76 superhero movies have been mentioned one way or another over the course of our ‘Superheroes at the box office’ feature. The conclusion is here, with the last 8 superhero flicks that have been released on the big screen in the last 33 years. To get an idea just how much this sub-genre has grown over the years, just in 2011 we’ve had no less then six entries. Masked (or not) crusaders, vigilantes fighting for a cause, be it good or bad, for one last time, after the break.

We start with Iron Man 2, the sequel to the 2008 hit with the same name (minus the 2) and part of The Avengers. People expected something at least as good as the original so disappointment was high on its toes, lurking right around the corner. Unfortunately, while a fun movie, Iron Man 2 failed to match the sheer awesomeness of the first one. Despite less favorable critical and fan reception, Iron Man 2 manage to gross a mighty $312.4 million in North America, just shy of the $318.4 million made by Iron Man. Worldwide things were looking better with $623.9 million for the sequel versus $585.1 million for the original. Right now Iron Man 3 is expected to open in May 2013, but with Shane Black directing instead of Jon Favreau.

Continuing 2010, Megamind follows in November. You know how there are always trends in Hollywood, like one year we might get a bunch of penguin movies or maybe animated fish movies, you know what I mean. Well 2010 was the year of villains with a kind heart, misunderstood if you will. First it was Despicable Me, a story where one villain fights to regain the title of best super-villain in the world. The reason I’ve not included Despicable Me here is simple, there are no superheroes in that movie and Gru isn’t fighting to save the world or a city, he just wants the respect of his mother. Now Megamind, the titular character in the movie with the same name, is much more then just a villain or super-villain. Now I’m not going to spoil anything for you guys but let me just say that this movie has at least one superhero in it. Megamind grossed $148.4 million in North America and $321.8 million worldwide. Having cost $130 million to make, DreamWorks more then likely didn’t lose money on it but don’t expect a sequel out of this one.

And we are finally in 2011 and The Green Hornet is our starting point. This 75 year old hero sure took his time trying to get to the big screen. Starring Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz and Jay Chou (playing Kato, a role Bruce Lee had in the original 1966 TV series). The Green Hornet almost made $100 million in North America and $227.8 million worldwide. Unfortunately for this fun yet flawed movie, that gross probably won’t be enough for Sony to green light a sequel since it cost $120 million to make..

A movie probably not many heard about is Super and yes, it came out this year, specifically on April 1st, a fitting release date some could say. Now this is a hard R, very independent superhero movie that I would only recommend to the most hardcore, probably those that liked Kick-Ass but also thought that it didn’t go as far as it could have. Let me just say this, Super is insane, if you don’t believe me just watch it and you’ll agree with me afterwards. Again, be warned, it makes Kick-Ass look like a PG-13 movie (so keep the kiddies away). Obviously, this is as far away from commercial as you can get and it only got a limited release in theaters. With that in mind, the $0.3 million it made in North America is not as surprising.

Next up is another movie leading up to The Avengers, Thor, directed by Kenneth Branagh. This was probably the hardest avenger to bring to the big screen so a lot of people expected it to fail, well Thor didn’t, quite the contrary. First of all, it was actually a good movie and while it had its flaws, Thor managed to deliver the goods in the end. It is right now the highest grossing superhero movie of the year with $181 million in North America and $448.5 million worldwide. The adventures of the God of Thunder will continue in The Avengers next year and in July 2013 in Thor 2.

X-Men: First Class opened a month later and it is the second X-Men spin-off, following the success of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Unlike that movie, First Class was very well received by both fans and critics alike, a return to the quality standard set by the first two X-Men movies. If only box office results would have been as impressive as the reviews. With a production cost of $160 million, X-Men: First Class only made $146.3 million in North America and $352.5 million worldwide. A sequel could happen but it will come down to DVD and Blu-Ray sales. So if you guys want a First Class 2, go out and buy as many copies of X-Men: First Class as you can, I know I will.

Two weeks later Warner gave us Green Lantern, the long anticipated Ryan Reynolds (starring) and Martin Campbell (directed) DC Comics superhero. They had the money ($200 million no less), they had time, talent, you name it, yet something happened along the line, something big enough to turn Green Lantern into a bust. When I say bust, I don’t mean only in regard to box office success, it just wasn’t a particularly good movie, ok, maybe not as bad as people give it credit. Having grossed $116.4 million in North America and $219.7 million worldwide (barely matching the production budget, let alone doubling it), one would think this series was gone yet Warner are actually still talking about a sequel, strange times we live in.

