Dec 19, 2004
Dec 12, 2004
Dec 5, 2004
Nov 28, 2004
Nov 21, 2004
Nov 14, 2004
Nov 7, 2004
October 31, 2004
October 24, 2004
October 17, 2004
October 10, 2004
October 3, 2004
Sept 26, 2004
Sept 19, 2004
Sept 12, 2004
Sept 6, 2004
August 29, 2004
August 22, 2004
August 15, 2004
August 8, 2004
August 1, 2004
July 25, 2004
July 18, 2004
July 11, 2004
July 5, 2004
June 27, 2004
June 20, 2004
June 13, 2004
June 6, 2004
May 30, 2004
May 23, 2004
May 16, 2004
May 9, 2004
May 2, 2004
April 25, 2004
April 18, 2004
April 11, 2004
April 4, 2004
March 28, 2004
March 21, 2004
March 14, 2004
March 7, 2004
February 29, 2004
February 22, 2004
February 16, 2004
February 8, 2004
February 1, 2004
January 25, 2004
January 19, 2004
January 11, 2004
January 4, 2004
Dec 28, 2003
Dec 21, 2003
Dec 14, 2003
Dec 7, 2003


..Gary Dretzka
..Leonard Klady
..Emanuel Levy
..David Poland
..Doug Pratt
..Ray Pride





Weekend Estimates
Top Domestic Grosses
Market Share

Keep on Fockin'

There was good news and bad at the box office as Christmas cheer descended on the nation. Meet the Fockers handily led the frame with an estimated $47.7 million weekend but overall business for the span was down by 24% from 2003.

Exhibitors had good reason to be nervous about Christmas falling on a Saturday. It's per force that holiday eve attendance is going to be soft and the Christmas day openers this year had an abbreviated run. Still, Fat Albert got off to a fast start and several other titles proved difficult to call over the long haul.

Meet the Fockers was clearly the spirit of the movie going season and had already pocketed close to $24 million from Wednesday and Thursday business. Tracking had indicated a bow between $45 million and $50 million and it delivered on that promise. Its closest rival - Lemony Snicket - trailed by $34.5 million and had a sharp 56% drop from its opening salvo.

Fat Albert bowed Christmas Day and ranked third overall with $12.2 million. It was a better than anticipated launch that attracted a strong turnout from teens. The other Yule day debut, the horror programmer Darkness, generated a fair $6 million in two days.

Several other titles expanded nationally Christmas Day including The Aviator that climbed into fourth position with an estimated $8.8 million. The Life Aquatic went the same route effectively and grossed $4.9 million but exit polling on the picture was disappointing and could be an ill omen for its future.

Overall business from the frame should chime in with a $145 million tally for a 34% boost from seven days earlier. However, while Fockers gross was on par with the second weekend of The Return of the King, last year's debuts were considerably stronger. The final 2004 total now appears to be less than 1% better than the prior year.

Bowing Wednesday on a limited national basis, Phantom of the Opera grossed $4.1 million on the weekend and $6.4 million to date. There's been considerable nervousness about the picture's appeal and tepid reviews and soft international openings haven't allayed fears. Nonetheless it was a strong, but shy of overwhelming, opener with a future that could well hinge on word-of-mouth and Oscar nominations.

In addition to Lemony Snicket, other holdover titles that experienced sharp downturns included Ocean's Twelve and Spanglish. The Polar Express continued to beat the odds with a slim 10% drop but has a more daunting challenge next weekend as holiday themed pictures have a long history of evaporating quickly once the Christmas lights are taken down.

Several awards contenders opened on a limited basis to good results. The hard-hitting Hotel Rwanda had an impressive $110,000 gross from seven venues and the social drama The Woodsman cut through the pack with $58,000 from six locations. In Quebec, the lighthearted romp C'est pas moi, c'est l'autre proved disappointing with a $57,000 box office at 37 screens.

Million Dollar Baby added a screen in San Francisco and continued to attract near capacity crowds for its nine engagements. Its $210,000 weekend boosted its gross to $550,000. It expands on January 7.

