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Monday, November 23, 2009
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2003-09-12
ks since Open Range opened to positive reviews. At that was just one movie in an otherwise bad week. To find more than one movie opening wide to positive reviews you would have to go as far back as May 30th when Finding Nemo and The Italian Job were released. This week, all three wide releases are getting favorable reviews (and so are many limited releases, but more on that later.)
As for the actual box office predictions for the weekend, that's a little more confusing. During the past week four different movies finished first in the dailies.
The final installment in Robert Rodriguez's El Mariachi trilogy, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, has the widest opening this week and should finish first at the box office. The movie has a production budget more than four times the first two combined, but that's only $30 million (half what the average Hollywood movie costs.) Robert Rodriguez is a master of getting the most bang for his buck and a $20 million opening will be his reward. And with overall positive reviews it will easily have the legs to make a healthy profit for the studio.
From 1996 - 1997 Nicolas Cage had 3 $100 million dollar movies in a row, since then only one of his next 10 releases was able to cross that barrier. It's doubtful that Matchstick Men will be able to do that, but is should open to the tune of $13 million. And with it's reviews, which are overwhelmingly positive, should help him regain some his box office and critical clout lost in recent years.
The third wide release should open in third place. Cabin Fever, which opens in only a little more than 2000 theatres, should have similar box office results as 28 Days Later. Cabin Fever has a wider release, but weaker reviews and is opening at a weaker time of the year. An opening of $8 million and better legs than the genre usually allows will spell profit for the studio on this release.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl spent the mid-week in first or second place and looks to translate that into another top five finish this weekend. Another $4 million will take its domestic total past Home Alone and into 18th place on the all time chart.
In fifth place will be another Disney release with legs, Freaky Friday. With $3 million this weekend, it will be the 21st movie to make $100 million this year. However, unless Once Upon a Time in Mexico surprises it will be the last movie to do so till November when The Matrix Revolutions is released.
One movie you didn't see in the top five was Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Despite finishing first last weekend, it had dropped to seventh by Tuesday and with three wide releases this week it's chances of sticking around the top five this week are minimal. And with even more movies opening next weekend, it should drop out of the top ten and that would tie a record.
There are also several limited releases opening this week: Lost in Translation, Dummy, Millennium Actress, Warrior of Light, So Close and all are getting positive reviews. Also, long time Per Theatre Average charter American Splendor expands into nearly 200 more theatres this weekend.
Submitted by:
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2003-07-09
g the jump on the weekend by opening today. And if my bad Pirate talk didn't give it away, it's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. This movie is the second from Disney based on rides from their Theme Parks. The first, The Country Bears, did very poorly at the box office and that led many analysts, me included, to be very pessimistic about Pirates' chances. And the early ads did very little to sway those feelings.
However, later stages of the campaign showcased a good mix of action, FX and the most over-the-top performance from Johnny Depp I've ever seen. It was then that Pirates of the Caribbean started to look like it might be good. And the reviews are definitely agreeing with the latter sentiments. Currently it has an amazing 86% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. It is the best-reviewed major release since Finding Nemo. And the fourth best wide release of the year after 28 Days Later and X-Men 2, (Note: 28 Days later was a wide release at 1258 theatres, but not a major release.)
But what does this mean for Pirates of the Caribbean's chances at the box office? I have a hard time believing it could beat Terminator 3's performance last week, even with the stronger reviews. But it could come very close, $11 million for the day and $35 million for the weekend.
But the biggest impact could be on the International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Now off to the theatres! And handsomely now, ye scurvy dogs. Or ye'll meet the rope's end.
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2003-07-07
w the release of 3 new movies, none of which were able to match analysts’ predictions. In fact, early numbers show the total box office was down approximately 15% from last year. Granted, there is a definite correlation between where in the week July 4th lands and how the box office performs. The last time July 4th landed on the Friday was in 1997. And this year’s box office was up nearly 10% in comparison, but the average ticket price is up over 30%.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines easy won the weekend, and beat Arnold Schwarzenegger’s previous best opening (Batman & Robin.) But even still, its weekend box office of $44.0 million and 5-day total of $72.3 million is seen as a disappointment, especially when the estimated $200 million production budget is taken into account. But there is good news on the horizon, reviews are very strong and that could help it in the long run. Also, internationally this movie should perform much better than it will domestically.
