..Gary
Dretzka
..Leonard
Klady
..David
Poland
..Doug
Pratt
..Ray
Pride
May 13, 2007
Weekend Finals
How Long Came a Spider
Spider-Man 3 declined 60% for an estimated $60.2 million weekend. It handily beat out a quartet of new releases that included second and third place finishes for 28 Weeks Later at $10.1 million and Georgia Rule with $5.8 million. The other national freshmen were Delta Farce grossing $3.2 million and The Ex eking out $1.4 million.
The frame was also flush with limited and exclusive bows with the retro Brand Upon the Brain reviving the silent film with a single day fury of $13,400 from a single venue.
Expectations of a steep fall for Spider-Man 3 were right on target. However, the drop staved off what would be considered precipitous erosion and its $242 million domestic gross (and counting) has thrust it into the top grossing title of the year. Upcoming and highly anticipated Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Catibbean: At World’s End will spend the season trying to catch up to what appears to be a formidable lead.
The horror sequel 28 Weeks Later had a solid debut elevated by generally laudatory reviews. The kudos and good will generated by the first installment brought in a wider crowd than is normally typical for a zombie movie.
Results for Georgia Rule were softer than anticipated. It had a clear field for the plus 25 audience but clearly proved not to be the picture that demo was waiting to see.
Overall weekend ticket sales topped $105 million for a 46% drop from the record-breaking Spider-Man 3 launch. However, the figure still managed a 6% improvement from 2006 when Mission: Impossible III’s second session led with $25 million and the opening of Poseidon set sail with $22.1 million.
Audiences failed to laugh heartily for Delta Farce. It appears that attempts to turn Larry the Cable Guy into the new millennium Ernest are as futile as the search for WMDs. And the oft-delayed The Ex marked its spot with an absence of distinction.
Holdover releases generally experienced 30% to 50% declines with Disturbia and Fracture showing comparatively better strength and Lucky You becoming the season’s first instant casualty with prospects of a $10 million domestic gross a very long shot.
Expansions of both Waitress and Away from Her continued to show muscle in a summer that could well evolve as a hallmark for alternative fare. Still, don’t expect more than a few benefactors as evidenced by the frame’s arrival of a dozen niche entries.
Neither Salon nor Blind Dating displayed much of a commercial pulse and The Hip Hop Project failed to translate positive reviews into box office. Bollywood entry Life in a Metro was a disappointment and Provoked - also from India - fell short of expanding came up short of expanding the appeal of films from that nation.
The mockumentary Chalk was off to a good start on a single screen but the solo highlight shone on Brand Upon the Brain. Filmmaker Guy Maddin’s idiosyncratic oeuvre embraced a true silent film with its first commercial run at Manhattan’s Village East that included a live orchestra, foley crew and narrator. Limited event runs in major centers will be followed by regular engagements with sound on film that recall the successful strategy employed by Napoleon two decades back.
Weekend Finals
Title Spider-Man 3 58,166,256 -61% 4252 240,236,828 2 28 Weeks Later 9,807,292 - 2303 9,807,292 1 Georgia Rule 6,773,870 - 2523 6,773,870 1 Disturbia 4,732,839 -19% 3106 66,220,865 5 Delta Farce 3,420,645 - 1931 3,420,645 1 Fracture 2,953,145 -20% 2202 31,032,946 4 The Invisible 2,315,286 -29% 1943 15,659,122 3 Meet the Robinsons 1,802,543 -31% 1640 94,296,510 7 Next 1,738,056 -40% 2017 14,738,075 3 Hot Fuzz 1,716,670 -23% 1236 18,991,668 4 Blades of Glory 1,450,594 -40% 1436 113,874,366 7 The Ex 1,394,229 - 1009 1,394,229 1 Lucky You 1,195,342 -56% 2525 4,818,316 2 Are We Done Yet? 940,504 -46% 1010 47,342,077 6 Vacancy 817,962 -47% 906 17,894,639 4 Wild Hogs 701,479 -23% 717 161,049,135 11 Waitress 656,688 614% 65 808,932 2 Away from Her 437,809 295% 77 673,473 2 The Namesake 418,003 -14% 271 12,070,226 10 Black Book 370,351 -14% 182 2,282,722 6 Perfect Stranger 322,969 -44% 346 23,380,738 5 The Condemned 301,294 -76% 508 7,070,511 3 Ghost Rider 283,626 -46% 304 116,655,186 13 In the Land of Women 275,289 -65% 455 10,652,576 4 300 259,552 -38% 230 208,323,517 10 Kickin' It Old Skool 215,121 -73% 277 4,126,874 3 The Valet 197,096 60% 66 616,991 4 TNMT 191,660 61% 404 53,491,142 8 The Lives of Others 185,979 -16% 130 9,690,825 14 Firehouse Dog 163,553 -13% 352 13,163,214 6 Year of the Dog 163,101 -27% 152 1,177,245 5 The Hoax 139,926 -44% 206 6,960,360 6 Shooter 116,285 -29% 152 46,411,361 8 Night at the Museum 116,148 -35% 200 250,603,633 21 Deep Sea 3-D 108,372 17% 25 27,242,173 63 Premonition 106,815 -4% 108 48,066,930 9 The Last Mimzy 105,368 -13% 205 20,812,786 8 After the Wedding 103,870 -7% 55 881,489 7 The Salon 92,362 - 210 92,362 1 Norbit 88,180 -23% 151 95,594,067 14 The Hills Have Eyes II 81,364 49% 115 20,693,511 8 Roving Mars 79,351 56% 10 7,159,302 68 Avenue Montaigne (Orchestra 76,484 -9% 50 1,909,629 32 The Wind That Shakes the B 71,841 -14% 56 1,875,287 9 Amazing Grace 70,800 -32% 150 20,988,223 12 Reign Over Me 70,586 146% 177 19,801,603 8 Grindhouse 70,427 -46% 95 24,437,669 6 Ta Ra Rum Pum 65,337 -60% 44 768,802 3 Life in a … Metro 62,477 - 35 62,477 1 Blind Dating 61,877 - 74 61,877 1 Pathfinder 58,362 -9% 74 9,793,043 5 Wild Safari 3-D 55,178 4% 10 13,185,485 110 The Reaping 51,616 -83% 160 24,830,388 6 Brand Upon the Brain 46,412 - 1 63,837 1 Miss Potter 45,089 -12% 62 2,731,707 20 Brooklyn Rules 41,811 - 1 41,811 1 Paris je t'aime 40,494 3% 2 101,881 2 Bridge to Terabithia 38,336 -17% 65 81,294,537 13 Americanizing Shelley 36,450 251% 4 60,975 3 Magnificent Desolation 33,258 -22% 7 19,043,279 85 The Hip Hop Project 32,520 - 42 32,520 1 Jindabyne 31,434 64% 16 99,341 3 Music and Lyrics 30,607 -40% 73 50,562,555 13 A vos marques … Party 29,103 -35% 42 1,644,902 7 Home of the Brave 25,261 - 44 25,261 1 Redline 23,754 -53% 51 6,858,335 5 Dead Silence 20,865 -22% 51 16,732,800 9 Into Great Silence (Die Gross 20,632 -21% 16 653,495 21 Daddy's Little Girl 18,661 -36% 44 31,622,400 13