Summer Cinema: Hits & Misses

With summer behind us, we take a last look at what excited audiences (both mainstream and art-house) and what kept them away in droves.

Top Moneymaking Films

1. The Avengers – $621 million
2. The Dark Knight Rises – $437 million
3. The Amazing Spider-Man – $260 million
4. Brave – $233 million
5. Ted – $216 million
6. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted – $215 million
7. Men in Black 3 – $179 million
8. Ice Age: Continental Drift – $157 million
9. Snow White and the Huntsman – $155 million
10. Prometheus – $126 million
11. Magic Mike – $113 million
12. The Bourne Legacy – $103 million

Top Moneymaking Art-House Films

1. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – $46 million
2. Moonrise Kingdom – $44 million
3. To Rome with Love – $16 million
4. Beasts of the Southern Wild – $10 million
5. The Intouchables – $8 million

Biggest Money Losers

1. Battleship (cost: $209 million; gross: $65 million = $144 million loss)
2. Dark Shadows (cost: $150 million; gross: $79 million = $71 million loss)
3. Total Recall (cost: $125 million; gross: $57 million = $68 million loss)
4. Men in Black 3 (cost: $225 million; gross: $179 million = $46 million loss)
5. Rock of Ages (cost: $75 million; gross: $38 million = $37 million loss)
6. The Watch (cost: $68 million; gross: $33 million = $35 million loss)
7. That’s My Boy (cost: $70 million; gross: $36 million = $34 million loss)
8. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (cost: $69 million; gross: $37 million = $32 million loss)

(Domestic grosses only. Through Sept. 9. Sources: Box Office Mojo & IMDb.)

This article appears in Sep 5-11, 2012.