..Gary Dretzka
..Noah Forrest
..Leonard Klady
..R.J. Matson
..David Poland
..Douglas Pratt
..Ray Pride
..Michael Wilmington

March 30, 2008 Weekend Finals Top Limited Grosses Domestic Market Share 21 or Bust ... The card counting added up to an estimated $24.1 million as the debut of 21 ascended to the top of weekend movie going. The solid bow coupled with a better than expected $9.4 million opening for Superhero Movie still could not stave off another box office erosion as the movie experience hunkers down in the weeks leading up to the "summer" movie season. The frame also featured the latest dullish response for the war-themed Stop-Loss of $4.5 million and barely a trot for Run Fat Boy Run at $2.2 million. New niche entries were also commercially tepid including the thriller Flawless with Demi Moore grossing $187,000 from 35 sites and the French comedy import Priceless tallying $101,000 at 24 venues. Weekend revenues were inching toward $105 million that reflected an 8% down turn from what had been hatched seven days earlier. There was a more severe 22% decline when placed alongside the 2007 session when preems of Blades of Glory and Meet the Robinsons held sway with respective b.o. of $33 million and $25.1 million. Industry pundits anticipated that the real events inspired 21 wouldn't quite reach its title figure and while it didn't break the bank, going over was a winning hand. Clearly it and the Iraq-war inspired Stop-Loss were targeting the core young adult crowd that comprises the largest core of frequent movie goers. And though the latter film did yeoman-like work to cover up that film's serious content, the audience preferred to keep it in Vegas. Stop-Loss received respectful and better reviews but its mixed message is unlikely to sustain in the marketplace. Saturday business was flat with opening day while 21 experienced an 11% boost. Horton Hears a Who became the first 2008 release to gross in excess of $100 million (Juno is the calendar year's other 6-figure movie) on Friday. The film along with the (commercial) ironically titled Shutter thrust Fox into top spot on the market share chart last week. Under the Same Moon expanded its reach with an additional 124 playdates and retained a healthy $5,340 theater average. The heart-warming immigration saga is playing in a mix of Hispanic, art and mainstream locations but with rare exception is working best in the former venues. Unrelated, Meet the Browns experienced an uncharacteristic 62% sophomore drop and as such it's folly to tag it as either anomaly or trend. Perhaps more telling is the non-response to Run Fat Boy Run that was a big hit in England (where it's set) last fall. The adult romantic comedy has been on the decline for several years Stateside and now appears to be a genre whose success is largely predicted on marquee casting. - Leonard Klady Weekend Finals - March 28-30, 2008 - - Title Distrib Weekend % Change* Theaters Cume Wks 1 New 21 Sony 24,105,943 - 2648 24,105,943 1 2 1 Horton Hears a Who Fox 17,740,106 -28% 3826 117,589,254 3 3 New Superhero Movie MGM 9,510,297 - 2960 9,510,297 1 4 2 Meet the Browns Lions Gate 7,481,508 -63% 2016 32,549,825 2 5 4 Drillbit Taylor Par 5,713,585 -45% 3061 20,487,226 2 6 3 Shutter Fox 5,221,016 -50% 2756 18,998,604 2 7 5 10,000 B.C. WB 4,947,174 -45% 3056 84,992,525 4 8 New Stop-Loss Par 4,555,117 - 1291 4,555,117 1 9 7 College Road Trip BV 2,357,756 -26% 2270 38,322,829 4 10 8 The Bank Job Lions Gate 2,780,168 -34% 1605 24,084,605 4 11 6 Never Back Down Summit 2,359,406 -51% 1869 21,249,499 3 12 New Run Fat Boy Run Picturehouse 2,340,743 - 1133 2,340,743 1 13 9 Vantage Point Sony 2,301,751 -39% 1739 69,399,231 6 14 10 Under the Same Moon Weinstein Co. 2,250,081 -19% 390 6,674,433 2 15 12 The Other Boleyn Girl Sony 1,271,544 -38% 1119 24,933,952 5 16 13 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day Focus 1,151,400 -22% 516 9,397,977 4 17 14 The Spiderwick Chronicles Par 753,637 -37% 659 69,399,646 7 18 16 Fool's Gold WB 578,206 -39% 640 68,102,984 8 19 11 Doomsday Uni 555,245 -75% 888 10,587,205 3 20 19 Juno Fox Searchlight 485,416 -37% 444 141,976,542 17 21 27 Alvin and the Chipmunks Fox 450,980 21% 354 216,501,860 16 22 17 Jumper Fox 414,619 -56% 481 78,399,493 7 23 24 National Treasure: Book of Secrets BV 376,565 -3% 320 218,309,061 15 24 21 The Counterfeiters Sony Classics 373,580 -25% 98 2,412,581 6 25 35 Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure nWave 335,705 83% 49 10,163,696 26 26 22 In Bruges Focus 335,336 -29% 210 6,456,934 8 27 38 Married Life Sony Classics 301,634 111% 120 711,436 4 28 23 The Bucket List WB 297,947 -27% 303 91,423,959 14 39 15 Semi-Pro New Line 275,339 -84% 426 33,106,383 5 30 New One Two Three Eros 246,724 - 16 246,724 1 31 18 Race UTV 241,938 -74% 96 1,184,265 2 32 29 The Band's Visit Sony Classics 222,995 -16% 121 2,246,202 8 33 26 Definitely, Maybe Uni 215,765 -42% 260 31,793,115 7 34 34 27 Dresses Fox 209,374 11% 226 76,150,977 11 35 20 Step Up 2 the Streets BV 206,034 -62% 285 57,207,787 7 36 33 U2 3D nWave 200,465 -4% 50 7,201,533 8 37 New Flawless Magnolia 181,910 - 35 181,910 1 38 32 There Will Be Blood Par Vantage 180,946 -14% 263 39,982,631 14 39 28 Be Kind Rewind New Line 153,953 -68% 189 10,900,170 6 40 31 Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus 3-D BV 150,697 -29% 29 64,857,351 9 41 25 Penelope Summit 146,026 -62% 222 9,535,615 5 42 New Priceless IDP 116,308 - 24 116,308 1 43 47 The Eye Lions Gate 106,458 42% 174 31,296,958 9 44 43 The Hammer Intl Film Circuit 104,803 8% 34 236,430 2 45 42 Dolphins and Whales 3-D 3D Entertainment 104,559 2% 12 704,313 7 46 41 Cloverfield Par 83,724 -19% 120 79,952,254 11 47 37 Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins Uni 75,235 -50% 114 42,168,445 8 48 55 Caramel Roadside Attract. 74,147 59% 48 671,079 9 49 36 No Country for Old Men Miramax 71,444 -59% 122 74,223,625 21 50 39 I Am Legend WB 60,503 -47% 136 256,339,571 16 51 48 Space Station 3-D Imax 59,249 -17% 8 74,218,688 311 52 44 Paranoid Park IFC/Filmoption 53,206 -44% 39 386,327 4 53 46 First Sunday Sony 52,314 -37% 101 38,234,701 12 54 40 La Ligne brisee Alliance 50,874 -52% 54 705,915 4 55