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

Weekend Estimates 2005 Domestic Market Share 2004 International Boxoffice 2004 Domestic Boxoffice 2004 Market Share Hitch & Run! Where there's a Will, there's a Hit (ch). Unabashedly playing up actor Will Smith's popularity provided Hitch with a sensational debut estimated at $45.6 million and pegged as the biggest opening gross for a romantic comedy. Rebounding from the traditional Super Bowl box office dip, weekend movie going jumped 22% from seven days earlier and exceeded the comparable 2004 frame by 10%. The span also saw a fair bow for Disney's animated Pooh's Heffalump Movie and solid response to premieres of the Bollywood-inspired Bride and Prejudice and the documentary Inside Deep Throat. While grudgingly received by reviewers, Hitch was a clear audience pleaser with Smith cast as the Dr. Phil of dating who gets bit by the bug himself. Industry expectation for the picture was high and it clearly did not disappoint on any level. In addition to Hitch, Sony also had bragging rights to the second and third top weekend grossers with Bogeyman sliding 44% to $10.6 million and the staggeringly resilient Are We There Yet? adding $8.5 million to its coffers for a $61.5 million cume. The hat trick eluded Universal recently with Meet the Fockers, In Good Company and White Noise and last occurred in 1989 when Universal iced the competition. The latest from Disney's video-driven animation unit - Pooh's Haffalump Movie - was off to a good start with a $5.9 million weekend that appears headed for an ultimate domestic theatrical gross of about $25 million. It should more than pave the way for very upbeat sales on DVD and hearty response internationally for the venerable storybook character. The Thai martial arts actioner Ong-Bak launched on 387 screens for just OK results of $1.3 million. French filmmaker Luc Besson picked up rights to the film in most international territories last year and generated an excellent $12 million theatrical gross primarily in Europe. Lightning did not strike twice for the independent family friendly Uncle Nino. The film grossed about $150,000 from 190 theaters following its first regional release back in 2003. It's gained some notoriety among specialized exhibitors and distributors for a Michigan suburban run that's now played continuously for more than a year. The Oscar bunch continued to hold its own against incoming fire with Million Dollar Baby, Finding Neverland and Hotel Rwanda each off a slim 11% from the prior frame and The Aviator down just 12%. Sideways was slightly sturdier, grossing 98% of its prior weekend's tally. In limited release, the large format Aliens of the Deep was virtually unchanged with a $350,000 weekend from 27 screens. Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood style musical that's already hit paydirt in the U.K., India and several other foreign climes was enthusiastically received in 32 venues with an estimated $370,000. It still has considerable ground to cover to prove its mettle beyond an obvious niche appeal. Inside Deep Throat, the ambitious flashback to the heyday of the XXX era, drew considerably better than a nostalgic crowd with a $90,000 tally from 12 locations. The film has triggered a wave of response and recollection (see current Gross Behavior) and talk of the original starring Linda Lovelace receiving at least a modest re-issue. Among other exclusives, the import My Mother's Smile grossed about $7,800 from two Manhattan screens and The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill generated an estimated $35,000 from six playdates. - by Leonard Klady

Weekend Estimates - February 11-13, 2005

Title	Distributor	Gross (average)	% change	Theaters	Cume
Hitch	Sony	45.6 (12,740)	-	3575	45.6
Boogeyman	Sony	10.6 (3,480)	-44%	3052	33.1
Are We There Yet?	Sony	8.5 (3,010)	-20%	2810	61.5
Million Dollar Baby	WB	7.6 (3,720)	-11%	2035	45.1
Pooh's Heffelump Movie	BV	5.9 (2,320)	--	2529	5.9
The Wedding Date	Uni	5.7 (3,340)	-49%	1704	19.6
Hide and Seek	Fox	5.4 (2,150)	-39%	2525	43.4
The Aviator	Miramax/WB	4.8 (2,180)	-12%	2196	82.4
Sideways	Fox Searchlight	4.6 (2,830)	-2%	1619	52.9
Meet the Fockers	Uni	3.5 (1,850)	-28%	1883	270
Racing Stripes	WB	2.7 (1,100)	-38%	2430	43.7
Coach Carter	Par	2.5 (1,250)	-40%	2028	62.9
Finding Neverland	Miramax	2.2 (1,880)	-11%	1198	42.5
Hotel Rwanda	MGM	2.1 (2,510)	-11%	824	14.2
Phantom of the Opera	WB	1.9 (1,390)	-28%	1365	45.5
In Good Company	Uni	1.7 (1,270)	-49%	1357	43.4
Ong-Bak	Magnolia	1.3 (3,410)		387	1.3
Assault on Precinct 13	Focus	.75 (1,100)	-58%	678	19.3
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films)		$117.35	-	-	-
% Change (Last Year)	-	10%	-	-	-
% Change (Last Week)	-	22%	--	-	-
Also Debuting/Expanding
Bride and Prejudice	Miramax	.37 (11,530)		32	0.37
Aliens of the Deep	BV	.35 (13,090)	-3%	27	1.5
Uncle Nino	Lange	.15 (770)	-	190	0.15
Inside Deep Throat	Uni	.09 (7,400)	-	12	0.09
My Mother's Smile	New Yorker	7,800 (3,900)	-	2	0.01

Domestic Market Share: To February 3, 2005

Distributor (Titles)	Gross (Millions)	Percentage
Universal (6)	218.8	28.00%
Warner Bros. (8)	131.2	16.80%
Paramount (5)	89.9	11.50%
Fox (5)	77.5	9.90%
Sony (6)	67.5	8.60%
Miramax (4)	64.5	8.30%
Buena Vista (6)	40.5	5.20%
Fox Searchlight (4)	24.5	3.10%
Focus (3)	17.3	2.20%
Sony Classics (4)	9.8	1.30%
Lions Gate (4)	8.7	1.10%
MGM (1)	8.6	1.10%
New Line (5)	7.6	1.00%
Other * (30)	15	1.90%
* none greater than .6%	781.4	100.00%