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

April 9, 2006 Weekend Estimates Domestic Market Share Hot & Cold .. and Hot... Despite a sharp 50% decline, Ice Age: The Meltdown remained the top draw in the marketplace with an estimated $34.2 million. Still there was unexpected heat from debuting fare including a potent second place finish for The Benchwarmers and a strong limited launch for Friends with Money. Overall it translated into a significant viewing increase from 2005. New entries were prominent among viewing choices while last week's entries experienced precipitous drops. The Benchwarmers more than quenched the audience's taste for Lowbrow comedy with sales that had to make cable guy Larry envious. It debuted to approximately $20.1 million and a theater average of more than $6,000. The heat was less intense for the dance marathon Take the Lead That ranked third with $12.4 million. The twisty ensemble thriller Lucky Number Slevin marked the umpteenth reincarnation of MGM and rendered just fair returns of $6.8 million. It appears that all the new offerings will experience rapid burns with even Ice Age 2 and The Inside Man taking sizeable weekly erosion that might be mistaken for stamina marked on the curve. Weekend sales approached $115 million and couldn't compete with last weekend's animated Ice Age arrival. Grosses fell 19% but also had a considerable 34% boost from 2005 when the debut of Sahara let the frame with $18.1 million. Ice Age: The Meltdown has provided an early taste for what's anticipated as a May box office bonanza. The film propelled Fox to the top of the market share chart and became the first $100 million grosser in its ninth day in theaters. However, it also underscores a fickle movie going climate in which the likes of ATL, Slither and Basic Instinct 2 barely register during their opening frame and then barely register. A similar fate appears to be imminent for Phat Girlz that bowed to $2.9 million from 1,056 playdates. Niche activity was enlivened by a socko bow for Friends with Money. It's hard to identify why the ensemble tale of Californians with rich people problems generated better than a $20,000 average from its initial exposure at 28 locations. But it nonetheless tapped into the zeitgeist. Easier to comprehend is how well Thank You for Smoking has sustained its slow roll out with box office up 41% with an average of about $7,500 from 300 clinics. Smoking is a clear alternative and an outrageous delight for upscale crowds. There was also an upbeat expansion for the teen comic thriller Brick but it's still much too soon to gauge its ultimate appeal. Debuting limited releases were otherwise unimpressive with the Passover comedy When Do We Eat? generating about $130,000 from 48 seders and the tender adult romance On a Clear Day posting $18,600 at five venues. Festival favorite I Am a Sex Addict finally got some theatrical exposure as a result of a new initiative from IFC but immediately fell foul of Landmark's decision to pull a San Francisco engagement because its day-and-date strategy with pay-cable and DVD windows hit too close to home. Its two reporting theaters should finish the frame with slightly better than $11,000. - by Leonard Klady Weekend Estimates - April 7-9, 2006 Title Distributor Gross (average) % change Theaters Cume Ice Age: The Meltdown Fox 34.2 (8,610) -50% 3969 116.1 The Benchwarmers Sony 20.1 (6,130) - 3274 20.1 Take the Lead New Line 12.4 (4,120) - 3009 12.4 Inside Man Uni 9.3 (3,240) -40% 2867 66.2 Lucky Number Slevin MGM 6.8 (3,410) - 1984 6.8 Failure to Launch Par 4.0 (1,540) -38%