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'Save' Tops Holiday Box Office
"Save the Last Dance" kicked off in first place to a record-setting $28 million for the four-day Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
Distribution executives had anticipated that Paramount's PG-13-rated teen appeal dance drama would end 20th Century Fox's three-week chart-topping reign with "Cast Away," but they were only thinking in terms of an opening of about $20 million. Instead, "Dance" came in swinging to the tune of an ESTIMATED $28.00 million at 2,230 theaters ($12,556 per theater). (For the three-day period Friday through Sunday, Paramount estimated "Dance" at $24.00 million.)
"Dance" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing at over 1,000 theaters last weekend.
"$20 million was kind of the benchmark (estimate going into the weekend)," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning.
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"The Grinch" continued making a mountain of money, easily holding on to first place for a fourth straight weekend.
Universal and Imagine Entertainment's PG-rated blockbuster comedy adventure "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" topped the chart in its fourth week with a still magical estimated $18.46 million (-32%) at 3,186 theaters (+48 theaters; $5,795 per theater). Its cume is approximately $195.5 million, heading for $250 million-plus.
"It's exhilarating to have 'Grinch' the Number One film four weekends in a row; and as we move closer to the actual holiday season, having this film achieve the $200 million mark prior to that is most gratifying for Universal and Imagine Entertainment," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning.
"It will hit $200 million by the end of this week or with Friday's business. I can no longer say 'depend