With a budget less than one quarter of T3, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde earned a little more than half its box office, $22.2 million, to finish in second place. This sequel has already taken in $39.6 million in just 5 days, however, poor reviews and sharper than expected drop-offs will most likely stop it from reaching the original’s final box office.
Dropping faster than even the most cynical analyst had predicted, Charlie’s Angels 2 could only manage $14.0 million and third place. Its drop of 62.8% would have been a record earlier in the year, but both The Hulk and 2 Fast 2 Furious have done worse. Not only is the original’s total of $125 million out of the question, $100 million is now a long shot.
In fourth place is our first, and only, good news in the top five. Finding Nemo pulled in $11.1 million to top The Matrix Reloaded to become the highest grossing movie of 2003. However, from now on milestones will be a little harder to come by and won’t be the weekly occurrence they’ve been in the past.
The Hulk’s third week performance was neatly in-line with predictions. $8.2 million, or just a 56% drop. It will be interesting to see how well this movie plays overseas and at the home market. But for now it could be considered the biggest disappointment of the summer.
Combining traditional cell animation with computer coloring and some computer animation has not been very successful. Both Titan A.E. and Treasure Planet failed to live up to expectations. And now you can add Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas to that list. It could only scrape together $6.9 million for the weekend and more than $10 million for its 5-day release, all on a budget estimated at $60 - $80 million.
Also of note, 28 Days Later performed admirably with $6.0 million. Total domestic box office is just over $20 million and could be enough to make a profit for the studio, (depending on their exact share of the box office, which is not known at this time.) It is just another example of how some of the most successful movies released this year were also some of the less expensive.
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2003-06-30
ng it has been since this has happened, but Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and 28 Days Later were 1 and 2 in theatre counts for new releases and 1 and 2 for Per Theatre average. Granted, neither of the figures was amazing. Charlie’s Angels 2 made just $10,880 per theatre. That was one of the lowest figures for a number one movie on this chart for a long time. And while 28 Days Later earned less with $7,985 per theatre, its much less advertising budget make the lower figure a much more impressive result.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-30
e saw a disappointing box office. The box office was down almost 15% from the same time last year and more than 20% from last weekend. Overall, June’s box office was down just 2% from last year.
Expectations for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle were high, with some predictions going as high as $70 million. But not only did it not live up to predictions, studio estimate, it even failed to match the original’s. It opened with only $37.6 million, and with reviews that just don’t cut it, this movie’s box office won’t even match its budget, (estimated at $120 million.) Add in the P&A budget and the theatres share and you get a bomb.
The Hulk’s plummet at the box office could be the story of the week. Making just $18.9 million, a drop that was just a few hundred thousand shy of 70%. Eighteen movies have opened with more than $60 million at the box office. Of those, only one has failed to make $200 million. Not only will The Hulk fail to make $200 million, it will fail to make $150 million.
Fortunately, there is some good news at the box office. Finding Nemo earned $14 million at the box office to cross the $250 million mark. And after tonight, it should have beaten Monsters Inc. to become the highest grossing Pixar movie. Up next, Shrek’s crown highest grossing CG movie ever. There should be a new king sometime early next weekend.
The good news continued as 28 Days Later beat even my prediction. $10.1 million in only 1258 theatres is fantastic, more than doubling some analysts’ predictions. With a total budget estimated at under $15 million, Fox Searchlight must be ecstatic over this movie’s performance. But how well this movie does in the long run is still a bit unsure. Going against it is its genre; most horror movies drop fast at the box office. But the positives, including amazing reviews, outweigh any negative effect the genre might have.
2 Fast 2 Furious just managed to make the top 5 one last time, beating Bruce Almighty by only $35,000. $6.2 million was added to its running total of $114 million, which is still not enough to make a profit anytime soon.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-27
wide opening this weekend, predicting which movie will win is very easy.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle will come in first, and probably double its nearest competitor. The original opened way back in 2000 with a $40 million opening. As with many sequels these days, expect Full Throttle to open bigger and drop faster. $55 million for an opening weekend, but a final total that’s not much more than the first. Reviews won’t have much of an effect on this movie’s box office, which is good news for the studio cause they are mostly bad. It managed only 41% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, that’s 27 percentage points below the original. Another movie that will open big then fall fast.
