William Friedkin

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William Friedkin

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B.O. ANALYSIS: 'Urban Legends' Should Top Box Office
By: Martin Grove May 08, 2001 4:19am EST

Suburban teens should help cut "Urban Legends: Final Cut" the biggest slice of box office pie this weekend. "'Urban Legends' can actually do double digits," one insider observes. "It'll be nice to see that again, won't it?" "Urban," an R-rated horror sequel opening from Columbia Pictures at 2,539 theaters, is heading for first place with $12-13 million. "Teens, particularly, have to be hungry for something to go see," says a distribution executive. "I think it's got a shot at $12 million." Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison. Second place should go to DreamWorks and Columbia's critically-acclaimed "Almost Famous," which will expand to about 1,200 theaters in its second week. The R-rated comedy drama should do $7-8 million. "They're in theaters where it ought to do business," a source says of the film's strong launch at 131 theaters last weekend. "They're upscale, limited, big city (theaters) and, boy, if this movie doesn't do it there, where will it do it? This weekend will be the first indication of whether the movie plays in the heartland." Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, "Famous" stars Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand. Driven by "Urban" and "Famous," the weekend should be a big improvement over last weekend when key films only took in about $47.4 million. "Well, that's like being the tallest building in Wichita, Kansas," laughs one insider. "It'll be better than the worst weekend in three years!" Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" should turn enough ticket buyers' heads to finish third. Arriving at 664 theaters, it should nail down $6-7 million. Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow. Universal and Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated comedy "Bring It On" should drop one peg to fourth place in its fifth week. Last weekend "Bring" did $5.1 million and was only off 25 percent. If it takes another 25 percent drop, it will do about $4 million. "Bring," which only cost Universal about $10 million, has grossed over $51 million and is heading for $60 million in domestic theaters. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Bring" stars Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dusku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. Universal's R-rated psychological thriller "The Watcher" should slip four slots to fifth place in its third week with $3-4 million. "Watcher," which Universal reportedly picked up from Interlight for only $5 million, has grossed over $17 million and is heading for $25 million in domestic theaters. Directed by Joe Charbanic, "Watcher" stars James Spader, Marisa Tomei and Keanu Reeves. Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's R-rated action comedy "Bait" should sink four pegs to sixth place in its second week with a gross that's also in the $3-4 million range. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, "Bait" stars Jamie Foxx. USA Films' R-rated dark comedy "Nurse Betty" was fourth last weekend with $4.7 million, a drop of 35 percent. If it falls 35 percent this time around, it should place seventh with about $3 million. Universal owns "Nurse Betty," having acquired it when the studio took over PolyGram. Universal turned the specialized picture over to USA Films to market and distribute. Directed by Neil La Bute, "Nurse" stars Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear. The weekend's other wide opening, Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated romantic comedy "Woman On Top," won't come in anywhere near the top of the chart. "Woman," arriving at 1,000-plus theaters, appears headed for eighth place with a modest $2-3 million. Directed by Fina Torres, "Woman" stars Penelope Cruz. Filling out lower rungs: "Space Cowboys," "The Cell," and "What Lies Beneath." This weekend will also see 20th Century Fox's limited release of its PG-13-rated drama "The Dancer" in New York and Los Angeles. Directed by Fred Garson, "Dancer" stars Mia Frye and Josh Lucas. Lions Gate Films' R-rated drama "Under Suspicion" opens exclusive engagements in New York and L.A. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, "Suspicion" stars Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman. MGM's release of United Artists' PG-rated musical drama "The Fantasticks" opens exclusively in New York, L.A. and San Francisco. Directed by Michael Ritchie, it stars Joel Grey and Barnard Hughes.
BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES FOR OCT. 6-8, 2000
By: Martin Grove May 08, 2001 4:19am EST

A rich "Parents" opening turned the box office green after two months of lackluster grosses. Universal's PG-13-rated comedy "Meet the Parents" met with greater success than insiders had anticipated. Rather than the $18-22 million range that many Hollywood handicappers were expecting, "Parents" opened to a sizzling ESTIMATED $29.11 million at 2,614 theaters ($11,135 per theater). "Parents'" international release is through DreamWorks Pictures, which co-financed the film and will share equally in its success. "Parents" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend. The film set records as the biggest October opening ever and the biggest openings ever for its stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, according to a Universal spokesman. It is Universal's fourth consecutive film to open in first place, following "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," "Bring It On" and "The Watcher." "We're very excited," Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco said Sunday morning. "It's just what the marketplace needed to reinvigorate it. I knew it would be great. I just can't believe how great it is. I knew it would be big. I knew that the record breaker was not an exceedingly tremendous number (DreamWorks' animated feature 'Antz' with $17.2 million the weekend of Oct. 2-4, 1998), but I never thought it could get to this level, because it just hasn't been done in October." Directed by Jay Roach (director of both "Austin Powers" hits), "Parents" stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated football drama "Remember the Titans" from producer Jerry Bruckheimer lost one yard on the chart, placing second as it expanded in its second weekend with a still-memorable ESTIMATED $19.6 million (-6%) at 2,701 theaters (+836 theaters; $7,244 per theater). Its cume is approximately $46.2 million. "It was our distribution strategy that we wanted to wait for the second weekend and the (Columbus Day) holiday for the smaller markets," Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning. "It has obviously paid off quite well. On a comparison of the same theaters (from last weekend), we'll probably be off in the high teens, maybe 20% would be the highest drop. I'm thinking more like 17%. And then to be only off 6% including the new runs, that means we did the right thing. "Now, who knows, maybe that magic ($100 million domestic theatrical) number's in our future - because we're at (over) $46 million already. You can't imagine how pleased we are about what went on, especially in a market where now you have two really, really good, crowd-pleasing movies. They love 'Meet the Parents.' They love 'Titans.' The top two hits - everybody's talking about how much they like them. When was the last time that happened? This is where two films are just doing great together. What a wonderful combination. "It's finally looking like (the box office is) turning the corner. I'm glad to be part of it. I'm glad Universal and us have both of these pictures back to back. You know, this business needed a shot in the arm." Directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman, "Titans" stars Denzel Washington. Driven by "Parents" and "Titans," the marketplace managed to expand to nearly $81 million this weekend. Nonetheless, it was still down from last year - although by not quite 3%. That was a far better showing than the previous weekend, when key films plunged about 28% from their levels one year earlier. This weekend's key films total was up nearly 41% over the prior weekend. Warner Bros. and Franchise Pictures' R-rated Sylvester Stallone action adventure "Get Carter" opened in third place to a less-exciting-than-hoped-for ESTIMATED $6.73 million (2,315 theaters; $2,905 per theater). Directed by Stephen Kay, "Carter" stars Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke and Michael Caine. Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning that Franchise would come out okay given that Stallone did the film for far less than his usual starring paycheck. Fellman was particularly happy Sunday morning about the expansion of Warners' comedy "Best In Show," which went wider in its second weekend (see EXPANSIONS below), averaging $14,340 per theater at 53 runs. "This is a big hit," Fellman said. "We open at about another 250 theaters next Friday. This movie's going to work. We have a good rollout plan. It's going to happen. We were up 69% from Friday to Saturday. It's obviously a word-of-mouth movie." There also was more good news on the sneak preview front this weekend for Warners. "The big news for us was that last night (Saturday), we had spectacular sneak screenings on 'Pay It Forward," Fellman said, referring to the studio's drama from director Mimi Leder, starringKevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. "We screened it at about 350 locations. We had over 80% of the theaters at 75% to 100% capacity. Actually, 60% were at 100% capacity. We had 81% in the Top Two Boxes (excellent and very good). It opens Oct. 20. We're going to go somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800 theaters. We have another sneak next weekend at about 750 theaters." Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" slid two pegs to fourth place in its third week with a still-scary $4.61 million (-36%) at 1,150 theaters (theater count unchanged; $4,009 per theater). Its cume is approximately $24.1 million, heading for $40 million in domestic theaters. Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow. 20th Century Fox's launch of its PG-rated Japanese animated feature "Digimon: The Movie" at 1,850 theaters exceeded expectations, finishing fifth with an ESTIMATED $4.1 million at 1,822 theaters ($2,250 per theater). "If it holds in, we'll be fine," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning, acknowledging that the picture was not an expensive pick up for Fox. "I couldn't make heads or tails from the research at all. This could have been anywhere between $2-20 million!" DreamWorks' R-rated dramatic comedy "Almost Famous" went wider again in its fourth week, falling three rungs to sixth place with a less-exciting ESTIMATED $3.8 million (-32%) at 2,085 theaters (+450 theaters; $1,816 per theater. Its cume is approximately $23.3 million, heading for $45-50 million in domestic theaters. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe ("Jerry Maguire"), "Almost" stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor and Philip Seymour Hoffman. "Famous" is being released internationally by Sony's Columbia Pictures, which co-financed the production and will share equally with DreamWorks in its success. Columbia's R-rated horror sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut" from Phoenix Pictures fell three pegs to seventh place in its third week with a calm ESTIMATED $2.6 million (-41%) at 2,539 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,024 per theater). Its cume is approximately $18.2 million. Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison. Universal and Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated comedy "Bring It On" fell three slots to eighth place in its seventh week with a less lively ESTIMATED $2.2 million (-27%) at 2,382 theaters (-84 theaters; $925 per theater). Its cume is approximately $62.4 million. Having an investment of only about $10 million in "Bring," Universal is well into profit on the picture. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Bring" stars Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dusku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. DreamWorks PG-13-rated supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" held on to ninth place in its 12th week with an okay ESTIMATED $1.2 million (-29%) at 1,375 t eaters (-299 theaters; $851 per theater). Its cume is approximately $152.2 million. "Beneath" is a co-production of DreamWorks, which is releasing it domestically, and 20th Century Fox, which is distributing it internationally. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, "Beneath" stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Rounding out the Top Ten was USA Films' R-rated dark comedy "Nurse Betty," down three pegs in its fifth week with a slower ESTIMATED $1.1 million (-48%) at 1,473 theaters (-16 theaters; $749 per theater). Its cume is approximately $22.7 million. "Betty" actually is owned by Universal, which acquired it as part of its takeover of PolyGram and then brought in USA to handle its domestic release. Directed by Neil La Bute, "Betty" stars Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear. OTHER OPENINGS This weekend also saw the arrival of New Line's R-rated Spike Lee satire "Bamboozled," placing 23rd with an okay ESTIMATED $0.18 million at 17 theaters ($10,294 per theater). "We're going to expand it on Oct. 20 in the 15 top markets," New Line distribution president David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "We knew this picture was going to be a word of mouth picture, so that's what we're doing." Written and directed by Spike Lee, "Bamboozled" stars Damon Wayans, Savion Glover and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Artisan Entertainment's controversial unrated drama "Requiem For A Dream" opened exclusively in New York, placing 25th with a sexy ESTIMATED $0.083 million at 2 theaters ($41,485 per theater). Directed by Darren Arnonofsky, "Requiem" stars Jared Leto and Ellen Burstyn. Lions Gate's R-rated drama "Two Family House" opened in New York and L.A., placing 26th with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.032 million at 9 theaters ($3,571 per theater). Directed by Raymond De Felitta, it stars Michael Rispoli and Kelly MacDonald. 20th Century Fox and New Regency's R-rated drama "Tigerland" opened in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto, placing 27th with a calm ESTIMATED $0.021 million at 5 theaters ($5,818 per theater). Directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Colin Farrell and Matthew Davis. Fox Searchlight Pictures' 50th anniversary re-release of 20th Century Fox's classic "All About Eve" opened in New York, placing 30th with a solid ESTIMATED $12,340 at one theater. It opens in L.A. this Friday (Oct. 13). "It's its 50th anniversary," Fox Searchlight distribution head Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "It actually opened 50 years ago this Friday in New York City at the Roxy Theater. It is a restored print." Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, "Eve" stars Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sander, Celeste Holme, Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter and, in one of her earliest roles, Marilyn Monroe. Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated drama "Bootmen" opened in New York and L.A., placing 31st with a soft ESTIMATED $12,214 at 11 theaters ($1,110 per theater). Directed by Dein Perry, it stars Adam Garcia, Sophie Lee and Sam Worthington. SNEAK PREVIEWS Warner Bros. held sneak previews this weekend at 350 theaters of its PG-13 rated drama "Pay It Forward." For details, see Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman's comments in the Top Ten films report above. Directed by Mimi Leder, "Pay" stars Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. EXPANSIONS On the expansion front, Warner Bros.' PG-13-rated comedy "Best in Show" went wider in its second week, placing 13th with an impressive ESTIMATED $0.76 million at 53 theatres (+40 theaters; $14,340 per theater). Its cume is approximately $1.4 million. For additional details, see Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman's comments in the Top Ten films report above. Directed by Christopher Guest, it stars Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest and John Michael Higgins. Fine Line's R-rated drama "Dancer in the Dark" went wider in its third week, placing 16th with a calm ESTIMATED $0.54 million at 111 theaters (+108 theaters; $4,865 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.9 million. Written and directed by Lars Von Trier, "Dancer" stars Bjork and Catherine Deneuve. Sony's Screen Gems' R-rated drama "Girlfight" expanded in it second week, placing 18th place with a quiet ESTIMATED $0.53 million at 253 theaters (+225 theaters; $2,075 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.8 million. Directed by Karyn Kusama, "Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez. WEEKEND COMPARISONS Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $80.70 million, down about 2.73% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $82.97 million. This weekend's key film gross was up about 40.83% from this year's previous weekend when key films grossed $57.30 million. Last year, Paramount's third week of "Double Jeopardy" was first with $13.54 million at 2,913 theaters ($4,649 per theater); and Sony's opening week of "Random Hearts" was second with $12.01 million at 2,697 theaters ($4,825 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $26.5 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $48.7 million. STUDIO MARKET SHARES Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were: Universal was first with three films ("Meet the Parents," "The Watcher" and "Bring It On"), grossing an ESTIMATED $32.42 million or 40.2% of the market. Buena Vista (Disney and Touchstone) was second with one film ("Remember the Titans"), grossing an ESTIMATED $19.6 million or 24.3% of the market. Warner Bros. was third with five films ("Get Carter," "The Exorcist," "Bait," "Space Cowboys" and "Best in Show"), grossing an ESTIMATED $13.67 million or 16.9% of the market. DreamWorks was fourth with two films ("Almost Famous" and "What Lies Beneath"), grossing an ESTIMATED $5.0 million or 6.2% of the market. 