Labor Day Weekend Box Office: 'Apollo 18' Flops
Over the 4-day holiday weekend, the new scientific thriller “Apollo 18” has disappointing box office earnings. Projected to rake in $15 million, the film only earned $10.7 million.
“Apollo 18” portrays the story of a U.S. space mission and contains no major actors. The audience over the weekend viewing the Weinstein Co. film was 57 percent male, of which, 56 percent were under the age of 25.
Film –goers graded the film with a D.
Traditionally one of the slowest weekends of the year for the movie industry, box office earnings for the new movie “The Debt” also suffered. The Holocaust action drama grossed $12.6 million, which was better than industry predictions, but fell short of reaching $15 million since its release Wednesday.
The film, starring Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain, received the best reviews out of all of this weekend’s film premieres. “The Debt” was graded B, according to CinemaScore.
“Shark Night 3-D” earned $10.3 million over the weekend, and had the benefit of 3-D ticket fees. Detailing the experience of vacationers attacked by a shark, audiences gave the thriller a C, according to the Los Angeles Times. The movie attracted more females than males, with the audience being 52 percent female.
“The Help” remained the number one box office earner for the third week in a row over the Labor Day weekend. Since its premiere nearly four weeks ago, the Kathryn Stockett novel-made-movie has earned a hefty $123.4 million.
Ticket sales for the movie, which boasts a star-studded cast including Emma Stone and Viola Davis, have steadily brought in the same impressive amount of money when considering how long it has been in theaters. According to an estimate from Walt Disney Studios, "The Help" sold $19 million domestically over this weekend alone.
“The Smurfs” reached the $400 million mark in earnings over Labor Day, due in part to the success of the film in foreign-markets, including countries France and the United Arab Emirates.
