..Gary
Dretzka
..Leonard
Klady
..Emanuel
Levy
..David
Poland
..Doug
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
Weekend Estimates
The Elephant's Graveyard: The End of Summer
Last weekend's top grosser were relatively unchanged, albeit with 30% to 60% less potency. Freddy vs. Jason was the top dog with an estimated $13.6 million, followed by S.W.A.T., Freaky Friday and Open Range.
Overall weekend business should top out at around $100 million, a 33% decline from seven days earlier. However, it's still a significant 14% boost from 2002 when Signs was the weekend champion in its fourth frame and none of the freshmen releases - Serving Sara, Simone, Undisputed - cracked the top five.
It is, notwithstanding the calendar, the last gasp of summer and in the coming days and weeks those buoyant mid-week numbers will grow ever dimmer as more and more schools and universities return to full sessions. With that in mind, the majors tend to bow, shall we say, its least resilient titles with the odd specialized title tossed in aimed at establishing an early fall toehold. Searchlight did just that with a strong bow of Thirteen.
The industry's long established tradition of burying its losers in mid-August was well in evidence this past weekend with a trio of films that performed with fair to dire response. Best of the bunch was the Jackie Chan opus The Medallion (formerly titled The Highbinders) that ranked fifth with an $8.1 million box office. One of Chan's most expensive vehicles with a $35 million budget, it debuted to disappointing business a week earlier in Hong Kong.
Also slipped into the mix were two inane comedies - Miramax's My Boss's Daughter with Ashton Kutcher grossing $5 million and Paramount's previously shelved Marci X featuring Lisa Kudrow and Damon Wayans eking out roughly $800,000. The latter film did not benefit from the memory of Bringing Down the House.
In the past five years, this run up to Labor Day (the industry's official end of summer) weekend has ushered in such now forgotten fare as Summer Catch, Bubble Boy, Teaching Mrs. Tingle and Dead Man on Campus. The list of successful titles launched at this juncture is considerably shorter. They are as plentiful as unicorns.
The sole bright spot among new releases was Fox Searchlight's Sundance acquisition Thirteen. The raw contemporary drama was drawing near capacity crowds in six locations for an opening salvo of approximately $114,000. The per screens for Miramax's second Project Greenlight winner, The Battle of Shaker Heights, were also encouraging at $11,000 in five theaters. However, the telling difference between the two is that the former received hosannas while the latter induced critical yawns.
Shaker Heights grossed slightly less than the initial Greenlight Stolen Summer (released March 2002) but it bowed on five as opposed to 13 screens. Aesthetically, it's an experiment that's failed and one can only assume that the key to its continuance will be based on the economic viability of the HBO behind-the-scenes series. Altruism aside, those involved creatively with the first two outings have had their reputations savaged and only time will tell whether the scars involved will heal.
Other debuting niche titles were unexceptional including First Look's Penelope Cruz picture Don't Tempt Me with about $17,000 at three venues and a two screen $9,000 gross in San Francisco for the indie curiousity Teknolust.
The first expansion of American Splendor was evidence that strong critical support is an asset for the offbeat. It ramped up to 32 playdates and sustained a potent $14,500 average.
Never Say Never … Sometimes
Years ago I ran into a producer who shamefacedly admitted he was about to start production on Short Circuit 3. From the expression on my face, he immediately added that the second chapter was a bigger hit than was generally perceived because of foreign and ancillary revenue.
This week's global grosser's chart serves as a reminder that Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle has generated about 65% of its box office outside of North America. So, at the very least, one should expect that Sony and Flower Pictures will commission an army of scribes to work on a third outing. And if all the percentages can be worked out, the gals will be back no later than 2006.