And now we are up to the last superhero movie, Captain America: The First Avenger. Like the title suggests, this is another avenger movie, the last avenger movie, a fitting spot since he was also the first avenger in the comics. Anyway, Captain was a very long time coming and now that it’s finally here I must say, me like it, me like it very much. They made it a period piece and we got a great take on the origin story of Captain America. It wasn’t campy and at the same time not too serious since it is after all, a superhero movie. With a gross of $173.4 milion in North America and $348.4 million worldwide (and still counting) Captain America, just like Thor and Iron Man, will return next year in The Avengers. The only thing that bothers me about this movie is the way it ends, there’s not a lot of place to make a sequel similar to it and I’d really like a second Captain America set in World War II.

After celebrating superhero movies of the past, it’s time to take a brief look into the future and let me tell you this, there’s never been a better time for fans of this sub-genre. Next year Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is coming to haunt us. A few months later, the ultimate superhero mash-up, The Avengers, will be set to generate plenty of nerdgasms. Then there’s The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises, both in July. Tony Stark is back in Iron Man 3 in 2013 and Man of Steel should mark the return of Superman that same year. As mentioned above, 2013 also has Thor 2 and probably The Wolverine. Now these are just some of the bigger titles, there’s a lot more coming and who knows, maybe in a year or two you might read an 11th part of Superheroes at the box office, until then, keep superheroes alive and, just for kicks, list your favorite hero of all time in the comments. I was a Batman dude for a long time but once I discovered Spider-Man, I never went back.

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We are 6 months and 8 days into 2011 and after a very slow start the year finally picked up over the last 3 months with blockbusters like Rio, Fast Five, Thor, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda 2 or Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Unfortunately only 2 of those are not sequels and out of the bunch, they were the least successful (Thor and Rio). After the break we will take a look at the top 10 films in the first half of 2011 both in North America and worldwide.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 movies in North America so far:

1. The Hangover Part II  $248.9M
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D)  $234.5M
3. Fast Five  $208.4M
4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)  $194M
5. Thor (3D)  $178M
6. Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)  $157.5M
7. Bridesmaids  $154.3M
8. Rio (3D)  $140.6M
9. X-Men: First Class  $139.7M
10. Cars 2 (3D)  $126.3M

In a few days Transformers: Dark of the Moon will take the top spot away from The Hangover Part II and Bridesmaids should pass Kung Fu Panda 2. Next up, X-Men: First Class will pass Rio while Cars 2 should finish somewhere around Fast Five with $200 million.

Now before going worldwide I think we need to see the international numbers first:

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D)  $774.7M
2. Fast Five  $389M
3. Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)  $379.2M
4. Rio (3D)  $329.5M
5. The Hangover Part II  $300M
6. Thor (3D)  $261.7M
7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)  $259.9M
8. Black Swan  $220.8M
9. X-Men: First Class  $196.1M
10. The Green Hornet (3D)  $129M

Black Swan first debuted in January outside North America, that’s why it’s in here. As you can see, there are differences here with The Hangover Part II a lot lower on the list and 3D movies in general, ranked higher.

Finally a look at the worldwide box office so far:

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D)  $1,009.2M
2. Fast Five  $597.4M
3. The Hangover Part II  $549M
4. Kung Fu Panda 2 (3D)  $536.9M
5. Rio (3D)  $470.2M
6. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D) $454.1M
7. Thor (3D)  $439.8M
8. X-Men: First Class  $336M
9. Rango  $242.6M
10. The Green Hornet (3D)  $227.8M

With Transformers in its first week and an impressive list of movies still to come, this top 10 should look radically different at the end of the year. Call me crazy but with Harry Potter only a week away and Transformers: Dark of the Moon doing amazing business internationally, 2011 might just become the first ever to have 3 movies with over $1 billion worldwide.

Right now my money is on Transformers: Dark of the Moon finishing on top in North America while Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides should keep the number 1 spot worldwide with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 a close second.

Still to come with potential to finish in either of the lists above: Zookeeper, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Smurfs, Conan the Barbarian, Johnny English Reborn, Real Steel, The Rum Diary, Puss in Boots, Immortals, Happy Feet 2, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Hugo Cabret, New Year’s Eve, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn, War Horse.