20th Century Fox was fifth with one film ("Digimon: The Movie"), grossing an ESTIMATED $4.1 million or 5.1% of the market. Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia and TriStar) was sixth with one film ("Urban Legends: Final Cut"), grossing an ESTIMATED $2.6 million or 3.2% of the market. ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES (11)The Watcher/Universal: Theaters: 1,749 (-887) Gross: $1.11 million (-51%) Average per theater: $635 Cume: $27.8 million (12)Space Cowboys/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,503 (-503) Gross: $0.9 million (-36%) Average per theater: $599 Cume: $88.3 million (13)Best in Show/Warner Bros.: (see EXPANSIONS above) (14)Bait/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,026 (-984) Gross: $0.68 million (-61%) Average per theater: $658 Cume: $14.5 million (15)Beautiful/Destination: Theaters: 646 (0) Gross: $0.61 million (-56%) Average per theater: $950 Cume: $2.5 million (16)Dancer in the Dark/Fine Line: (see EXPANSIONS above) (17) The Cell/New Line: Theaters: 774 (-649) Gross: $0.53 million (-49%) Average per theater: $680 Cume: $60.0 million (18)Girlfight/Screen Gems/Sony: (see EXPANSIONS above) (19)The Original Kings of Comedy/Paramount: Theaters: 912 (-137) Gross: $0.49 million (-36%) Average per theater: $540 Cume: $37.3 million (20)Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Universal: Theaters: 792 (-293) Gross: $0.43 million (-37%) Average per theater: $540 Cume: $121.4 million (21)Scary Movie/Dimension Films: Theaters: 761 (-492) Gross: $0.42 million (-49%) Average per theater: $545 Cume: $155.7 million (22)Woman On Top/Fox Searchlight: Theaters: 590 (-496) Gross: $0.33 million (-70%) Average per theater: $553 Cume: $4.5 million (23)BAMBOOZLED/New Line: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (24)Gladiator/DreamWorks: Theaters: 249 (-158) Gross: $0.17 million (-37%) Average per theater: $895 Cume: $186.4 million (25)REQUIEM FOR A DREAM/Artisan: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (26) TWO FAMILY HOUSE/Lions Gate: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (27)TIGERLAND/Fox: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (28)Into the Arms of Strangers/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 6 (+1) Gross: $0.020 million (+18%) Average per theater: $3,367 Cume: $0.13 million (29)Under Suspicion/Lions Gate: Theaters: 15 (-4) Gross: $0.019 million (-60%) Average per theater: $1,290 Cume: $0.2 million (30)ALL ABOUT EVE/Fox Searchlight (reissue): (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (31)BOOTMEN/Fox Searchlight: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
B.O. ANALYSIS: 'The Parents' Meet 'The Titans'
By: Martin Grove May 08, 2001 4:19am EST

With "Parents" meeting "Titans" there will be brisk action on the box office playing field and a close race for top honors. "It will be close," an insider promises. "Even though 'Remember the Titans' is expanding, they're bringing in a lot of small markets and there's got to be, at least, a 15% drop. Let's put it at $17 million. I think 'Meet the Parents' has a good chance of being number one. It could be $18 million, or it could more than $20 million if the marketplace expands." The last two weekends saw key films - those grossing $500,000 or more for three days - do a very lean $56-57 million. "The question is," asks this insider, "Will the marketplace expand considerably? Can this be a $70 million weekend (for key films)?" Universal's PG-13-rated comedy "Meet the Parents" will arrive in 2,612 theaters. The film should play to a broad audience, attracting both younger moviegoers (Ben Stiller fans) and over-25 moviegoers (Robert De Niro fans). Directed by Jay Roach (both "Austin Powers" hits), "Parents" stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. "I don't know if 'Meet the Parents' will open to $20 million, but it will certainly open in the mid-to-high teens," predicts another executive. "I think ' Remember the Titans,' which they're adding runs on, has another shot to do $20 million. I think it's going to hold up, but it could be neck and neck. They could still suffer a drop and come in at $17-18 million. But that could put them above 'Meet the Parents.'" Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated football theme drama "Titans," which kicked off to a $20.9 million touchdown last weekend at 1,865 theaters, should benefit from its expansion now to 2,701 theaters. Directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman, "Titans" stars Denzel Washington. "I think the market will be better this weekend than last simply because there will be several titles - 'Meet the Parents' and 'Remember the Titans' and whatever 'Get Carter' and 'Digimon' get," says a distributor. "Last weekend was basically one movie ('Titans') and everything else." Third place should go to Warner Bros.' launch of Franchise Pictures' R-rated action adventure "Get Carter" with $8-10 million, according to the most optimistic Hollywood handicappers. "I think you're talking single digits," says a more cautious executive, who thinks $7-8 million is a more likely range. "That's enough to beat 'The Exorcist,' which only held up as well as it did (off 12% last weekend) because they added (664) runs. They'll probably take a more natural drop down to $5-6 million." Directed by Stephen Kay, "Carter" stars Sylvester Stallone, Miranda Richardson, Rachael Leigh Cook, Alan Cumming, Mickey Rourke and Michael Caine. Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" should finish fourth, down two pegs from last week with $4-5 million. Although it's not going significantly wider this weekend, it will widen again on Friday, Oct. 13, adding 400-500 more theaters. Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow. DreamWorks and Columbia's R-rated comedy drama "Almost Famous," which was third last weekend with a 20% drop to $5.6 million, should slip to fifth place in its fourth week. Another 20% decline would put it at about $4.5 million. If "Famous" manages to hold up slightly better, however, it could sneak in just ahead of "Exorcist" in fourth place. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, "Famous" stars Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand. 20th Century Fox's wide launch of its PG-rated Japanese animated feature "Digimon: The Movie" at 1,850 theaters isn't expected to crack the Top Five. Insiders speculate that it could be in the $3 million ballpark. "It is something for kids, and they haven't had anything for a while," a studio source notes. "Urban Legends: Final Cut," Columbia's R-rated horror sequel, should slide three pegs to seventh place in its third week with $2.5-3 million. Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison. Filling out lower rungs: "Bring It On," "Nurse Betty" and "The Watcher." This weekend will also see Sony's Screen Gems' R-rated drama "Girlfight" expand in its second weekend of limited release. Directed by Karyn Kusama, "Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez. New Line's new Spike Lee film, the R-rated urban appeal comedy drama "Bamboozled," arrives in limited release. Written and directed by Spike Lee, it stars Damon Wayans, Savion Glover and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Artisan Entertainment's controversial unrated drama "Requiem For A Dream" opens exclusively in New York. Directed by Darren Arnonofsky, it stars Jared Leto and Ellen Burstyn. 20th Century Fox and New Regency's R-rated drama "Tigerland" begins its platform release in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Directed by Joel Schumacher, it stars Colin Farrell and Matthew Davis. Lions Gate's R-rated drama "Two Family House" opens in New York and L.A. Directed by Raymond De Felitta, it stars Michael Rispoli and Kelly MacDonald. Fox Searchlight Pictures' R-rated drama "Bootmen" goes into exclusive engagements in New York and L.A. Directed by Dein Perry, it stars Adam Garcia, Sophie Lee and Sam Worthington. Fine Line Features' drama "Dancer in the Dark" widens in limited release to L.A. and other top markets. Written and directed by Lars von Trier, it stars Bjork and Catherine Deneuve.
