Box office report: 'Think Like a Man' halts the 'Hunger Games' train with $33 mil

Box office report: 'Think Like a Man' halts the 'Hunger Games' train with $33 mil

It easily won the weekend by beating The Lucky One resoundingly, $33M-$23M, despite the fact that The Lucky One was in 50% more theaters. TLAM's $33M opening in only 2000 theaters was a total shocker. Many thought The Lucky One would win the weekend, and even those who called it correctly for Think Like a Man were unable to anticipate the film's box office muscle. It took in nearly twice as much as expected, and its average of $16,400 per screen was more than double that of the nearest contenders.

Whether the film itself is good or not (I haven't seen it, and the critics were divided), I stand in awe of its business plan. The marketing strategy was brilliant, and the entire project is an absolute model of financial success, since the high grosses were produced by low costs. The film's production budget was a modest $12 million.

SIDEBAR:

Oddly enough, all three of the new films this week attracted predominantly female audiences, and the top carry-over (Hunger Games) is also strong with the young female demographic. Are young males losing their grip on the box office accelerator?