#BOXOFFICE: “HANSEL & GRETEL” TAKE A BITE OUT OF BOX OFFICE

Critics didn’t like it v. much, but Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D opens solidly, debuting at number one this weekend with $19 million in North America for Paramount Pictures.  The Action-Fantasy starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton opened in 3,372 theatres, was made for $50 million and performed particularly well overseas including Russia where it earned $8.6 million alone on Friday.  Audiences gave the Film a B over at Cinemascore, which suggests it might not be as bad as Critics made it seem, earning only 15% at Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Last week’s Champ, Mama slips to second but still is going well with $12.9 million for Universal Pictures/eOne Films.  In two weeks it has grossed an impressive $47.5 million domestically.

Now into its eleventh week of release, Silver Linings Playbook continues to benefit from its Oscar Buzz in third, earning $10 million for The Weinstein Co./Alliance Films (eOne Films) from 2,641 theatres, keeping another Best Picture Contender,  Zero Dark Thirty, at bay in fourth with $9.8 million from 2,929 theatres.

Parker from FilmDistrict/eOne Films opens with $7 million this weekend in fourth.  The Action Flick starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez garnered overall negative reviews (35% on Rotten Tomatoes), but Audiences responded with a B+ Cinemascore.

Django Unchained still is hanging-in sitting in fifth with $5 million and right behind in sixth is The Farrelly Brothers‘ latest RomCom Movie 43 which boasts an All-Star Cast, but still managed only to pull-in $5 million in its debut for Relativity Media/Alliance Films (eOne Films).  The Cast includes: Kate Winslet, Josh Duhamel, Johnny Knoxville, Chloe Moretz, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Halle Berry, Uma Thurman, Anna Faris,  Chris Pratt, Gerard Butler, Snooki, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Sudeikis and many more.  Critics were particularly tough, the Film tallying only 6% on the Tomatometer. Audiences were equally tough with an unimpressed Cinemascore of a D.

Broken City rounds-out the Top Ten in its second week with $3.8 million ($15 million earned to date), almost on its way to recouping half of its $35 million budget.

#BOXOFFICE: JESSICA CHASTAIN NABS TOP TWO SPOTS AT BOX OFFICE WITH “MAMA” AND “ZERO DARK THIRTY”

Jessica Chastain, Box Office Queen.  The Best Actress Frontrunner in record time has gone from obscurity straight to the top, occupying both the top two spots at the Box Office this weekend with Mama and Zero Dark Thirty.  The former, produced by Guillermo del Toro  and filmed in Toronto, earns $28.1 million from 2,647 theatres for Universal Pictures/eOne Films, securing its place at the top, while the latter nabs second spot with $17.6 million. Zero Dark Thirty to date has grossed $59 million for Sony Pictures/Alliance Films domestically.  Mama‘s performance bodes well for the City as a destination for filming, proving we have the resources to make a top-placing Film. Critics gave it generally positive reviews, garnering 63% on the Tomatometer.  2011 Horror Flick Dream House from Universal Pictures/eOne Films, filmed in the City, didn’t fare quite as well critically and commercially.  Mama Star Nickolaj Coster-Waldau was recently in Toronto. Find out how to win a Photo signed by him here.

After a bit of dawdling, Silver Linings Playbook gets its due success in its tenth week of release, expanding to 2,523 theatres, earning $11.3 million for The Weinstein Co./Alliance Films – good enough for third.  This undoubtedly was aided by both its recent Golden Globes exposure with Jennifer Lawrence winning Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and also its Best Picture Nomination for the Oscars.

Gangster Squad performs steadily in fourth with $9.1 million in its second week for Warner Bros, just ahead of  Broken City, starring Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg, debuting in fourth with $9 million.  The Action-Drama earned a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer.

Debuting at number two last week, Horror Spoof A Haunted House slips to sixth this weekend with $8.3 million for Open Road Films.  The Film which parodies Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside, opens in Canada next Friday via VVS Films.

Meanwhile, Oscar Contenders Django Unchained and Les Misérables are still performing respectably thanks to the Oscars and Golden Globes boost, placing them seventh with $8.2 million and eighth with $7.8 million respectively.  Former three-week Champ The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey earns $6.4 million for Warner Bros.

Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s return to the Big Screen wasn’t so heroic, opening in tenth with $6 million.  Critics however, weren’t all too disapproving as it earned mixed Reviews at best with 56% on the Tomatometer.