B.O. ANALYSIS: Remember the Titans comes out on top:
By: Martin Grove May 08, 2001 4:19am EST

Denzel Washington scored a box office touchdown, finally giving Hollywood some ticket sales to "Remember." Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated football drama "Remember the Titans," from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, kicked off in first place with a muscular ESTIMATED $21.2 million at 1,865 theaters ($11,383 per theater). "Titans" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend. "Titans" marks the first $20 million-plus since the arrival of Columbia's "Hollow Man" last Aug. 4. It ranks as Denzel Washington's biggest opening, out-performing the $18.6 million that "Crimson Tide" kicked off with in May 1995. Despite the strong performance by "Titans," key films in the marketplace continued to under-perform compared to a year earlier. Overall, the marketplace was down over 27% from last year. Asked what accounted for "Titans'" strong launch, Buena Vista Distribution president Chuck Viane said Sunday morning, "I think (it was) the blend of the Disney label, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Denzel Washington. The filmmakers really delivered a product that the public loves. Our exit polls are absolutely terrific." Viane said he was still waiting to get exit poll numbers from National Research Group, but pointed to Disney's in-house exit research done by college students in various markets. "They ranked it a 92%," he said. "They had 74% excellent and 23% very good, which is just a remarkably high number. The audience just absolutely (loved it). "The make up last night (Saturday) was 55% male and 45% female. 49% of the groups in there last night were couples. 27% were families. To me this is the outstanding numbers - 24% were teens. Normally teens are just Friday, but they were out there again last night." Viane applauded the studio's marketing team for its campaign on "Titans." "You've got to admit, the marketing department really made this one happen," he said. "They did a fabulous job. It was easy for me (in distribution). There was nothing out there. Everybody was dying to play our movie. We were only going to go to 2,400 (theaters) next Friday. I think that's going to be closer to 2,500 or 2,600, because we're not going to turn people down who ask this time. It's playing so well across the board. There's not a soft spot in the country. And in Canada, which is not an ethnic market and doesn't do American football, we still had a screen average there of $3,800-and-something." Directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman, "Titans" stars Denzel Washington. Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" expanded in its second week, holding on to second place with a still-powerful ESTIMATED $7.43 million (-9%) at 1,150 theaters (+486 theaters; $6,457 per theater). Its cume is approximately $17.9 million. Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow. "It was terrific," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning about the film's expansion. "We're going to have another expansion. We're going to go with a big television campaign Friday, Oct. 13. We're going to push this baby. We're going to do, maybe, $40 million (in domestic theaters). "What's important is that it's the back-end that's going to be the most lucrative for Warners. Because of this, we're going to do a new video and a new DVD release. This reopens the opportunities for television sales worldwide. This is, let's say, a movie that did $40 million, and we're starting all over again with it. It's going to have an international release. It'll be the whole thing. It looks like it's a $100 million movie (in theatrical release worldwide). "The DVD sales alone on this version will be enormous. Even though there's been other videos, this is going to be a collector's item for people. DVD is going to be gigantic. The pay-per-view (will be big). This starts it all over again. Every ancillary that we have will be reinstated into the marketplace." In addition to the success of "Exorcist," Fellman was delighted with Warners' platform opening of its PG-13-rated comedy "Best in Show"(see OTHER OPENINGS below for details) at 13 theaters (2 in New York, 2 in L.A., 1 in Toronto and 8 in San Francisco). "It did $31,000 per theater," Fellman said. "This movie is going to be a smash. It's Christopher Guest. They loved his 'Waiting For Guffman.' They loved (him in Rob Reiner's) 'This Is Spinal Tap.' His audience has been building and building from video and just hit. This is going to be a huge movie. "We're meeting tomorrow morning, and we're going to start expanding on Friday. We'll probably get up to somewhere around 40 to 60 theaters." DreamWorks' R-rated dramatic comedy "Almost Famous" continued to expand in its third week, holding on to third place with a solid ESTIMATED $5.6 million (-20%) at 1,635 theaters (+442 theaters; $3,402 per theater. Its cume is approximately $17.8 million, heading for about $60 million in domestic theaters. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe ("Jerry Maguire"), "Almost" stars Billy Crudup,Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor and Philip Seymour Hoffman. "Famous" is being released internationally by Sony's Columbia Pictures, which co-financed the production and will share equally with DreamWorks in its success. Columbia's R-rated horror sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut" from Phoenix Pictures fell three pegs to fourth place in its second week with a less lively ESTIMATED $4.7 million (-45%) at 2,539 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,851 per theater). Its cume is approximately $15.0 million. Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison. Universal and Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated comedy "Bring It On" fell one notch to fifth place in its sixth week with a less energetic ESTIMATED $2.91 million (-32%) at 2,466 theaters (+9 theaters; $1,180 per theater). Its cume is approximately $59.6 million. Having an investment of only about $10 million in "Bring," Universal is already in profit on the picture. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Bring" stars Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dusku,Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. Universal's R-rated psychological thriller "The Watcher" fell one rung to sixth place in its fourth week with a quieter ESTIMATED $2.25 million (-39%) at 2,636 theaters (-141 theaters; $855 per theater). Its cume is approximately $26.0 million. Universal reportedly picked "Watcher" up from Interlight for only $5 million, so the studio is clearly turning a profit on its investment. Directed by Joe Charbanic, "Watcher" stars James Spader, Marisa Tomei and Keanu Reeves. USA Films' R-rated dark comedy "Nurse Betty" held on to seventh place in its fourth week with a calmer ESTIMATED $2.07 million (-36%) at 1,489 theaters (-2 theaters; $1,387 per theater). Its cume is approximately $21.0 million, heading for $25 million in domestic theaters. "Betty" actually is owned by Universal, which acquired it as part of its takeover of PolyGram and then brought in USA to handle its domestic release. Directed by Neil La Bute, "Betty" stars Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger,Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear. DreamWorks PG-13-rated supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" held on to eighth place, still showing decent legs in its 11th week with an ESTIMATED $1.7 million (-21%) at 1,674 theaters (-145 theaters; $1,040 per theater). Its cume is approximately $150.7 million. "Beneath" is a co-production of DreamWorks, which is releasing it domestically, and 20th Century Fox, which is distributing it internationally. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, "Beneath" stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's R-rated action comedy "Bait" dropped three pegs to ninth place in its third week with a dull ESTIMATED $1.68 million (-50%) at 2,010 theaters (-342 theaters; $836 per theater). Its cume is approximately $13.2 million. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, "Bait" stars Jamie Foxx. Rounding out the Top Ten was Warner Bros. PG-13 sci-fi action adventure "Space Cowboys," down one orbit in its ninth week with an okay ESTIMATED $1.435 million (-33%) at 2,006 theaters (-164 theaters; $715 per theater). Its cume is approximately $87.0 million, heading for $90 million-plus in domestic theaters. Directed by Clint Eastwood, "Space" stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland. The weekend's other wide opening, Destination Films' PG-13-rated comedy drama "Beautiful," was virtually tied for 10th place with a not-so-pretty ESTIMATED $1.429 million at 646 theaters ($2,212 per theater). Directed by Sally Field, it stars Minnie Driver and Joey Lauren Adams. OTHER OPENINGS This weekend also saw the arrival of Warner Bros.' PG-13-rated comedy "Best in Show" in 22nd place, barking loudly with an ESTIMATED $0.403 million at 13 theatres ($31,000 per theater). Its cume after 5 days is approximately $0.5 million. Directed by Christopher Guest, it stars Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest and John Michael Higgins. Sony's Screen Gems' R-rated drama "Girlfight" arrived in 25th place with a punchy ESTIMATED $0.21 million at 28 theaters ($7,500 per theater). "A good start for 'Girlfight,'" Sony Pictures Releasing president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. "We go to 200-plus runs next Friday, mainly big city multiplexes." Directed by Karyn Kusama, "Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez. SNEAK PREVIEWS There were no sneak previews this weekend. EXPANSIONS There were no significant expansions outside the Top Ten this weekend. WEEKEND COMPARISONS Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $57.90 million, down about 27.59% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $79.97 million. This weekend's key film gross was up about 3.29% from this year's previous weekend when key films grossed $56.06 million. Last year, Paramount's second week of "Double Jeopardy" was first with $17.02 million at 2,884 theaters ($5,901 per theater); and Warner Bros.' opening week of "Three Kings" was second with $15.85 million at 2,942 theaters ($5,387 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $32.8 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $28.6 million. STUDIO MARKET SHARES Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were: Buena Vista (Disney and Touchstone) was first with two films ("Remember the Titans" and "Coyote Ugly"), grossing an ESTIMATED $21.73 million or 37.5% of the market. Warner Bros. was second with four films ("The Exorcist," "Bait," "Space Cowboys," and "The Replacements"), grossing an ESTIMATED $11.18 million or 19.3% of the market. DreamWorks was third with two films ("Almost Famous" and "What Lies Beneath"), grossing an ESTIMATED $7.3 million or 12.6% of the market. Universal was fourth with three films ("The Watcher," "Bring It On" and "Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps"), grossing an ESTIMATED $5.8 million or 10.0% of the market. Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia and TriStar) was fifth with one film ("Urban Legends: Final Cut"), grossing an ESTIMATED $4.7 million or 8.1% of the market. USA Films was sixth with one film ("Nurse Betty"), grossing an ESTIMATED $2.1 million or 3.6% of the market. ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES (11)BEAUTIFUL/Destination: (see TOP 10 above) (12)Woman On Top/Fox Searchlight: Theaters: 1,086 (+1) Gross: $1.1 million (-45%) Average per theater: $1,019 Cume: $3.8 million (13)The Cell/New Line: Theaters: 1,423 (-480) Gross: $0.98 million (-39%) Average per theater: $685 Cume: $58.9 million (14)Scary Movie/Dimension Films: Theaters: 1,253 (-425) Gross: $0.83 million (-36%) Average per theater: $665 Cume: $155.2 million (15)The Original Kings of Comedy/Paramount: Theaters: 1,049 (-33) Gross: $0.78 million (-29%) Average per theater: $745 Cume: $36.6 million (16)Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Universal: Theaters: 1,083 (-127) Gross: $0.64 million (-48%) Average per theater: $590 Cume: $120.8 million (17)The Replacements/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,156 (-209) Gross: $0.63 million (-44%) Average per theater: $550 Cume: $43.4 million (18)Coyote Ugly/BV/Touchstone: Theaters: 725 (-158) Gross: $0.53 million (-34%) Average per theater: $734 Cume: $58.5 million (19)Duets/Buena Vista: Theaters: 577 (-6) Gross: $0.46 million (-50%) Average per theater: $802 Cume: $4.3 million (20)Saving Grace/Fine Line: Theaters: 632 (-74) Gross: $0.45 million (-35%) Average per theater: $715 Cume: $11.5 million (21)The Art of War/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 720 (-365) Gross: $0.43 million (-48%) Average per theater: $600 Cume: $29.5 million (22)BEST IN SHOW/Warner Bros.: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (23)Autumn in New York/MGM: Theaters: 827 (-355) Gross: $0.38 million (-45%) Average per theater: $455 Cume: $37.1 million (24)Gladiator/DreamWorks: Theaters: 407 (-115) Gross: $0.28 million (-32%) Average per theater: $685 Cume: $186.1 million (25)GIRLFIGHT/Screen Gems: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (26)Dancer in the Dark/Fine Line Theaters: 3 (0) Gross: $0.11 million (+20%) Average per theater: $36,708 Cume: $0.25 million (27)Under Suspicion/Lions Gate: Theaters: 19 (0) Gross: $0.046 million (-58%) Average per theater: $2,445 Cume: $0.2 million (28)Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle/Universal: Theaters: 128 (-37) Gross: $0.045 million (-29%) Average per theater: $355 Cume: $26.0 million (29)Into the Arms of Strangers/Warner Bros: Theaters: 5 (0) Gross: $0.015 million (-46%) Average per theater: $2,984 Cume: $0.1 million (31)The Fantasticks/MGM/United Artists: Theaters: 6 (0) Gross: $0.008 million (-65%) Average per theater: $1,391 Cume: $0.040 million
THE COMING BOX OFFICE WEEKEND (SEPT. 29-OCT. 1, 2000)
By: Martin Grove May 08, 2001 4:19am EST

HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 28, 2000 It should be a weekend to "Remember" as "Remember the Titans" hits the box office gridiron. "Titans," Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated football theme drama, is kicking off at 1,865 theaters. It has insiders seeing green, a box office color that's been invisible so far this fall. "I think we will remember the 'Titans,'" observes one studio executive. "They'll be over $20 million. At last a movie exploits the soft marketplace." "There's no question 'Remember the Titans' will be the number one film -- $20-25 million," predicts another distributor. Driven by "Titans," the weekend should be up sharply from last week when key films only managed to gross about $56 million. The improvement will come, a source maintains, "thanks to one movie, which is all the market ever needs to turn around." "I hope the marketplace will expand to $65 million," a distribution executive adds, explaining the bump up will be "mostly because of 'Titans.'" Directed by Boaz Yakin and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman, "Titans" stars Denzel Washington. With both Warner Bros.' "The Exorcist" and DreamWorks' "Almost Famous" expanding this weekend, some observers expect a close race for second place with both films doing around $8 million. Others, however, are predicting that "Famous" will have the better hold and finish second with $7-8 million while "Exorcist" falls one notch to third with $4-5 million. DreamWorks and Columbia's R-rated comedy drama "Almost Famous," which was third last weekend with 1,193 runs, will widen to 1,635 theaters in its third week. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, "Famous" stars Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson and Frances McDormand. Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" opened in second place last week at just 664 theaters. It will add nearly 500 runs to bring its second weekend total to 1,150 theaters. Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow. "Urban Legends," Columbia's R-rated horror sequel, should fall three under performs slightly and "Legends" holds up a bit better than expected, they could be slugging it out for the third spot. Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison. Universal and Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated comedy "Bring It On" should slide one slot to fifth place in its sixth week. Last weekend "Bring" did $4.3 million and was only off 16%. If it slides 18% now, it will do about $3.5 million. "Bring" only cost Universal about $10 million. With its cume already over $56 million, it's on its way to a nicely-profitable $60 million or more in domestic theaters. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Bring" starsKirsten Dunst, Eliza Dusku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. Insiders aren't expecting beautiful business from "Beautiful," Destination Films' PG-13-rated comedy drama opening at about 650 theaters. "I'll bet you it doesn't crack the Top Five," an insider predicts. Directed by Sally Field, it stars Minnie Driver and Joey Lauren Adams. Filling out lower rungs: "Nurse Betty," "The Watcher," "Space Cowboys," "Bait" and "What Lies Beneath." This weekend will also see Sony's Screen Gems' limited release of its R-rated drama "Girlfight." Directed by Karyn Kusama, "Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez. Sony Pictures Classics' romantic comedy "The Broken Hearts Club" opens exclusive engagements in New York and L.A. Directed by Greg Berlanti, "Broken" stars Timothy Olyphant and Andrew Keegan.
B.O. ANALYSIS: Horror Tops Box Office
By: Martin Grove May 08, 2001 4:19am EST

Horror was the word this weekend, both on screen and off as Hollywood suffered yet another under-performing weekend. Columbia's R-rated horror sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut" from Phoenix Pictures took the biggest slice of box office pie, placing first with an energetic estimated $8.8 million at 2,539 theaters ($3,466 per theater). Insiders had anticipated a double-digit launch by "Urban." It was the third consecutive weekend in which the film placing first did not gross $10 million or more. "The original opened to $10.5 million and went on to do $38 million. We certainly hope we can get to the $25-30 range, which would make it very profitable for us. It's a $14.6 million production cost, so we make money for sure," Sony Pictures Releasing president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning. Asked about pre-weekend industry talk that "Urban" would open to over $10 million, Blake replied, "Our hoped-for figure was $10 million. I thought it would be very difficult to do any more than that, but we would have liked to have done $10 million. Look, I think 'Exorcist' didn't help our cause any, but the (core audience) for our picture is really 17-25, people who weren't born when 'The Exorcist' came out. "I think, in a way, at least having three movies doing reasonably well invigorated the market a little bit. It was up about 15 percent from last week. We came pretty close to what we should have hoped for and, as I say, it's never bad to be Number One." Directed by John Ottman, "Urban" stars Jennifer Morrison. Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist" enjoyed a livelier return than insiders had expected, taking second place with a head-spinning estimated $8.53 million at 664 theaters ($12,839 per theater). Its cume (including about $256,000 from 10 test runs that began last March 17) is approximately $8.8 million. One of those test runs in Austin, Texas, is still playing and is in its 17th week now. Directed by William Friedkin, "Exorcist" stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow. "This movie is 27 years old. It's done about $150 million to date," Warner Bros. Distribution president Dan Fellman said Sunday morning, explaining that there are no records at the studio from 27 years ago showing what it grossed in its original theatrical run. "Over the years, it's never stopped playing. People pick it up for Midnight shows and things like that. So there's always something happening with that movie." How did the reissue come about? "I had read a People magazine story after 'The Blair Witch Project' opened. They took a poll of the scariest movie ever made and it came back 'The Exorcist' - even after 'Blair Witch.' Then Entertainment Weekly did a similar thing and it came out the same way. I called Bill Friedkin and talked to him about maybe putting in some additional footage and doing a director's cut. He felt that he had made his director's cut. It was a classic and extremely well reviewed. (But he) decided it was an interesting thought and that we should sit down and talk about it. "So I got (writer-producer) Bill Blatty and Bill Friedkin and we sat down. I had no idea, (but) Bill Blatty had always had a version of the book and screenplay that was different from the cut that Billy Friedkin had delivered to the studio. He wanted to have more of a spiritual version. Billy had changed things a little bit. Over the years, (Blatty) had been talking to Billy about cutting the movie the way that he had envisioned his story being told. Billy never wanted to do it. "Twenty-seven years has passed and they've had great success. I was interested in bringing it back. Billy said to me, 'The only reason I'll do it is if I can add footage and cut it the way that Blatty wanted it done. I'll do Blatty's version.' I was fine with that. Bill (Blatty) was thrilled with it and was so excited that Bill Friedkin would do it. There's never been a movie this old re-released that has had this phenomenal success." Fellman pointed out, "Our plan on this movie was to test it, which we did in March. We had satisfactory results and looked for (the right release) date. We found the date. We went with major markets - 664 theaters. We had success this weekend, and we're going to bring in about another 400 theaters this weekend. We're going to do the balance of the country on Friday the 13th - Oct. 13. Maybe another 400-800 (theaters)." DreamWorks' R-rated dramatic comedy "Almost " went wide