October 13 , 2002
I’ve got good news … and I’ve got bad news.
First, the good. Based on estimates, weekend business was up by a resilient 23%.
And now for the tarnished lining. With the launch of six national releases and at least seven limited openers, there were very few instances where any film was performing to its full potential. Briefly stated, the frame’s potency was based on length not strength. That was very bad news for mainstream releases, but a couple of specialized debuts - Sony’s Punch-Drunk Love and UA’s Bowling for Columbine - managed to rise above the fray.
Just to underline the point, the top two films in the marketplace were holdovers. Universal’s Red Dragon fell 52% from its opening frame and still managed to retain top position with a weekend estimated at $17.7 million. It was followed by Touchstone’s Sweet Home Alabama with $14.3 million for the three days and a more modest 33% erosion.
Best of the openers was Fox Searchlight’s Afrocentric Brown Sugar, arriving with $11.2 million and an impressive $8,180 theater average. Of all the debuting movies, it came closest to meeting its potential. However, its subject matter and a marketplace that will continue to be competitive bode ill for the sort of crossover potential that The Barbershop has experienced.
Big Fox had mixed results for its actioner The Transporter which bowed with $9.1 million. Its gross was affected by competition from New Line’s oft-delayed Knockaround Guys. Still, a month ago, the film was tracking so poorly that executives feared it might open to less than $5 million and the studio stepped up its marketing campaign. To that end, the film gained momentum but, even with a concerted push, can’t expect more than a $30 million final tally.
Battling it out for seventh and eighth and positions were Warner Bros.’ White Oleander and Disney’s “Tuck Everlasting, both based on, albeit very different, novels. The more adult Oleander appeared slightly ahead with $5.4 million to Tuck’s $5.3 million. Touted as an award contender, White Oleander should have benefited from a marquee cast, its literary origins and a potentially compelling human drama. Obviously with a screen average of $3,580 it fell below expectations. A studio rep, while not wowed by the public response, maintained that slotting it closer to Christmas likely would not have improved its commercial prospects.
Tuck Everlasting, based on a kid-lit classic, looked too much like one’s worst sense of a homogenized Disney movie. What has that studio’s execs scratching their heads is why the film isn’t playing like a family movie. Its Saturday business rose only 21% when expectations were for a 40% to 50% boost. If it continues playing in this matter, Tuck, in industry parlance, is history.
New Line’s two-year-old Knockaround Guys escaped with just shy of $5 million which was an OK result. Van Diesel’s new found stardom is being credited for its credible showing in the crowded marketplace.
Ranking 12th was Lions Gate’s Gen-X The Rules of Attraction with a $2.4 million debut. The most brutalized by competition, the film had an otherwise savvy ad campaign. However, as everyone in the industry can attest, being second choice for the majority translates unfavorably in a commercial sense.
Among holdovers what more can be said about My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Slotting 6th with $8 million and a 4% slide after 26 weeks bears witness to the year’s most astonishing success story.
Several rungs below, Artisan’s animated Jonah: A Veggie’s Tale Movie added 234 theaters and $3.7 million to its larder. Its $11 million current cume should translate to boffo video sales.
In limited debuts, Miramax decided to slip in a couple of titles acquired for their video potential. Warner Bros. passed on the animated Japanese franchise Pokemon 4Ever and the Weinstein clan saw the opportunity for a modest pickup. The film grossed roughly $660,000 from 249 theaters. The company’s modestly produced submarine yarn Below earned $180,000 from 168 runs.
The big news in specialized release was Sony’s off-kilter romantic comedy Punch-Drunk Love which was packing ‘em in at 5 locations to the tune of $380,000 and a stunning $76,000 screen average. The odd coupling of Adam Sandler and Emily Watson received rave reviews and will expand to 11 cities next weekend and add about 80 theaters.
Also getting great critical response that translated commercially was Michael Moore’s non-fiction Bowling for Columbine. It debuted in eight theaters and grossed close to $200,000. Not quite as potent was Miramax’s docu Comedian with close to a $60,000 gross in four 3-day (and night) stands.
Conversely, slammed by the critics and released to contractual limits, Sony’s redo of Swept Away ebbed to $370,000 from 196 playdates. In Canada, Alliance released the family drama Virginia’s Run for its Thanksgiving holiday weekend and grossed an estimated $140,000 in three days from 111 tracks.
Weekend (October 11-13 estimate)
Red Dragon -52% 3363 Sweet Home Alabama -33% 3313 Brown Sugar 1372 The Transporter 2572 My Big Fat Greek Wedding -3% 2016 The Tuxedo -36% 2985 White Oleander 1510 Tuck Everlasting 1185 Knockaround Guys 1806 The Barbershop -43% 1911 Jonah: A Veggies Tale Movie -40% 1174 The Rules of Attraction 1430 The Banger Sisters -48% 1596 Moonlight Mile -42% 437 The Four Feathers -51% 1281 Signs -53% 802 One Hour Photo -59% 656 Pokemon 4Ever 249 Spy Kids 2 -54% 888 Spirited Away -10% 138 Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) % Change (Last Year) % Change (Last Week)
Also Debuting/ExpandingIgby Goes Down MGM -12% 155 Punch-Drunk Love Sony 5 Swept Away Sony 196 Bowling for Columbine MGM 8 Below Miramax 168 Virginia's Run Alliance 111 Comedian Miramax 4 Bloody Sunday Par Classics 77% 13 INTERNATIONAL MARKET SHARE (January 1 - October 10)
Company (Titles Tracked) Columbia TriStar (19) 1085.1 16.60% Fox (23) 1032.5 15.80% Warner Bros.(23) 885.1 13.50% UIP (26) 722.9 11.00% Buena Vista Intl (19) 717.1 11.00% New Line (9) 695.1 10.60% Toho (12) 177.6 2.70% Miramax (11) 149.7 2.30% Pathe (5) 133.3 2.00% Capital Films (6) 69.3 1.10% Beacon (1) 63.3 1.00% Intermedia (4) 62.1 0.90% UGC Intl (4) 57.3 0.90% Studio Canal (4) 57.2 0.90% CJ Entertainment (3) 50.6 .80% Others * (65) 585.6 8.90% 6543.8 * none greater than .6% TOP DOMESTIC GROSSERS (January 1 - October 10)
Spider-Man 406,518,162 Star Wars, Episode 2 302,063,768 Signs 223,832,926 Austin Powers Goldmember 212,253,846 Men in Black II 193,011,311 Ice Age 176,387,405 A Beautiful Mind * 155,391,330 Scooby-Doo 153,079,447 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 150,500,895 Lord of the Rings * 149,269,311 Lilo & Stitch 143,706,658 xXx 140,765,794 Minority Report 131,869,629 Mr. Deeds 125,690,285 The Bourne Identity 120,809,195 The Sum of All Fears 118,870,523 Black Hawk Down * 109,009,105 The Road to Perdition 103,801,479 Panic Room 96,397,334 The Scorpion King 91,047,077 * numbers do not include 2001 box office