..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..David Poland
..Doug Pratt
..Ray Pride

February 24, 2008 Weekend Estimates Domestic Market Share Take A Vantage ... The twisty little thriller Vantage Point ascended to the top of weekend movie going with an estimated $24.4 million. In a softish frame running up to Sunday's Oscar telecast, another trio of pictures bowed in modestly wide release with the off kilter comedy Be Kind Rewind attracting a respectable $4 million. However, neither the $2.1 million tally for Larry the Cable Guy in Witless Protection or the coming-of-ager Charlie Bartlett's $1.8 million displayed signs of box office stamina. There was no great Oscar box office surge, though No Country for Old Men at least registered a modest upward bump. Also, foreign-language contender The Counterfeiters from Austria was the sole limited opener to demonstrate significant niche appeal. With snow storms in the East and raindrops falling on western heads, movie going proved generally overcast. Business fell 21% from the President's Day frame and was 5% behind last year's business when the second weekend of Ghost Rider led with $20.1 million and the debut of The Number 23 nudged out Bridge to Terabithia with a $14.6 million gross. A kind of pastiche of political thrillers, Vantage Point's tale of Presidential peril tilted more toward In the Line of Fire than Air Force One. The film benefited from a momentary distribution lull and a type of homogeneous appeal. Meanwhile, last weekend's leader Jumper took a sharp dip while The Spiderwick Chronicles appeared to be benefiting as one of the few family oriented pics at the multiplex. It's perhaps reading too much to ascribe Be Kind Rewind's modest promotional push to structural/leadership changes in the wing at New Line. More credible would be Cable Guy Larry having a financial investment in his third feature - otherwise there's no balance that makes fiscal sense in the equation. Oscar nominated Juno became the first film to gross $100 million in calendar 2008 on Saturday. It also posted the best gross among Sunday's nominees and regardless of its score card already has won the industry's really big prize - a golden reel that will generate revenues close to $300 million on a $10 million negative. It's also lining up as an Oscar edition that won't be of much benefit to the winner in the foreign-language category. The most likely to take the award are either The Counterfeiters that opened Friday in the U.S. to a not too shabby $12,000 plus per engagement from seven sites or Russia's submission 12, based upon the vintage 12 Angry Men. Counterfeiters has largely played out in Europe to good but hardly exceptional theatrical business and the Russian film has yet to play outside of the CIS and will need the statuette as the commercial hook to secure international distribution. - Leonard Klady Weekend Estimates - February 22-24, 2008 Title Distributor Gross (average) % change * Theaters Cume Vantage Point Sony 24.4 (7,760) - 3149 24.4 The Spiderwick Chronicles Par 12.6 (3,280) -34% 3847 43.6 Jumper Fox 12.6 (3,670) -54% 3430 56.1 Step Up 2: The Streets BV 9.4 (3,800) -50% 2480 41 Fool's Gold WB 6.3 (2,040) -51% 3075 52.4 Definitely, Maybe Uni 5.1 (2,310) -48% 2220 21.7 Be Kind Rewind New Line 4.0 (4,990) - 808 4 Juno Fox Searchlight 4.0 (2,330) -13% 1727 130.3 Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Uni 3.9 (2,100) -54% 1873 35.4 There Will Be Blood Par Vantage 2.6 (1,840) -15% 1402 35 The Bucket List WB 2.5 (1,300) -38% 1902 85.1 No Country for Old Men Miramax 2.2 (2,020) 18% 1101 64.1 Witless Protection Lions Gate 2.1 (1,560) - 1333 2.1 Charlie Bartlett MGM 1.8 (1,590) - 1122 1.8 27 Dresses Fox 1.6 (1,160) -50% 1367 73.1 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Concert BV 1.5 (2,490) -53% 613 61.9 The Eye Lions Gate 1.3 (1,060) -60% 1211 28.8 Atonement Focus 1.1 (1,470) -24% 755 49.3 U2 3D nWave 1.0 (1,520) 155% 686 4.9 In Bruges Focus .76 (4,660) -22% 163 2.8 Alvin and the Chipmunks Fox .72 (1,030) -33% 698 212.8 National Treasure: Book of Secrets BV .64 (1,120) -51% 571 215.9 Rambo Lions Gate .63 (870) -68% 727 41.7 Michael Clayton WB .62 (1,460) -35% 425 48.5 Untraceable Sony .52 (950) -70% 548 28.3 Jodhaa Akbar UTV .51 (5,730) -61% 89 2.3 Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) $104.50 - - - % Change (Last Year) - -5% - - - % Change (Last Week) - -21% - - - Also debuting/expanding - - - - - Persepolis Sony Classics .33 (700) -19% 475 3.4 Diving Bell and the Butterfly Miramax .23 (1,440) -34% 161 5.3 The Signal Magnolia .13 (840) - 160 0.13 The Counterfeiters Sony Classics 86,300 (12,330) - 7 0.09 La Riviere aux Castors Alliance 55,100 (1,310) - 42 0.06 Cover ACI 29,500 (2,100) - 14 0.03   Domestic Market Share - To February 20, 2008 Distributor (releases) Gross Mkt Share Warner Bros. (11) 250.3 18.20% Fox (7) 231.9 16.90% Buena Vista (7) 190.9 13.90% Paramount (5) 137.1 10.00% Fox Searchlight (3) 102.5 7.50% Sony (8) 94.2 6.90% Universal (5) 89.5 6.50% Lions Gate (4) 68.9 5.00% Par Vantage (6) 55.9 4.10% Focus (3) 39.1 2.80% Miramax (2) 24.3 1.80% Overture (1) 20.2 1.50% New Line (2) 16.6 1.20% MGM (5) 16.1 1.20% Picturehouse (2) 6.6 0.50% Other * (46) 28.1 2.00% - 1372.2 100.00% Domestic Grossers - To February 14, 2008 Title Distributor Gross Juno * Fox Searchlight 91,538,337 National Treasure: Book of Secrets * BV 80,102,102 Cloverfield Par 76,773,236 The Bucket List * WB 76,232,361 27 Dresses Fox 66,761,871 Alvin and the Chipmunks * Fox 61,187,876 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Concert in 3-D BV 55,127,562 I Am Legend * WB 54,979,314 Rambo Lions Gate 38,199,768 First Sunday Sony 37,627,592 Meet the Spartans Fox 34,776,211 Atonement * Focus 34,761,980 Fool's Gold WB 28,954,687 P.S. I Love You * WB 27,837,545 There Will Be Blood * Par Vantage 27,581,368 Charlie Wilson's War * Uni 27,440,875 One Missed Call WB 26,569,730 Untraceable Sony 25,388,456 Sweeney Todd * Par 23,842,967 The Eye Lions Gate 23,145,696