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that The Green Hornet, starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz and Cameron Diaz, will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray on May 3rd.

The movie was originally filmed in 2D but is one of the best examples of a good 3D conversion, however a ‘meh’ box office ($225 million worldwide) and ‘meh’ reviews (45% on Rotten Tomatoes) suggest we won’t be seeing another Rogen/Chou outing any time soon.

The DVD special features include:

- Filmmakers Commentary
- Awesoom -Gag Reel
- Writing The Green Hornet featurette
- The Black Beauty: Rebirth of Cool featurette

Blu-ray special features include all the above and:

- The Green Hornet Cutting Room
- Deleted Scenes
- Trust Me Director Michel Gondry featurette
- The Stunt Family Armstrong featurette
- Finding Kato featurette
- The Art of Destruction featurette
- Jay Chou Audition (Easter Egg)
- Double Barrel (Easter Egg)

The 3D Blu-ray will include everything on the DVD and Blu-ray, plus “3D Animated Storyboard Comparisons”.

You can now pre-order The Green Hornet from Amazon via the links below:

- DVD
- Blu-ray
- Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD

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Black Swan hit the $100 million mark in North America yesterday but it never made it to number 1. Around the world on the other hand the Darren Aronofsky ballet thriller just took the lead last weekend, that and much more after the break.

$19.4 million in 34 markets is what Black Swan made for a now grand total of $72.6 million and over $172 million worldwide. At this point I expect Black Swan to not stop until it reaches $150 million internationally for a worldwide total of something like $260 million. Not even the most die hard Darren Aronofsky or ballet fans could have expected such an overwhelming worldwide reception for this fantastic movie.

The Green Hornet was 2nd with $18 million for a new total of $106.9 million and over $200 million worldwide. This superhero action flick took a big jump thanks to a very impressive Chinese debut.

Former champ Tangled is now 3rd and still going strong with $17.5 million for an international total of $310.1 million (wow) and a new worldwide total of $503.5 million (double wow). French hit comedy Rien a Declarer (Nothing to Declare) was 4th last weekend with $14.7 million for a total of $45.9 million, most of that coming from France.

The King’s Speech passed the $100 million mark ($106.1 million to be more exact)  in 5th place thanks to a $13.3 million take. By comparison 2006 released The Queen made $123.3 million worldwide, The King’s Speech dwarfs that with $201.5 million and still going strong, probably all the way to something like $260-$280 million.

Sanctum was up from a week ago with $12.1 million and now stands at $26.3 million. This is slowly expanding so we should see stable numbers in the following weeks, definitely performing better here then it is in North America.

Yogi Bear was 7th with $10.3 million and the more this makes the more scared I start to get thinking they might actually think about making a sequel, the horror. German Kokowaah made another $8.6 million for a total of $21.8 million while True Grit is finally starting to roll around the world, $8.4 million last weekend for $14.6 million so far.

Last but not least, Gulliver’s Travels grossed $7.8 million and is now at $148.7 million internationally and should finish with over $200 million worldwide when we take into account the weak (and well deserved for such a bad movie) North American take of only $41.9 million.

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After a very long streak of unimpressive animated flicks the house of mouse finally hit the jackpot with Tangled, a troubled production with a reported budget of $260 million. This is basically the first real hit Disney has had in the animated department (outside of Pixar) since Tarzan.

Tangled snatched another $23.7 million last weekend around the world, bringing itself to a new total of $285.1 million for $477 million worldwide (including the $192 million it has made in North America). With South Korea still left to go this is definitely finishing with a lot more then 500 million worldwide, doing what might have seemed impossible at first, doubling that crazy $260 million budget.

French comedy Rien a Declarer was 2nd with a very strong $22.6 million opening weekend. At first glance this might seem like something right out of left field, but it comes from the man behind Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis, the famous french comedy that made no less then $245 million worldwide almost 3 years ago and still is the highest grossing movie ever in France.

The Green Hornet grabbed 3rd while landing in 12 new countries bringing its the new total to $83.2 million thanks to the $16.1 million it made last weekend. In 4th The King’s Speech grossed $13.5 million for $86.8 million and a worldwide total of $172.4 million, in other words lots and lots of money for what could be a potential best picture winner in just a few more days.

The ballet thriller also known as Black Swan was 5th with $12.4 million for $47.3 million and $144.2 million worldwide.

