May 16 Weekend Estimates

Weekend Estimates May 16 Rank Movie TW % chg Total 1 Star Trek Into Darkness $960,000 $1,256,000 2 Iron Man 3 $910,000 -28.0% $13,175,000 3 The Great Gatsby $540,000 $540,000 4 The Call $200,000 +38.9% $424,000 5 Pee Mak Phra Khanong $190,000 $209,000

It wasn't the coming out party that Star Trek 2 wanted but it did pretty good. It stormed in on Iron Man 3 territory and came out victorious in a very close battle. Star Trek 2 came in with $296,000 worth of previews and above average WOM last week but it didn't go full speed with Iron Man 3 holding a tight grip on IMAX and regular theaters. Comparing it to the first Star Trek, it outperformed Star Trek's OW by 177% and nearly outgrossed its total in 4 days. Its estimated opening weekend (including sneaks) would represent 98% of Star Trek's total. Its performance is commendable although with last week's huge sneaks, it should have done slightly better considering it had a holiday on Friday to boost numbers. It won 3/4 days this weekend with the exception of the Friday holiday. WOM remains strong at Iron Man 3 levels, 85-90% range, and there has been no noticeable erosion into Saturday or Sunday. Though Fast 6 opens on Wednesday night, this will reach 2m and should come close to 2.5m overall.

Iron Man 3 wasn't about to let another blockbuster film halt its domination. Instead, it used the holiday to keep pace with Star Trek 2 this weekend. It managed to win the holiday but it lost on the other 3 crucial days leaving it in 2nd place. On a happier note, it killed two birds with one stone by passing The Avengers on Friday and $100m HK this weekend. It stands at #3 all-time on both lists and will soon overtake Titanic in HKD. In USD, Titanic is unlikely to be caught by Iron Man 3 despite its great hold this weekend. Next weekend, Iron Man 3 will be affected by the loss of the holiday and Fast 6, which is quickly becoming a huge hit in HK. Iron Man 3 will finish around 14m, an eye-popping sum for a franchise whose best film only took in $3.76m just 3 years ago.

The Great Gatsby had buzz heading into its opening weekend but general audiences did not really care for the period drama. What did not help it was mixed reviews. While blockbusters and action movies are usually immune to critic reviews, dramas such as The Great Gatsby rely heavily on them. As such, it was left by itself in 3rd place, far from the 2 action movies on top but away from the weaker films below. WOM in HK seems to be good but this will not rope skeptics in. Looking at the upcoming schedule, there is not going to be any films targeting The Great Gatsby's main demographic but interest is low. This should finish with about 1.4m and be Baz Luhrmann's biggest directorial film ever in HK.

Fueled by out of this world WOM, The Call was heard by more people this week. The Friday holiday really highlighted how much WOM has gotten out about this movie with a huge 127% jump from its opening Friday. Its biggest day in its run will be the holiday and it has already passed a 3 multiplier in 2 short weeks. Not bad for a bland opening weekend. It could get to $700,000 before leaving. WOM hits tend to stay a few more weeks than normal so Fast 6 should not affect its box office intake too much.

Thai horror Pee Mak Phra Khanong scared it up this weekend into the top 5. Thai horror movies are becoming more popular in HK and there's been quite a few Thai horrors out in the past few years like 407 Dark Flight, I Miss You and Laddaland. It had special previews last week and this week provided quite a surprise. Typically, films make their most on a holiday but this stood out for a different reason. Its biggest day was on Saturday, a day after the holiday. While everyone else slid, Pee Mak Phra Khanong was the only film to increase from the holiday in the top 5. It has begun to gain on The Call and WOM sits at a outstanding 91% from users. Although Thai horror movies die out after opening weekend, this could get to $500,000 if WOM spreads.