanna – $7.3M ($23.3M)
6) Arthur – $6.9M ($22.3M)
7) Insidious – $6.9M ($36.0M)
8) Source Code – $6.3M ($37.0M)
9) The Conspirator – $3.9M
10) Your Highness – $3.9M ($16.0M)