Gulliver’s Travels keeps bringing in more money then it deserves, this time $10.1 million for a new $139.6 million total while german comedy (all we need now is a British comedy to have the complete picture) Kokowaah was 7th with $9.7 million mostly thanks to, you guessed it, a big opening in Germany.

Everything else is more of the same except new opener Sanctum that brought in $7.8 million, most of that coming from a $3.3 million debut in Russia.

All of this and more you can read here.

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There was this major sport event last weekend in North America, they call it a Super Bowl and it has to do with people running around a field, trying to get a hold of an oval ball. Anyway, we are here for box office and box office we will get, after the break.

The Roommate was number 1 on yet another slow weekend, $15 million and not much else to say. In second place Sanctum was weaker then expected at $9.4 million. The budget on this 3D flick is said to be somewhere around 30 million so in the long run it should be ok.

No Strings Attached has another strong week and is now at $52.8 million after bringing in $8 million. The King’s Speech made only $7.7 million, not bad but certainly less then what I thought it would do. This is now at $84.9 million and will pass the $100 million mark before the Oscars ceremony.

The Green Hornet grossed $5.9 million for a new total of $87.9 million in 26 days and that is about it in regard to the top 5. Will come back with a more in depth look at the international box office in a few hours.

Next week is Valentines Day, lots of new movies coming out so don’t go to far.

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R versus PG-13, 3D versus 2D and nothing is left on the sideline, all bets are off. Ok, dramatic start aside, get ready for another crappy weekend at the North America box office, more after the break.

Sanctum is a thriller coming in 2789 theaters, some of those being 3D. Now here’s the thing that makes Sanctum special, it is advertised as a 3D flick coming from James Cameron (3D + James Cameron = $$$, or at least that’s how studio math goes). Unfortunately this is only produced by the Canadian director that brought us movies like Terminator 1 and 2, Aliens, Titanic or Avatar. 3D and the name of JC will obviously help this but only just, I’m seeing 14 million for 1st place this weekend.

The Roommate is the other wide release of the week, coming in less theaters (2534) and with no 3D to artificially lift ticket prices, also a thriller and could be a very bad movie. Since I haven’t seen it yet, I can only assume the level of badness of this movie since today is Friday, the day it came out, yet there are still only 4 reviews (all rotten) out there on Rotten Tomatoes. I can only take that as a bad omen. About $10 million for 2nd or 3rd place, not really sure here because the following movie might upset the balance.

The King’s Speech, 2nd, 3rd place or maybe even 1st if Sanctum doesn’t deliver. This 12 times Oscar nominated motion picture should do about $10 million.

Coming in at 4th, No Strings Attached could have another good weekend with $9 million while The Green Hornet will be a strong 5th place with $7.5 million for a total that should look like $88 million in 3 days from now.

Next week I finally get something to work with, period action The Eagle, animated flick Gnomeo and Juliet, Adam Sandler romantic comedy Just Go With It and finally from Paramount the documentary called Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, ready to drop in a whopping 3000+ theaters.

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We got North America and then there’s the world and that world is big. Starting this week we’re going to also take a look at international box office, you asked for it (well one of you at least, a very long time ago) and now you got it, raw and uncut, more after the break.

Tangled, mostly thanks to a great UK opening of $8.1 million, took the number one spot last weekend with $17.3 million for a total of $254.3 million and $449.2 million worldwide (International plus North America).

The Green Hornet was a close 2nd with $15.4 million for little over $60 million so far and a grand total of $139.8 million worldwide. Unfortunately it will finish with only about $100 million or so Internationally, add to that another $110 in North America and a $210 million worldwide total is definitely a disappointment for a $120 million movie.

On the other end of the disappointment scale is Tron Legacy with $12 million and $196 million so far, $363 million worldwide on a $170 million budget and still not out of fuel. Black Swan is a surprising 4th place with $11.6 million for $28.9 million and when all is said and done this should finish way past the $100 million mark thanks to fantastic holds all over the world. This might just be the movie that makes ballet popular once again. Black Swan is slowly but surely turning into a worldwide phenomenon that will bring director Darren Aronofsky the attention he deserves.

The King’s Speech was 5th with $11.3 million and thus far it has banked $67.4 million, yet another magnificent movie that deserves every last cent made so far and more.

