Chapter 1058 - Falling Against the Sky

The summer of 2012 was arguably the most competitive in recent years, at least on paper. In the fourth week of June, North America saw the release of two blockbuster films: Pixar's Brave and 20th Century Fox's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Brave was Pixar's $185 million crown jewel for the year. The "Pixar Product" had become synonymous with industry excellence, offering guaranteed quality. Over the past several years, Pixar had consistently delivered critical and commercial hits such as Toy Story 3, Up, WALL-E, and The Incredibles. However, Cars 2 had stumbled the previous year, failing both critically and at the box office. This made Brave an even more scrutinized project, as many wondered if Pixar could bounce back.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, on the other hand, represented the latest trend of adapting teen novels for the big screen. Following the success of Twilight and The Hunger Games, this film was highly anticipated, especially given its modest $70 million budget. With a new cast of young actors and tapping into the vampire craze, expectations were high.

Before the summer season began, the big question was whether Brave could reaffirm Pixar's dominance, or if another surprise would emerge at the box office. The early summer success of The Avengers had already shifted the competitive landscape, and the industry waited to see if Brave could live up to expectations or if the box office would continue to be dominated by unexpected contenders.

In the end, both Brave and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter underperformed compared to initial projections. Brave received mixed reviews, especially in comparison to Pixar's stellar reputation. With an aggregate score of 69 and a fresh rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, the film's reception was lukewarm, even though it was still better than Cars 2. Despite a solid opening weekend, earning $66 million, Brave failed to ignite the kind of enthusiasm expected from a Pixar film.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter had an even worse start, grossing only $16 million. Its critical reception was similarly poor, with a 42 on Metacritic, a 35% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 50% audience score on the Popcorn Index.

In the face of these underwhelming performances, one film began to emerge as the dark horse of the summer: Edge of Tomorrow. Despite skepticism from both critics and the studio, the film, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, bucked the trend. After a solid opening weekend, Edge of Tomorrow had a remarkable second week, with a mere 48% drop in box office revenue. This was considered a major achievement, and the film's third-week drop was even lower at 26%, a statistic that placed it among the third-lowest box office declines in history.

The film's box office success continued to exceed expectations. By its third weekend, Edge of Tomorrow earned $52.5 million, becoming the third-highest earning film of the weekend, trailing only Avatar and The Avengers. It was quickly closing in on The Avengers' box office totals, despite its late release in the competitive summer schedule.

Warner Bros. was understandably pleased with the film's unexpected success. Having spent $10 million to bring Renly into the project, they were reaping the rewards of an investment that had surpassed their expectations. Meanwhile, the choices made by other studios, such as Universal's casting of Vin Diesel for their follow-up film, were beginning to look questionable in hindsight.

By the end of June, Edge of Tomorrow was firmly established as the summer's biggest surprise hit. Even though Brave managed to top the box office in its fourth week, it could not overshadow the runaway success of Edge of Tomorrow. The film's steady performance week after week made it one of the most talked-about films of the summer.

In the weeks that followed, other releases such as Madagascar 3 and Prometheus saw their box office numbers dip, with Prometheus falling below $10 million by its fourth week. Meanwhile, Edge of Tomorrow continued to shine, with its steady earnings positioning it as one of the top contenders for the 2012 summer box office crown.

By the time the film reached its fifth week, the box office landscape had shifted. With new releases like Teddy Bear and Magic Mike, the competition heated up, but Edge of Tomorrow was still holding strong. As the summer season continued, it became clear that Edge of Tomorrow was not just a passing trend—it was a force to be reckoned with, rewriting the narrative of the 2012 summer blockbuster season.