2012 Earns $225 Million Worldwide During Opening Weekend

Roland Emmerich's highly anticipated end-of-the-world film "2012" opened in theaters last Friday and has exceeded box office expectations in its opening weekend. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that "2012" grossed a staggering $225 million worldwide despite the fact that it has yet to be released in a plethora of major international markets such as Japan.

"2012" impressively took in $65 million in the United States and Canada in its opening weekend, which far exceeded the estimated revenue that had been forecasted by film industry experts of approximately $50 million. It was revealed last week that "2012" was expected to perform extremely well internationally largely due to Emmerich's popularity and reputation as a film maker.

Sony distribution President Rory Bruer provided a statement that illustrated his company's exhilaration over the opening numbers for "2012" as well as its high expectations in the coming weeks, saying, "It's going to be a very big success for our studio." The production budget and marketing costs for "2012" far exceeded $200 million, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Coming in second place at box offices over the weekend was Disney's "A Christmas Carol", which enjoyed a successful second week in theaters after achieving underwhelming opening week revenue. The minimal decline from $31 million in its opening week to $22.3 million in its second week is a strong indication for Walt Disney Co. that the film will take in quality revenue as people continue to get into the holiday spirit.