'Pacific Rim' tops weekend opening, grosses P83.25-M in 4 days

MANILA, Philippines - The colossal showdown between monster aliens and giant robots destroyed the competition, as Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures' “Pacific Rim” grossed a victorious P83.25-million in just 4 days, opening at the top of Philippine box-office for the July 11-14 weekend.

This was announced today by Francis Soliven, General Manager of film's local distributor, Warner Bros. (F.E.), Inc.

“Pacific Rim” marked the year’s second biggest opening for Warner Bros., coming off the record-setting bow of “Man of Steel” last June.  The studio also fired up the box-office last February with a No. 1 launch of “Jack the Giant Slayer.”

“`Pacific Rim’ continued the winning streak of Warner, and this bodes well for our remaining slate for 2013,” comments Soliven.  “Frequently described as a nostalgic Valentine to fanboys, Guillermo Del Toro’s film has touched the hearts of a generation, while gaining new fans at the same time.  It’s rip-roaring, monumental fight scenes and deeply human story have received critical acclaim and excellent word-of-mouth, and we’re excited to see how it will perform at the box office in the coming weeks.”

Warner has every reason to be positive since “Pacific Rim” is tracking higher than recently released movies in the same genre, namely “Wrath of the Titans,” “Real Steel,” “Battleship,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Prometheus,” “War of the Worlds” and “The Day After Tomorrow.”

Bowing in 277 screens nationwide, the futuristic action-adventure recorded the biggest receipts at SM Mall of Asia with a massive P5.89-M , followed by SM North EDSA and Trinoma with P4.93-M and P3.28-M respectively.

Close on their heels are SM Megamall (P2.94-M), SM Cebu (P2.92-M), Glorietta 4 (P2.60-M), Greenbelt 3 (P2.34-M), Power Plant (P1.91-M), Alabang Town Center (P1.87-M) and SM Southmall (P1.85-M).

Also posting impressive grosses are Gateway (P1.78-M), SM Aura (P1.60-M), Eastwood (P1.56-M), Newport (P1.54-M), Theatremall (P1.53-M), Gaisano Davao (P1.36-M), Market! Market! (P1.34-M), Ayala Cebu (P1.32-M), Shang Cineplex (P1.24-M) and SM Fairview (P1.19-M).

In “Pacific Rim,” when legions of monstrous alien creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end.  To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are synched via a neural bridge, called “The Drift.”  But as the enemy grows more powerful with each attack, even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju.

On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a seemingly obsolete Jaeger.  Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Now showing across the Philippines in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Pacific Rim” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.