Barely a Peep from the New Releases

April 12, 2004

Only one of the five movies released managed to live up to expectations, and with that I think it's safe to say 2004's winning streak came to an end. The week-to-week drop-off was 9.4%, and while 2004 was up 17% from the same time last year, it's increase of last Easter was much less at just 7.6%. Year-to-date is up 9% but 2004 will have a tough time keeping up with 2003 in May.

Easter weekend proved a slightly bigger boon that expected for The Passion of the Christ, although the weakness in the new releases had some part in that. $15.2 million puts it just a few million shy of Jurassic Park for seventh on the all-time chart.

Hellboy's second weekend drop-off was a little steeper than expected taking in $10.8 million. It still has a reasonable shot at matching its production budget domestically, however, that will still be seen as a disappointment by Sony.

The first new release on the charts was Johnson Family Vacation, which was the only new release to beat expectations taking in $9.4 million. Even taking into account lousy reviews, it should still top it's total budget of just $25 million before its domestic run ends.

Next on the list was The Alamo, which took in just $9.1 million for its opening weekend. With an estimated budget of $92 million, (not counting overruns), weak reviews and a very limited international appeal, Disney will be sucking up a huge lose on this on.

Walking Tall made a surprise second appearance in the top five with $8.4 million. Like other returning films, this one's high placing was due more to the failings of the opening films than to its own strength.

The last three spots in the top ten were occupied by the last three films debuting this week.

There were very low expectations for the sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, which starred Matthew "Is it too late to sign up for another season of Friends?" Perry. Even so, it couldn't match these low expectations as it earned just $6.7 million; that was less than half the original's debut. Reviews improved slightly over the weekend, but not enough to suggest any legs in the theatres.

Miramax pretty much dumped Ella Enchanted into the market as it opened in less than 2000 theatres with a tiny ad campaign. And well its reviews were not great, they were better than its $6.2 million opening.

Proving once again that quality means nothing in Hollywood, The Girl Next Door could only manage $6.0 million and a tenth place finish. It was the only film to earn overall positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It won't last long in theatres, but hopefully it will get a second life on DVD.


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Filed under: The Passion of the Christ, Hellboy, Walking Tall, Johnson Family Vacation, Ella Enchanted, The Alamo, The Whole Ten Yards, The Girl Next Door