Weekend Finals - August 22-24, 2003
Title Freddy vs. Jason 13,152,967 -64% 3014 61,197,607 S.W.A.T. 10,581,327 -42% 3204 87,847,065 Open Range 9,481,315 -33% 2163 29,317,253 Freaky Friday 9,304,643 -31% 3058 74,431,693 The Medallion 8,111,324 2648 8,111,324 Pirates of the Caribbean 7,275,447 -21% 2404 260,925,697 Seabiscuit 6,170,290 -24% 2534 92,936,230 Uptown Girls 5,606,943 -50% 2495 22,318,159 American Wedding 5,464,405 -35% 2467 90,515,725 My Boss's Daughter 4,855,798 2201 4,855,798 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over 2,790,690 -47% 2429 102,275,880 Bad Boys II 2,031,469 -35% 1202 132,324,611 Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life 1,503,624 -46% 1272 62,007,286 Le Divorce 1,368,317 45% 422 3,558,534 Finding Nemo 1,038,919 -24% 838 329,790,041 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle 1,004,457 -49% 542 99,518,415 Marci X 872,950 1200 872,950 Grind 818,330 -67% 2253 4,522,077 Dirty Pretty Things 691,098 19% 240 2,948,667 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 660,077 11% 422 64,518,187 Whale Rider 612,495 -15% 338 15,049,989 Legally Blonde 2 601,329 -7% 987 88,919,918 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 472,095 -42% 411 148,479,554 American Splendor 454,375 185% 32 716,971 Swimming Pool 449,700 -29% 235 8,269,599 Step Into Liquid 372,013 85% 50 949,498 The Magdalene Sisters 342,605 85% 61 1,248,205 Bruce Almighty 320,375 -2% 332 240,356,850 The Secret Lives of Dentists 314,902 -5% 86 1,268,907 The Matrix Reloaded 313,923 6% 90 278,821,645 28 Days Later 289,274 -37% 247 43,578,691 Winged Migration 263,763 1% 146 7,462,918 The Hulk 215,325 2% 261 131,490,345 Daddy Day Care 215,080 -4% 283 102,731,301 Johnny English 196,385 -38% 217 27,330,665 Bend It Like Beckham 193,830 -39% 161 31,329,986 Camp 192,828 -10% 69 968,952 2 Fast 2 Furious 169,835 -4% 215 126,522,515 Rugrats Go Wild 167,040 -19% 263 39,102,946 La Grande Seduction 164,285 -10% 65 4,923,378 The Italian Job 133,086 -29% 64 96,853,332 Thirteen 116,260 5 139,860 Space Station 108,018 -21% 18 42,968,125 Ghosts of the Abyss 92,454 -5% 32 14,095,061 Northfork 82,814 -15% 64 1,118,205 And Now Ladies & Gentlemen 81,415 32% 45 361,023 Spellbound 70,193 -8% 54 5,243,927 Green Card Fever 67,529 18 67,529 Passionada 63,096 -49% 36 265,032 T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous 62,599 -11% 9 45,760,757 I Capture the Castle 55,419 -8% 39 967,506 Koi … Mil Gaya 50,352 -58% 43 558,280 Capturing the Friedmans 48,868 -20% 43 2,874,066 The Battle of Shaker Heights 47,693 5 47,693 Hollywood Homicide 43,415 -26% 83 30,207,785 Haunted Castle 33,750 9% 3 6,954,320 X2: X-Men United 33,131 -20% 65 214,869,324 Buffalo Soldiers 30,721 -25% 20 270,412 Wrong Turn 25,854 -5% 45 15,352,334 Nowhere in Africa 23,151 -8% 26 6,600,417 Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas 23,058 -46% 89 25,983,662 Spirited Away 22,862 6 10,004,994 The Cuckoo 22,194 41% 12 114,916 Chicago 21,242 -37% 54 170,659,352 The Holy Land 20,141 -38% 11 340,019 Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure 19,341 -11% 8 15,156,060 A Mighty Wind 18,982 -6% 49 17,583,468 Masked and Anonymous 18,541 -30% 12 284,260 Mondays in the Sun 17,530 19% 20 119,582 Weekend Estimates - August 22-24, 2003
Title Freddy vs. Jason -63% 3014 61.6 S.W.A.T. -40% 3204 88.1 Freaky Friday -29% 3058 74.7 Open Range -35% 2183 29.1 The Medallion - 2648 8.1 Pirates of the Caribbean -20% 2404 261 Seabiscuit -22% 2534 93.1 Uptown Girls -51% 2495 22.2 American Wedding -37% 2467 90.4 My Boss's Daughter - 2201 5 Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over -42% 2429 102.5 Bad Boys II -33% 1202 132.4 Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life -42% 1272 62.1 Le Divorce 42% 421 3.5 Finding Nemo -32% 838 329.7 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle -56% 542 99.4 Grind