BOX OFFICE: LOOPER Exceeds Expectations With $21.2M; Opens At #1 In China

Rian Johnson's Looper opened bigger than expected this weekend, sailing past the $19M/$20M estimates. Meanwhile, a strong opening in China may make it the first US film to EVER open there with a higher debut than in the states. Read on for details!

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By Josh Wilding - 9/30/2012

After the disappointing performance of DREDD last weekend (which now sits at #12 with a measly total of $2.2 million), it's good to know that audiences do actually still have a taste for high quality and intelligent filmmaking. After predictions of between $19 million and $20 million (still a very good opening for an R-Rated film), Looper has exceeded expectations. Earning a 'B' Cinemascore from moviegoers, it made $21.2 million in total for the weekend. However, the biggest surprise is in China, where the Rian Johnson helmed time travel adventure has taken the top spot with an estimated $24 million.

Sony/TriStar Pictures, FilmDistrict, and Endgame Entertainment co-produced the film with China’s DMG Entertainment and it looks set to become the first opening of there which actually outgrosses that of North America. Endgame's James Stern tells Deadline, "While we don’t have the final box office tally’s because of the Chinese National Holiday, it looks as if we are #1 in that market and at least on par if not exceeding the U.S. box office, marking the very first time in history that China would be world’s leading market for an international film. A big congratulations to my partner Dan Mintz and his team at DMG are in order." Read my 4* review of Looper by clicking HERE.





In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a "looper" – a hired gun, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to "close the loop," sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. The film is written and directed by Rian Johnson and also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, and Jeff Daniels. Ram Bergman and James D. Stern produce.


STARRING:

Bruce Willis as Joseph Simmons
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joseph Simmons
Emily Blunt as Sara
Paul Dano as Seth
Noah Segan as Kid Blue
Jeff Daniels as Jack Mitchell
Piper Perabo as Suzie
Garret Dillahunt as Jesse

RELEASE DATE: Out Now!


Source: Deadline
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29 Comments
TheSkywalkingKnight - 9/30/2012, 9:21 AM
[frick] Yeah!
TheBigBoss917 - 9/30/2012, 9:28 AM
Hell yes, deserves it
LesJoliesChoses - 9/30/2012, 9:29 AM
Good I'm glad. Too bad in the U.S. it didn't beat that crap adam sandler vampire movie.
JonathaNisMagnuM - 9/30/2012, 9:33 AM
Congrats to Looper & JGL...The guy busts ass, 3 movies in 1 yr is a tough schedule, but the guy seems to enjoy what he's doin. Good stuff!
teabag - 9/30/2012, 9:39 AM
Didnt see that coming

forgifs.com

:P
TheDetectiveComicRises - 9/30/2012, 9:41 AM
I must see it! Good looking cast Bruce in it & JLG is doing well in his career enjoyed him in TDKR!
jimpinto24 - 9/30/2012, 9:41 AM
Congrats to Looper! It was a pretty damn good film!
Mystery - 9/30/2012, 9:43 AM
definitely deserves the numbers, was a hell of a movie!
Scabsallover - 9/30/2012, 9:46 AM
Didn't see Hotel Transylvania but its supposed to be decent. Don't knock the kids movies, when you have kids, you'll have to take them to the HTs when what you really want to see are the Loopers.

Looper was cool. I thought the ENTIRE TK subplot was highly unnecessary, and only needed for the purpose of serving catalyst to special effects (which by the way, how CHEESY did it look when they were floating in the field???). Besides that, I liked that the whole movie the timeline worked like "Back to the Future", until a paradox formed suddenly shifted the timeline into "Terminator" behavior.


LOOPER.
FennecPilot - 9/30/2012, 9:51 AM
@LesJoliesChoses -

I agree. But then again, checkers always did outsell chess.....
nucleargroundhog - 9/30/2012, 10:07 AM
Just seen looper, definitely deserves to make more. Brilliant film.

But completely missed Dredd, which sucks, cause it's not on anywhere near me.
enggarb - 9/30/2012, 10:14 AM
Although Looper had promoted on comic con n its sci fi...Looper is not CBM. Why its on CBM.com ??? i don't get it..
NickKaseAKAthePieEATERxGETIT - 9/30/2012, 10:15 AM
So whats Dredd at now like 7 mil lol ... Shame i loved that movie
thewonderer - 9/30/2012, 10:34 AM
LOVED Looper

Next to TDKR, BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR.

Very well thought out and loved the future Joe past montage. Would've liked to have seen more fleshing out of older Joe, as his motivations aren't entirely explained. Also, would've loved to see the rainmaker as an adult but guess not.

JGL is getting huge
tonytony - 9/30/2012, 10:53 AM
Saw Looper yesterday, awesome movie, really intelligent, my Girl Friend was wondering if it was by Nolan, because it was in a similar vein to his movies. JGL kicked ass in it too he is fast becoming one of my fav actors, i thought he was great in inception, TDKR and now this too.
thewonderer - 9/30/2012, 10:57 AM
@Elguson

Yeah and Avengers is third so it must be even shittier
gaikinger - 9/30/2012, 11:01 AM
....now go see Dredd
bfprimetime - 9/30/2012, 11:01 AM
Robin does it again

DioFoRio - 9/30/2012, 11:02 AM
I thought Roopel was number one in China right now.
PartialSoul - 9/30/2012, 11:09 AM
Saw Looper yesterday. Really good film.
DioFoRio - 9/30/2012, 11:12 AM
saw Dredd yesterday and when the hype dies down for Looper , go see it too.
DioFoRio - 9/30/2012, 11:14 AM
man slow news weekend ...Maybe some retard user can make another box office predictions article for movies coming out in 2027?
AmericanPsychoWolf - 9/30/2012, 11:18 AM
@ELgUaSoN You moron, you started something.

Looper was pretty awesome, they did a cool job on JGL makeup.
GoILL - 9/30/2012, 11:29 AM
People talking shit about movies that aren't even mentioned in this article...[frick]ing sad.
AmericanPsychoWolf - 9/30/2012, 11:34 AM
For some reason, I would had replace Willis with Heath Leger(If he was still alive) since he and JGl look so much alike. All it would take is a little makeup on Heath to look old and bam!
darkmetal - 9/30/2012, 11:48 AM
It is very likely that Piracy is knocking down US box office numbers more than ever.
Usually a film does around 50% or more of its take in the US.
This summer movies like Spider-Man underperformed in the US while taking off over seas.
There are other numbers that also indicate this as well.
vermillion - 9/30/2012, 12:01 PM
The movie wasn't that great to me. Had a pretty good ending and the acting was great, but just expected more to it I guess.

thewonderer - 9/30/2012, 3:26 PM
Honestly, base Looper off your own merits and don't critique just because you take offense from my opinions
FOOM - 9/30/2012, 4:51 PM
Nothing about this film makes me want to go see it. Especially the fact that is it not a CBM.

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