in its second week, finishing third with a still-encouraging estimated $7.0 million (+202 percent) at 1,193 theaters (+1,062 theaters; $5,860 per theater). Its cume is approximately $10.3 million, heading for about $60 million in domestic theaters. Written and directed by Cameron Crowe ("Jerry Maguire"), "Almost" stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Patrick Fugit, Anna Paquin, Fairuza Balk, Noah Taylor and Philip Seymour Hoffman. "Famous" had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in over 1,000 theaters last weekend. "I think it worked very well," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning about the film's expansion. "It's the kind of movie you have to get into the marketplace to show people (in order) for word to get out. We had a 55 percent increase from Friday to Saturday night on the movie. It plays extremely well, and word gets out very quickly now. It's still playing older. More than half the people are still over 25. We're pleased with the expansion, and we're going to continue that this weekend, adding another 400-500 runs." Asked where it could wind up domestically, Tharp replied, "It could be in the $60 million range if it continues to hold. 'American Beauty' was a $75 million movie before it got to nominations and awards time. It ended up at $130 million. This would be slightly under that (going into the awards season). Gross-wise, it's actually running slightly ahead, but we went with a few more runs the second week than we did with 'American Beauty.'" "Famous" is being released internationally by Sony's Columbia Pictures, which co-financed the production and will share equally with DreamWorks in its success. Columbia will kick off "Famous" in November at the London Film Festival. Universal and Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated comedy "Bring It On" fell one peg to fourth place in its fifth week with a still upbeat estimated $4.17 million (-18 percent) at 2,457 theaters (+30 theaters; $1,695 per theater). Its cume is approximately $55.9 million, heading for $60 million in domestic theaters. Having an investment of only about $10 million in "Bring," Universal is already in profit on the picture. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Bring" stars Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dusku, Jesse Bradford and Gabrielle Union. Universal's R-rated psychological thriller "The Watcher" slid four slots to fifth place in its third week with a less exciting estimated $3.6 million (-38 percent) at 2,777 theaters (+32 theaters; $1,295 per theater). Its cume is approximately $22.7 million, heading for $25-30 million in domestic theaters. Universal reportedly picked "Watcher" up from Interlight for only $5 million, so the studio is clearly turning a profit on its investment. Directed by Joe Charbanic, "Watcher" stars James Spader, Marisa Tomei and Keanu Reeves. Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment's R-rated action comedy "Bait" sank four rungs to sixth place in its second week with a calm estimated $3.38 million (-38 percent) at 2,352 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,435 per theater). Its cume is approximately $10.6 million. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, "Bait" stars Jamie Foxx. USA Films' R-rated dark comedy "Nurse Betty" fell three notches to seventh place in its third week with less robust estimated $3.31 million (-26 percent) at 1,491 theaters (+22 theaters; $2,220 per theater). Its cume is approximately $18.1 million, heading for $21-25 million in domestic theaters. "Betty" actually is owned by Universal, which acquired it as part of its takeover of PolyGram and then brought in USA to handle its domestic release. Directed by Neil La Bute, "Betty" stars Morgan Freeman, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock and Greg Kinnear. DreamWorks PG-13-rated supernatural thriller "What Lies Beneath" dropped one slot to eighth place in its 10th week, still holding well with an estimated $2.2 million (-6 percent) at 1,819 theaters (-188 theaters; $1,200 per theater). Its cume is approximately $148.5 million. "Beneath" is a co-production of DreamWorks, which is releasing it domestically, and 20th Century Fox, which is distributing it internationally. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, "Beneath" stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Warner Bros. PG-13 sci-fi action adventure "Space Cowboys" fell four rungs to ninth place in its eighth week with an okay estimated $2.17 million (-14 percent) at 2,170 theaters (-291 theaters; $998 per theater). Its cume is approximately $85.1 million, heading for $90-100 million in domestic theaters. Directed by Clint Eastwood, "Space" stars Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland. Rounding out the Top Ten was Fox Searchlight Pictures' opening of its R-rated romantic comedy "Woman On Top" with a soft estimated $1.91 million at 1,085 theaters ($1,765 per theater). Directed by Fina Torres, "Woman" stars Penelope Cruz. "It's a little disappointing, but we knew we had a challenge," Fox Searchlight distribution president Stephen Gilula said Sunday morning. "In the smaller cities, it was not nearly as good. We actually had some very solid performances in some of the larger cities - New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco. So it was stronger in the larger cities and not as good in the more regional areas. As it turns out, because it's an international subject matter, it's a stronger big city film. It went up very nicely on Saturday night, so we're hopeful on word of mouth on this." OTHER OPENINGS This weekend also saw the arrival of Lions Gate Films' R-rated drama "Under Suspicion" in New York and L.A., placing 26th with an okay estimated $0.11 million at 19 theaters ($6,277 per theater). Directed by Stephen Hopkins, "Suspicion" stars Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman. MGM's release of United Artists' PG-rated musical drama "The Fantasticks" arrived exclusively in New York, L.A. and San Francisco, placing 30th with a quiet estimated $0.024 million at 6 theaters ($4,000 per theater). Directed byMichael Ritchie, it stars Joel Grey and Barnard Hughes. SNEAK PREVIEWS Universal held sneaks Saturday night of its PG-13 rated comedy "Meet the Parents" at 185 theaters in the top 10-14 markets. Details of the sneaks were not available early Sunday morning, but other distributors said they believed they were well attended based on Saturday night business for Universal's "The Watcher" and "Bring It On," the films with which the sneaks were held. "Parents" opens Oct. 6 at 2,000-plus theaters. Directed by Jay Roach, it stars Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. EXPANSIONS Lions Gate Films' R-rated drama "Urbania" went wider in its second week, placing 27th with a dull estimated $0.066 million at 14 theaters ($4,719 per theater). Its cume is approximately $0.1 million. Directed by Jon Shear, "Urbania" stars Dan Futterman and Matt Keeslar. WEEKEND COMPARISONS Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $56.68 million, down about 21.64 percent from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $72.35 million. This weekend's key film gross was up about 19.69 percent from this year's previous weekend, when key films grossed $47.36 million. Last year, Paramount's opening week of "Double Jeopardy" was first with $23.16 million at 2,547 theaters ($9,094 