- by Leonard Klady


Weekend Estimates - December 24-26, 2004

Title
Distributor
Gross (average)
% change
Theaters
Cume
Meet the Fockers
Uni
47.7 (13,574)
- 3518 71.6
Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Incidents
Par
13.2 (3,650)
-56% 3623 60
Fat Albert
Fox
12.2 (4,570)
- 2674 12.2
The Aviator
Miramax/WB
8.8 (4,910)
888% 1795 10.2
Ocean's Twelve
WB
8.5 (2,570)
-53% 3290 86.7
The Polar Express
WB
6.7 (2,570)
-10% 2618 140.4
Darkness
Miramax 
6.0 (3,550)
- 1700 6
The Life Aquatic
BV
4.9 (4,450)
- 1105 5.3
Spanglish
Sony
4.8 (1,960)
-46% 2438 18.3
Phantom of the Opera
WB
4.1 (6,640)
- 622 6.4
National Treasure
BV
4.0 (1,800)
-34% 2201 141.1
Blade: Trinity
New Line
3.2 (1,390)
-53% 2318 42.5
Flight of the Phoenix
Fox
2.9 (1,120)
-42% 2604 10.7
Christmas with the Kranks
Sony
2.9 (1,350)
-46% 2135 69.2
The Incredibles
BV
2.6 (1,510)
-16% 1732 242.6
Closer
Sony
1.6 (1,520)
-51% 1069 22.5
Finding Neverland
Miramax
1.5 (1,640)
-22% 933 19.9
Sideways
Fox Searchlight
1.2 (3,460)
-18% 356 18.5
House of Flying Daggers
Sony Classics
.73 (4,700)
-11% 155 2.8
Spongebob Squarepants
Par
.67 (510)
-67% 1316 78.7
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films)-
$138.10
- - -
% Change (Last Year)
-
-24%
- - -
% Change (Last Week)
-
34%
- - -
Also Debuting/Expanding
Kinsey
Fox Searchlight
.32 (1,660)
-36% 195 5.7
Million Dollar Baby
WB
.21 (23,440)
17% 9 0.55
Hotel Rwanda
MGM
.11 (15,360)
- 7 0.15
The Woodsman
Newmarket
58,400 (9,740)
- 6 0.06
C'est pas moi, c'est l'autre
Equinoxe
57,300 (1,550)
- 37 0.06
Beyond the Sea
Lions Gate
42,500 (4,720)
-5% 9 0.11

Top Worldwide Grossers: January 1 - December 19, 2004

Title
Distributor
Gross
Shrek 2
DmWks
441,226,247
Spider-Man 2
Sony
373,585,825
The Passion of the Christ
Newmarket
370,274,604
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
WB
249,541,069
The Incredibles
BV
236,978,426
The Day After Tomorrow
Fox
186,740,799
The Bourne Supremacy
Uni
176,236,842
Shark Tale
DmWks
159,568,781
I, Robot
Fox 
144,786,439
Troy
WB
133,378,256
National Treasure
BV
132,748,249
The Polar Express
WB
123,430,336
Lord of the Rings: Return of King *
NLC
122,306,127
50 First Dates
Sony
120,908,074
Van Helsing
Uni
120,177,084
Fahrenheit 9/11
Lions Gate/Alliance
119,194,771
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Fox 
114,326,736
The Village
BV
114,197,520
The Grudge
Sony
110,175,871
Collateral
DmWks
101,005,703
* does not include 2003 box office

Domestic Market Share: January 1 - December 19, 2004

Distributor (releases)
Gross (millions)
Percentage
Sony (24)
1303.7
14.60%
Warner Bros. (33)
1150.8
12.90%
Buena Vista (27)
1118.4
12.50%
DreamWorks (11)
936.2
10.50%
Fox (17)
894.1
10.00%
Universal (17)
758.9
8.50%
Paramount (17)
568.6
6.40%
New Line (18)
425.1
4.80%
Newmarket (6)
406.6
4.60%
Miramax (21)
345.3
3.90%
Lions Gate (27)
279.4
3.10%
MGM (14)
198.4
2.20%
Fox Searchlight (11)
167
1.90%
Focus (8)
124.6
1.40%
Alliance (21)
54.5
0.60%
Other * (233)
187.6
2.10%
* none greater than .5%
8919.2
100%

 

 


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