End-of-Run Report: 'Blind Side,' 'Crazy Heart,' 'Runaways' Close
The Blind Side and Crazy Heart, which produced this year's Oscar winners for Best Actor and Best Actress, ended their lengthy box office engagements this Thursday, June 4. Music biopic The Runaways also came to a close, finishing up one of the more disappointing performances of 2010.
After 196 days, The Blind Side finally completed its incredible run with just under $256 million, which was good for eighth place at the box office in 2009. The movie opened to $34.1 million on the weekend of Nov. 20, though it was dwarfed at the time by The Twilight Saga: New Moon's $142.8 million debut. Its inspiring true story stirred up impressive word-of-mouth, though, and it actually improved in its second weekend before reaching the number one spot in its third weekend. In its fifth weekend, The Blind Side passed The Waterboy ($161.5 million) to become the highest-grossing sports movie of all-time, though the first four Rocky movies all still rank higher in estimated attendance.
The Blind Side also shot past The Proposal ($164 million) to become Sandra Bullock's highest-grossing movie, and it is also her most attended movie, ahead of Speed. Ms. Bullock went on to win her first Oscar, taking the Best Actress trophy for her role as Leigh Anne Twohy. The Blind Side received a Best Picture nomination as well, due at least in part to the expanded field. While it has just wrapped up its theatrical run now, The Blind Side has been available on DVD and Blu-ray since Mar. 23.
Crazy Heart wasn't anywhere in the same league as The Blind Side, though it was mildly successful in its own right, earning $39.5 million in 170 days. Opening Dec. 16 at four theaters, Crazy Heart played in limited release for its first seven weeks before expanding nationwide on Feb. 5. That weekend, the movie placed eighth with $3.6 million and proceeded to hold well from then on. At the Oscars, Crazy Heart won Best Original Song and Best Actor, providing five-time nominee Jeff Bridges with his first trophy. Crazy Heart is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.
If The Runaways was a test of Twilight star Kristen Stewart's drawing power outside of the franchise, she did not pass. The music drama opened in limited release on Mar. 19, grossing just $805,115 at 244 locations despite a lot of fanfare. This weak start combined with subsequent drop-offs led distributor Apparition to back off its plans to go nationwide on April 9, and the movie closed after 77 days with just $3.57 million. Fans might argue that The Runaways was never given a chance, but there have been eight other limited-only releases this year that have made more so far. There just never was much interest in The Runaways, and there often isn't for music dramas about little-known bands. As is the case with nearly all actors (including Robert Pattinson), people don't indiscriminately show up in large numbers to just anything Stewart does.
Opening Weekend Reports
• The Blind Side
• Crazy Heart
• The Runaways
Previous End-of-Run Reports
• Party's Over for 'Valentine's Day,' 'Green Zone' Evacuated
• Case Closed on 'Sherlock Holmes'
• 'Up in the Air,' 'When in Rome' Grounded
• 'Edge' Goes Dark, 'Mr. Fox' Stopped
• 'New Moon' Sets, 'Wolfman' Leashed
Related Charts
• 2009 Grosses
• 2010 Grosses
After 196 days, The Blind Side finally completed its incredible run with just under $256 million, which was good for eighth place at the box office in 2009. The movie opened to $34.1 million on the weekend of Nov. 20, though it was dwarfed at the time by The Twilight Saga: New Moon's $142.8 million debut. Its inspiring true story stirred up impressive word-of-mouth, though, and it actually improved in its second weekend before reaching the number one spot in its third weekend. In its fifth weekend, The Blind Side passed The Waterboy ($161.5 million) to become the highest-grossing sports movie of all-time, though the first four Rocky movies all still rank higher in estimated attendance.
The Blind Side also shot past The Proposal ($164 million) to become Sandra Bullock's highest-grossing movie, and it is also her most attended movie, ahead of Speed. Ms. Bullock went on to win her first Oscar, taking the Best Actress trophy for her role as Leigh Anne Twohy. The Blind Side received a Best Picture nomination as well, due at least in part to the expanded field. While it has just wrapped up its theatrical run now, The Blind Side has been available on DVD and Blu-ray since Mar. 23.
Crazy Heart wasn't anywhere in the same league as The Blind Side, though it was mildly successful in its own right, earning $39.5 million in 170 days. Opening Dec. 16 at four theaters, Crazy Heart played in limited release for its first seven weeks before expanding nationwide on Feb. 5. That weekend, the movie placed eighth with $3.6 million and proceeded to hold well from then on. At the Oscars, Crazy Heart won Best Original Song and Best Actor, providing five-time nominee Jeff Bridges with his first trophy. Crazy Heart is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.
If The Runaways was a test of Twilight star Kristen Stewart's drawing power outside of the franchise, she did not pass. The music drama opened in limited release on Mar. 19, grossing just $805,115 at 244 locations despite a lot of fanfare. This weak start combined with subsequent drop-offs led distributor Apparition to back off its plans to go nationwide on April 9, and the movie closed after 77 days with just $3.57 million. Fans might argue that The Runaways was never given a chance, but there have been eight other limited-only releases this year that have made more so far. There just never was much interest in The Runaways, and there often isn't for music dramas about little-known bands. As is the case with nearly all actors (including Robert Pattinson), people don't indiscriminately show up in large numbers to just anything Stewart does.
Opening Weekend Reports
• The Blind Side
• Crazy Heart
• The Runaways
Previous End-of-Run Reports
• Party's Over for 'Valentine's Day,' 'Green Zone' Evacuated
• Case Closed on 'Sherlock Holmes'
• 'Up in the Air,' 'When in Rome' Grounded
• 'Edge' Goes Dark, 'Mr. Fox' Stopped
• 'New Moon' Sets, 'Wolfman' Leashed
Related Charts
• 2009 Grosses
• 2010 Grosses
