CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER makes biggest debut of 2014!

31 Mar 2014

SINGAPORE - Steve Rogers and gang take command of the no. 1 spot as the various versions of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (3D, D-BOX, Dolby Atmos, etc but surprisingly no IMAX version) storm the chart.

It's the first blockbuster release of the year to open on more than a 100 screens (102), grossing US$2,399,271 with a mighty US$23,522 screen average. This easily makes it the biggest debut of 2014 and the 5th biggest film of the year to date. THE WINTER SOLDIER also scores the third highest screen average debut of the year behind FROM MACAU TO VEGAS 賭城風雲 (US$25,743) and ROBOCOP (US$23,816).

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER opened with US$1,691,249 from 77 screens back in July 2011. That film finished with US$3,556,772 - a sum that THE WINTER SOLDIER is likely to overtake. Regardless, THE WINTER SOLDIER does open weaker than THOR: THE DARK WORLD, which started with US$2,858,414 from 97 screens last November, and G.I. JOE: RETALIATION, which grossed a mightier US$30,241 screen average from 78 screens for a US$2,428,150 debut (including sneaks) on the exact same frame a year ago. Both THE DARK WORLD and RETALIATION of course had the additional boost from IMAX 3D ticket sales.

Other debuts include the edited PG13 version of Thai horror PROJECT HASHIMA (US$44,585/7 screens), the critically acclaim Indian romance THE LUNCHBOX (a hearty US$16,017 from 2 screens), Chinese romance BEIJING LOVE STORY 北京爱情故事 (US$6,141/5 screens) and Japanese anime TIGER & BUNNY: THE RISING (US$4,885/7 screens).

Also showing strong legs is Wes Anderson's comedy THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - which climbs from no. 6 to no. 3 in its second weekend on the chart. Films ascending the chart is a rarity as most films usually descend in their subsequent weeks. Its total gross now stands at US$274,682.

Meanwhile, DIVERGENT crosses the US$1m mark this weekend with a total gross of US$1,558,774 to date. 13 films have already grossed more than US$1m this year.

Overall, US$3,241,671 worth of tickets were sold, making it the second best performing weekend this year to date. It's up 39.3% from the last weekend, but down 8.85% from the same frame a year ago when G.I. JOE: RETALIATION debut at no. 1.

Source: Box Office Mojo