Why, audiences, why? Saw IV wins the weekend.

Just when I think American audiences are getting smarter, they go ahead and feed the pockets of Lionsgate by shelling out over $14 million in ticket sales on Friday alone to see Saw IV. If this franchise is ever going to die, it's not going to be anytime soon, as Saw IV will make around $33 million for the weekend, the best opening of the Saw movies thus far.

I'm not surprised that Saw IV won the weekend. With only Dan in Real Life, an indie comedy-drama starring Steve Carrell, opening as competition, it was clear Saw IV would win handily. Still, I was hoping for a $25 million opening and a slow decline that would eventually force the Saw franchise onto a direct-to-DVD release pattern so that I would never have to write about it again.

Damn.

That's all I have to say.

Friday Box Office Numbers: Resident Evil wins, of course

Resident Evil will easily win the weekend as it took in $8.8 million on Friday; Good Luck Chuck came in second with $4.4 million; Eastern Promises, unfortunately, made only $1.9, though for a David Cronenberg film I guess it could be worse...

Thankfully, Sydney White earned only $1.75 million. Here's the full list, courtesy of Box Office Psychics:

1. Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) – $8.8M
2. Good Luck Chuck (Lionsgate) - $4.4M
3. The Brave One (Warner Bros) – $2.3M
4. Eastern Promises (Focus Features) – $1.9M
5. 3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate) - $1.8M
6. Sydney White (Universal) - $1.75M
7. Mr. Woodcock (New Line) – $1.45M
8. Superbad (Sony) - $850,000
9. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal) - $810,000
10. Across the Universe (Universal) - $570,000
*In the Valley of Elah (Warner Independent) - $270,000
*The Hunting Party (MGM/Weinstein) - $166,000

Weekend box office: Superbad makes $31 million

Superbad made $31 million over the weekend to claim the number one spot, and is anyone really surprised? Sure, the movie has no big stars and a title asking for negative reviews, but after Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen delivered Knocked Up earlier in the year to great success and stunning reviews, this one had success written all over it. After all, both are behind Superbad to some degree or another (Rogen wrote the movie and Apatow produced - and Rogen also has a supporting role).

Superbad cements the crew as the new "It" factor in comedy, as once again the movie has a miniscule budget, little-known actors and a sharp, critically popular screenplay.

Then there's The Invasion, which has a near A-list pedigree of Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig... the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers opened with such little marketing and horrid reviews that the sci-fi flick only managed to garner $6 million in the bank. Yes, another disaster for Kidman.

The Last Legion opened to 2,000 theaters but finished outside the Top Ten with less than $3 million. Since the movie looked like a tiny step up from a Uwe Boll film, this doesn't shock me in the least.

The Bourne Ultimatum makes $70 million at the box office

Defying box office expectations, even after Friday's box office take, The Bourne Ultimatum earned $70.2 over the weekend, based on box office estimates.

The well-reviewed movie stars Matt Damon and returns Paul Greengrass to the director's seat, and the results are impressive. You can see the movie review farther down on this blog, or at Movie-Source.com.

And so what's the big deal about $70.2 million? Well, it beats out Rush Hour 2 to become the biggest August opening ever. It continues to mark Jason Bourne as one of the most lucrative franchises out there. It's Matt Damon's second $100-million earner of the summer (after Ocean's 13). And the opening is much larger than James Bonds' Casino Royale's opening last year.

The Simpsons drops 73% from last weekend

All you Simpsons lovers out there might be disappointed to learn that The Simpsons Movie, which opened to an extraordinary $72 million last weekend, proved to be completely front-loaded as it appears as all the fans who turned out last week decided to move on to better things this week.

The Simpsons Movie took in only $7.9 million on Friday, based on figures from Box Office Prophets, which means that the film will end up with around $25 million over the weekend.

To $7.9 million from $30 million the week before, that's almost 73% of business washed away. Execs at Fox should still be happy with the overall performance of the movie, but I'm sure they were hoping for slightly better legs for this picture.

Yes, Homer, drink another bottle.

You can read my The Simpsons movie review here.

The Bourne Ultimatum to make $65 million over the weekend

Despite movies such as Transformers, Spider-Man 3, Die Hard 4, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Pirates of the Carribean 3 (not that I was anticipating that one at all) and even The Simpsons Movie, my most anticipated movie of the summer has always been - perhaps just barely - The Bourne Ultimatum.