Speaking of falling fast, The Hulk appears ready to challenge 2 Fast 2 Furious’ record for largest second weekend drop for a number one movie. From Friday to Thursday The Hulk lost 83.2% of its daily box office; in comparison 2 Fast 2 Furious lost 83.6%. However, 2 Fast didn’t have as strong competition its second weekend out. At this point, anything less than a 60% drop would be is better than expected. The Hulk will pull in just shy of $24 million.
Another week, another milestone for Finding Nemo. This time around it’s passing the $250 million mark, which it could do as early as Saturday. The weekday numbers are starting to show signs of weakening, but that’s to be expected for a movie that’s been out nearly a month. $13 million this weekend is a safe prediction. On a side note, by Tuesday Finding Nemo should beat Monsters Inc. to become the highest grossing Pixar movie.
The only other movie to open in more than just a few cities is 28 Days Later. Opening in only 1258 theatres will limit this movie’s initial draw at the box office. But with very strong reviews this could be the sleeper hit of the summer. Other predictions for this movie range from less than $5 million to over $8 million, but I’m going to be bold and prediction $9 million with lots of legs as well.
Rounding out the top five will be Bruce Almighty, with $6.5 million. This Jim Carrey flick is unlikely to cross anymore major milestones, but it will be in the top 40 all-time when the weekend it over.
Submitted by: C.
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2003-06-25
k promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here’s a list of highlights, plus one last look at websites for films opening this week. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details.
28 Days Later
Current Content: First of all, the music on this site is great at setting the mood, especially combined with the sound FX. The style works well with the subject and the content hits all the major points. Synopsis, trailer, cast filmographies, crew bios, photo gallery, etc. (note: all the images in the photo gallery have been formatted for use as wallpaper.) There’s even a preview of the first 6 minutes of the film, which definitely gets you interested without spoiling anything. You can also post you own opinions on the movie in the Testimonials section. Although some people have posted spoilers, so be careful what you read. Definitely helps promote the movie and is clearly worthy of the unimaginable Weekly Website Award.
Bad Boys II
Current Content: Issue 3, which dealt with the original Bad Boys was removed from the site.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
Current Content: Not much has changed since the last review. Just the last animated adventures episode was added to the site.
The League
Current Content: Added a new section to science and technology. Besides the introduction, there are only two weapons and two new vehicles discussed. It’s hard to sound impressive when you’re talking about technology that is nearly a century out of date.
Love the Hard Way
Current Content: A trailer and several images were added, but still no sound.
Peter Pan
Current Content: This is one of the first movie sites I wrote about, and there have been no updates in nearly four months. So it’s nice to see something new, even if it’s just a trailer, production notes, a wallpaper and a screensaver.
The Punisher
Current Content: As promised, The Punisher site launched this week. However, there is little to the site beyond the rather flashy intro. In fact, the intro is more in depth than the teaser trailer, which is the only other feature so far. But the movie is scheduled for a summer 2004 release, so this is not surprising.
Shrek 2
Current Content: None. Just the teaser poster.
Uptown Girls
Current Content: A new flash site was launched this week. It includes all the old content, plus a photo gallery and two sections that introduce the two characters. There are audio clips from the movie when you change sections, which is a nice touch. However, the transitions between sections are too long and the background music is too short. At only four seconds it gets repetitive, and fast.
Submitted by:
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2003-01-07
horror film 28 Days Later might get a limited release here in
the States sometime this year. The $15 million Danny Boyle-directed movie,
which has grossed more then $7 mil in the UK since it opened on November 1,
depicts a band of survivors of a deadly virus that has wiped out most of
humanity.
28 Days Later stars Christopher Eccleston (Elizabeth) and Brendan
Gleeson (Gangs of New York) and is scheduled to be screened at this
month's Sundance Film Festival.
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