The four-day studio estimates have just hit the web, and they are not exactly game changing from the 3-day totals announced just yesterday. Men in Black III is set for a $70 million Memorial Day weekend which is big, but not BIG while The Avengers hangs onto respectability with $46.8 million bringing its total domestic haul only $10 million shy of The Dark Knight’s $533 million–a number that is third all-time at the U.S. box office.
Going onto the smaller fries, Battleship posted $13.8 million bringing its local total to a disappointing $47.3 million, and Dark Shadows is in the same boat with $64.9 million after its $9.4 million for the period. Both of those movies cost a lot of money to make, so retention actually had some meaning in terms of recouping their respective studios’ investments.
Some other notables include The Dictator’s $11.8 million, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’s expansion to $8.2 million, and Chernobyl Diaries’ $9.3 million debut.
The Hunger Games is now at $395.8 million domestic with another $2.85 million making it seem as if the movie has a shot at the $400 milestone before it exits theaters. In the lens of a summer that included The Avengers plowing past $500, this may seem like nothing special, but let me assure you it remains a big deal when such a feat is accomplished.