Why? The Bourne Identity was a good movie. Not great, and definitely not perfect, but good, and it gets better with repeat viewing. The Bourne Supremacy, directed by Paul Greengrass, was a whole another story. The action movie starring Matt Damon was gritty, fast-paced and unbelievably suspenseful, and ranks among the top of my favorite action movies of all time.

Needless to say, with Paul Greengrass returning, I expect more of the same. It is noon on Saturday and I yet to go see this film, but it is receiving rave reviews and, according to Friday box office figures, getting lots of sold out theaters.

According to Box Office Prophets, a source I rather trust for box office analysis, The Bourne Ultimatum earned $23.7 million on Friday alone, which means it should come in at a minimum of $65 million (I am going to guess something a little closer to $70). That's not too shabby, especially considering Identity opened to "only" $27.1 million and Supremacy to $18.4 on Friday alone (I don't have the full weekend numbers before me and am too lazy to look).

Also remember that Casino Royale "only" opened to $40 million, which means Jason Bourne is kicking some British James Bond ass.

Other movies of the weekend include Underdog, which opened to $4.1 on Friday, Hot Rod, which only managed to earn $2 million on Friday, and Bratz, which an unfortunately high $1.7 (I was hoping audiences would steal money from movie theaters to give it a negative return).

Harry Potter box office: The Order of the Phoenix makes $140 million

At first glance, the $77 million that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix would seem unimpressive for a franchise that expects much more, but, then again, this is the first Harry Potter movie that opened on a Wednesday. And since Wednesday, Harry Potter's 5-day total is a scorching $140 million, not too shabby for a franchise film that is easily the worst film of the series.

The reception of the film may hurt it a bit in the long run, but the first week is full of newbies who are willing to ignore reviews (and it's not that reviews were bad, just not as good) to see the latest Harry Potter movie. Even in the weeks to come, most Harry Potter fans will go see this movie again - I thought it sucked compared to the other movies, but still plan on catching it for a second time.

In other box office news, Transformers dropped a respectable 46% to $36 million, bringing its total to $222 million. Compared to other big blockbusters like Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, this is a very good sign, but it's no surprise - Transformers was embraced by critics and fans alike much more than either of those other two films.

Captivity, the only movie brave enough (or stupid enough) to open against Harry Potter, opened in twelfth place with $1.5 million. No surprise here, really.

Please take the time to let me know what you thought of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: take this InstantSurvey now!

Transformers: Nice box office strategy

Transformers, after starting off the week great, delivered a 1-2 punch over the weekend, raking in an additional $67 million in the United States and skyrocketing its first week take to $152 million, according to box office estimates.

Even though other films have made more money quicker - namely Spider-Man 3 - the studio can now market Transformers as making $150 million in its first week of release, a claim few movies can do. The Monday night launch of the franchise (just because it's one film doesn't make it a franchise) was an odd one, but with July 4th on a Wednesday, it was a great strategy. You get the fan boy blitz on Monday night, another fan boy surge on Tuesday, and then a holiday the following day where you get a mix of those fans who didn't quite make it to the theater in time, and regular moviegoers looking for some action. After that, you're left with Thursday and Friday, days that many people across the country took off to form a five-day weekend.

Basically, Transformers played it risky and won big by capitalizing on mid-week days that played out more like weekends.

Transformers makes $29.5 million on Tuesday

Transformers, which made $8.8 million on Monday, opened officially on Tuesday with a box office take of $29.5 million - not too bad at all for a 24 hour period in the middle of the week. That puts the film at $38 million+ for the first 28 hours of the movie's release.

By the way, is Megan Fox hot or what? As the co-star in Transformers, she is definitely the best of the visual effects in the movie, even though the robots look pretty damn cool. Starts off looking a bit trashy, but the dirtier she gets (and I mean literally), the sexier she gets.

Transformers makes $8.8 million on Monday

Transformers, the movie some expect to be the biggest of the summer (my cards are still on the table for that one), is out in theaters, steamrolling with pretty good movie reviews all around and earned an impressive $8.8 million on Monday alone - and I believe it started showing at 8pm. I'm no box office expert, but this sounds like a pretty good take.