In 6th and 7th place Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter made $10.2 million for $42.3 million so far while Gulliver’s Travels with $9.4 million and $125.8 million is somewhat saved here after the awful performance pulled in North America (only $41 million).

Yogi Bear made $7.8 million and $34.7 million so far for a worldwide total of $127.4 million, definitely not the next Alvin and the Chipmunks. And now for the only non-US movie in the top 10, Gantz coming all the way from Japan (only) made it to 9th place with $7.3 million in just 3 days. IMDB is not very popular in Japan it seems but wikipedia will give you a lot more info on this anime inspired flick.

Finally in 10th place The Tourist with $6.6 million and $150.3 million so far. Foreign box office has definitely been the saving grace of this movie, now standing at $216.8 million worldwide on a $100 million budget.

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No surprises at the box office this past weekend where The Rite took the lead with a soft but still respectable $14.7 million. The problem is the top 12 movies combined only made $92.4 million compared to $128.1 million a year ago and $129.4 million 2 years ago. So what the hell happened, why such a bad weekend, one answer after the break.

Nothing really interesting for people to see, not enough reasons to spend their hard earned money on a movie ticket, that is the answer. We had a soft December full of disappointments and now January, even with decent hits like The Green Hornet and No Strings Attached can’t keep up. Fortunately 4 of the first 9 titles this weekend are nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars so we definitely don’t lack quality and if anything, those 4 movies are raising what would otherwise be an even worse weekend and overall January. The Fighter is in 9th place with $3.9 million and $78.5 million so far, Black Swan is 8th with $5.1 million and a $91.1 million total while True Grit is 6th with $7.5 million and $148.7 million after 41 days. Finally the last of the 4 is The King’s Speech at number 5 with $11 million (up 40.9% from last weekend) and $73.1 million after no less then 67 days (oldest movie in the top 10).

Now as mentioned above, The Rite was first with $14.7 million but somewhat surprising was No Strings Attached having a very small drop from a week ago, only -31.8% for $13.4 million, 2nd place and a total of $40.4 million in 11 days for this second Natalie Portman flick in the top 10 (Black Swan being the other).

Coming in 3rd place was The Mechanic, $11.4 million, a bit less then what I was expecting but still decent. The reported budget of $40 million for this movie seems a bit high so if true, I seriously doubt The Mechanic could eventually turn a profit from tickets sold at the box office.

Finally in 4th place we got The Green Hornet, $11.2 million for a good $79.1 million in 18 days. Will certainly pass the $100 million mark but won’t go a lot higher then that, maybe $110 million. Considering the $120 million budget, this might be the last we’ll see from The Green Hornet for a very long time, unfortunately.

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Sir Anthony Hopkins versus Jason Statham, now there’s something you don’t see every day. Basically a PG-13 supernatural thriller goes up against an R-rated old school action flick for the number 1 spot, more after the break.

The Rite coming in 2985 theaters might seem at first glance the best bet to win but here’s the problem, it ain’t a very good movie and the fact it has been done before (countless times and much much better) doesn’t help either. Anthony Hopkins alone brings something to the box office potential of this flick but name alone can’t carry a movie the way it once did, so you need more. Right now I’m going with $15 million for The Rite, just enough to slip past The Mechanic.

R-rated action movies can sometimes be tough sales but a recognizable face can go a long way and turn a flop into a success. The thing is you must have an action hero, a true action hero, someone as R as possible and that is exactly who Jason Statham is right now. He hasn’t done no romantic comedies or silly family movies, so that is always a plus for action buffs. Now I wish The Mechanic could upset the balance and come in at first place but chances are it won’t end up with more then $14 million during the weekend. But if it does beat The Rite, then I’m going to be a happy man reporting that as soon as possible.

3rd place will see No Strings Attached with $13 million for about $39 million after 10 days while The Green Hornet will be 4th with $11 million. Getting past the $100 million mark is now a sure thing (will probably take another 3 weeks or so).

The King’s Speech will bring another great performance for 5th place, $10 million and over $71 million at that point in time.

On a side note, 127 Hours finally goes wide into 916 theaters but unfortunately I don’t see it getting into the top 10. This is just one of those movies not really suitable for a wider audience, regardless of how great the movie actually is.

Next week we have thriller The Roommate and the James Cameron advertised (but he is only a producer) Sanctum in 3D, what will it be?

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