Box office up significantly this season

'The Vow'Thanks only to seven more wide releases inside the initial few several days of year, domestic box office expires an effective 21% over 2011. The $1.57 billion total is great news at any time when bizzers are involved about changing audience behavior. Nevertheless the upturn still wasn't enough to 1-up record-breaking results in early 2009 and 2010. In addition, only one film this year makes greater than $100 million. Up to now, it's the quantity of releases responsible for the uptick instead of the typical gross per film. Sony's "The Vow" might be the only real title getting a domestic cume more than $100 million, though Universal's "Safe House" should make that happen milestone now. By this time around for this year, Stateside totals showed up at $1.59 billion, fueled usually by "Avatar's" $354 million inside the initial few several days. Last Season, the B.O. raked in $1.6 billion using the a week ago in February using three $100 million-plus grossers. B.O. totals are calculated beginning the initial Monday within the month of the month of january. However, many lower-allotted films have given tidy benefits, including Fox's "Chronicle," getting a Stateside cume of $58 million, and Paramount's "The Demon Inside," with only north of $53 million in your area. So far, 26 films have bowed country wide, compared to 19 this season. Art galleries aren't any more wholly responsible for filling the commercial pipeline: Relativity Media, CBS Films as well as the market's latest player, Open Road Films, are starting to help ease numerous that pressure. Really, the weekend of Jan. 27 -- assigned by Open Road's first domestic win for "The Grey" -- did not have only one studio wide release. A week ago, Universal's "Wanderlust" was the lone studio entry of four country wide openers. Plus there's 3d. The format saw an unpredicted revival taken when "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" acquired 74% of the opening from 3d. This can be a significant step-up from last year's "Cars 2," which acquired 40% from 3d, and "Puss in Boots," at 51%. Sony's recent 3d pic pair, "Ghost Driver: Spirit of Vengeance" and "Underworld Awakening," also did better inside the format than most 2011 fanboy options, with 65% and 74%, correspondingly. Lately, the finest hurdle for movie entrepreneurs remains getting in youthful male auds. But Fox's "Chronicle" suggests that it's still possible: The supernatural teen thriller overperformed with male teens. But as the wealth of "Chronicle" shows a good comeback for your flagging demo, it's still too soon to see whether bizzers can bank on teens to exhibit out at previous levels come tentpole season. Either in situation, plenty of lengthy looked forward to blockbusters should give 2012 B.O. a fighting chance against last year's benchmark summer season. On paper no less than, people game game titles appear to become sufficiently strong enough to produce a run at 2009's record year. Within monthly, Lionsgate launches youthful adult-specific "The Hunger Games," which will give first-quarter box office one last shot of adrenalin. However, Disney features its own fingers joined for "John Carter," which bows next weekend. Records in five billion-dollar global franchises fill the summer season sked, another than last summer season: "The Avengers," "The Astounding Spider-Guy," "The Dark Dark evening Increases" and 2 figures, "Madagascar 3" and "Ice Age: Continental Drift." That's put in Sony's "Males in Black 3" and Universal's "The Bourne Legacy." People franchises have each made greater than $800 million worldwide. U is kickstarting the summer season sesh overseas with "Battleship," which bows the weekend of April 13, more than per month just before the U.S. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com