The real question will be how Transformers performs for the rest of the week. Tuesday's numbers should be coming in soon, and that number is expected to be much higher since that is its official start date, and of course Fourth of July (today) is another big day where no one works and everyone parties (or goes and sits inside on a beautiful day).

Spider-Man 3 makes $148 million over the weekend

The Spider-Man franchise has reclaimed the box office throne from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, as Spider-Man 3 raked in $148 million since Thursday at midnight, the biggest opening ever, based on Sunday's estimates.

Up until laster year, the original Spider-Man had owned the three-day box office record of $114 million, only to be crushed by Pirates' $135.6 million opening. It's a fitting coup, as Dead Man's Chest really wasn't that good and didn't deserve the $135.6 million it made - of course, Spider-Man 3 ain't no Cinderella either, as it lacks the entertainment value of the previous two movies.

Still, is anyone really that surprised that Spider-Man 3 took back the throne, and does anyone expect Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End to do better in a few weeks? I highly doubt it, but crazier things have happened.

If you're wondering, the rest of the box office this weekend was scary, as Disturbia, the second place film, only made $5.7 million, which means that the rest were even worse. The only other new entry this weekend, Lucky You, saw its counter programming fail, as it came in sixth with only $2.5 million. Ha ha, I knew that one was going to tank!

Friday Box Office Analysis - Grindhouse doesn't grind

Grindhouse defied box office analysts this weekend and will earn a less than expected $13.0 million for the weekend, according to Friday box office numbers. It's a real shame, because Grindhouse looks amazing and looks to be more "original" than most stuff padding the top of the box office right now. Blades of Glory continues to shine, while Meet the Robinsons also performs strongly. Unfortunately, Are We Done Yet?, the lame sequel to Are We There Yet? (that was the title of that Ice Cube stinker, right>), made more than Grindhouse.

While box office analysts were not overly surprised, I was little started to see The Reaping way down in #5. Perhaps the shine has completely come off horror movies, but The Reaping, starring critical darling Hilary Swank, looked to at least be entertaining. Marketing was strong and all over the place - I expected this one to be a top contender.

The only good news of the weekend is that Firehouse Dog, the lame PG-rated dog movie, will make less than $5 million.

Estimates, based on Friday box office numbers from BoxOfficeProphets.com, are (in millions):

1. Blades of Glory ($26.1)
2. Meet the Robinsons ($22.8)
3. Are We Done Yet? ($16.4)
4. Grindhouse ($13.0
5. The Reaping ($10.1)
6. 300 ($9.2)
7. Wild Hogs ($7.2)
8. TMNT ($6.6)
9. Shooter ($6.1)
10. Firehouse Dog ($4.5)

Friday Box Office Analysis - Blades of Glory

Will Ferrell's Blades of Glory earned $12 million on Friday, guaranteeing it a top spot, while Meet the Robinsons also performed quite well. TMNT dropped a staggering 71% from last Friday. Did The Lookout not get released wide? It's not in the top ten...

Estimated cash earned over the weekend, in millions, based on Friday figures*:

1.Blades of Glory $34.2
2. Meet the Robinsons $27.1
3. 300 $11.1
4. Wild Hogs $8.4
5. Shooter $8.3
6. TMNT $7.7
7. Premonition $5.0
8. Reign Over Me $3.9
9. The Last Mimzy $3.8
10. The Hills Have Eyes II $3.7

*Source: Box Office Prophets

Friday Box Office Analysis - 300 Makes a Lot

300 exceeded expecations with an estimated $27.6 million on Friday alone (including midnight showings), according to Box Office Prophets. Due to the type of film, it is most likely front-loaded, still, that's an explosive opening, especially for March. Wild Hogs also did amazingly well, dropping only 30% from last week.

Here are the numbers (for Friday, March 9, 2007):

1. 300 ($69.0)
2. Wild Hogs ($26.6)
3. Bridge to Terabithia ($7.5)
4. Zodiac ($7.1)
5. Ghost Rider ($7.2)
6. The Number 23 ($4.2)
7. Norbit ($4.2)
8. Music and Lyrics ($3.9)
9. Breach ($2.6)
10. Amazing Grace ($2.5)