per theater); and Sony's second week of "Blue Streak" was second with $12.55 million at 2,735 theaters ($4,588 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $35.7 million. This year, the top two films grossed an estimated $17.3 million. STUDIO MARKET SHARES Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were: Warner Bros. was first with six films "The Exorcist," "Bait," "Space Cowboys," "The Art Of War," "The Perfect Storm" and "The Replacements"), grossing an estimated $16.78 million or 29.6 percent of the market. DreamWorks was second with two films ("Almost Famous" and "What Lies Beneath"), grossing an estimated $9.2 million or 16.2 percent of the market. Universal was third with three films ("The Watcher," "Bring It On" and "Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps"), grossing an estimated $8.83 million or 15.6 percent of the market. Sony Pictures Releasing (Columbia and TriStar) was fourth with one film ("Urban Legends: Final Cut"), grossing an estimated $8.8 million or 15.5 percent of the market. USA Films was fifth with one film ("Nurse Betty"), grossing an estimated $3.31 million or 5.8 percent of the market. New Line Cinema (New Line and Fine Line Features) was sixth with two films ("The Cell" and "Saving Grace"), grossing an estimated $2.3 million or 4.0 percent of the market. ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES (11)The Cell/New Line: Theaters: 1,678 (-319) Gross: $1.65 million (-33 percent) Average per theater: $864 Cume: $57.5 million (12)Scary Movie/Dimension Films: Theaters: 1,678 (-319) Gross: $1.33 million (-356 percent) Average per theater: $795 Cume: $154.1 million (13)The Replacements/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,365 (-348) Gross: $1.21 million (-13 percent) Average per theater: $885 Cume: $42.6 million (14)The Original Kings of Comedy/Paramount: Theaters: 1,082 (+42) Gross: $1.11 million (-28 percent) Average per theater: $1,025 Cume: $35.5 million (15)Nutty Professor II: The Klumps/Universal: Theaters: 1,210 (-192) Gross: $1.07 million (-13 percent) Average per theater: $880 Cume: $119.8 million (16)The Art of War/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 1,085 (-620) Gross: $0.96 million (-38 percent) Average per theater: $885 Cume: $28.9 million (17)Duets/Buena Vista: Theaters: 583 (+2) Gross: $0.92 million (-54 percent) Average per theater: $1,580 Cume: $3.5 million (18)Coyote Ugly/BV/Touchstone: Theaters: 883 (-221) Gross: $0.8 million (-21 percent) Average per theater: $900 Cume: $57.8 million (19)Autumn in New York/MGM: Theaters: 1,182 (-390) Gross: $0.72 million (-24 percent) Average per theater: $610 Cume: $36.5 million (20)Highlander: Endgame/Dimension Films: Theaters: 1,331 (-215) Gross: $0.68 million (-39 percent) Average per theater: $510 Cume: $11.9 million (21)Saving Grace/Fine Line: Theaters: 706 (-168) Gross: $0.65 million (-28 percent) Average per theater: $920 Cume: $10.8 million (22)The Perfect Storm/Warner Bros.: Theaters: 602 (-62) Gross: $0.55 million (+1 percent) Average per theater: $915 Cume: $180.1 million (23)Gladiator/DreamWorks: Theaters: 522 (-215) Gross: $0.42 million (-19 percent) Average per theater: $805 Cume: $185.6 million (24)X-Men/Fox: Theaters: 524 (-57) Gross: $0.4 million (-16 percent) Average per theater: $765 Cume: $155.2 million (25)The Way of the Gun/Artisan Ent.: Theaters: 822 (-743) Gross: $0.39 million (-68 percent) Average per theater: $480 Cume: $5.1 million (26)UNDER SUSPICION/Lions Gate: (see OTHER OPENINGS above) (27)Urbania/Lions Gate; (see EXPANSIONS above) (28)Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle/Universal: Theaters: 167 (-38) Gross: $0.050 million (-30 p ercent) Average per theater: $300 Cume: $25.9 million (29)Into the Arms of Strangers/Warner Bros: Theaters: 5 (0) Gross: $0.029 million (-10 percent) Average per theater: $5,766 Cume: $0.075 million (30)THE FANTASTICKS/MGM/United Artists: (see OTHER OPENINGS above)
Meg Ryan's New Aussie Mate
By: Fiona Ng March 19, 2001 11:50am EST

Maybe Meg Ryan really prefers men from down under. Daily Variety reports that the actress is set to star opposite "X-Men" breakthrough Hugh Jackman in the romantic comedy "Kate & Leopold." Directed by James Mangold ("Girl, Interrupted"), the story follows a late-19th century duke (Jackman) who falls in love with a modern-day woman and must travel through time to be with her. Ryan, who separated from Dennis Quaid earlier this year, is currently romantically linked to Aussie stud Russell Crowe, whom she met on the set of the upcoming "Proof of Life." HUNTING TOMMY LEE JONES: Is Tommy Lee Jones in danger of being typecast? After "The Fugitive" and "Double Jeopardy," the character actor might once again play a police tracker in the thriller "The Hunted," Daily Variety says. The film, directed by William Friedkin ("Rules of Engagement"), focuses on a murderer who gets his kicks from being the subject of a manhunt, which would be headed by Jones' character. A FIENNES BORDER: The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Ralph Fiennes might fill the starring role left vacant by Kevin Costner in the drama "Beyond Borders." Directed by Oliver Stone and co-starring Angelina Jolie, the story follows a love affair against the backdrop of humanitarian efforts worldwide. And no, we're sure what that means neither. AUSTIN POWERS SEES PINK: Mike Myers might finally see a $20 million payday with his possible involvement in "The Pink Panther" remake, Variety said yesterday. The Austin Power- meister has been offered the part of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau, a role once made famous by Peter Sellers, in the upcoming Ivan Reitman ("Six Days, Seven Nights") project.
Box Office Sales "Remember"
By: Kit Bowen March 19, 2001 11:50am EST

To no one's big surprise, Buena Vista/Disney scored big this weekend with their football drama, Remember The Titans. Taking first place with an impressive ESTIMATED $21.2 million at 1,865 theaters ($11,383 per theater), it's a touchdown for producer, Jerry Bruckheimer and star Denzel Washington. Titans had the highest per-theater average for any film playing in wide release last weekend and finally marks the first $20 million-plus opener since Columbia's Hollow Man last August 4th. It also stands as Denzel Washington's biggest opening since his $18.6 million release with Crimson Tide in May 1995. Warner Bros.' reissue of its R-rated 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist", directed by William Friedkin and starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair and Max von Sydow, expanded in its second week, strongly holding on to second place with an ESTIMATED $7.43 million (-9%) at 1,150 theaters (+486 theaters; $6,457 per theater). Its accumulative so far is approximately $17.9 million. DreamWorks' R-rated dramatic comedy "Almost Famous", directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup and Frances McDormand, continued to expand in its third week, holding on to third place with a solid ESTIMATED $5.6 million (-20%) at 1,635 theaters (+442 theaters; $3,402 per theater). Its accumulative is approximately $17.8 million, heading for about $60 million in domestic theaters. Columbia's R-rated horror sequel "Urban Legends: Final Cut", directed by John Ottman and starring Jennifer Morrison, from Phoenix Pictures fell three pegs to fourth place in its second week with a less lively ESTIMATED $4.7 million (-45%) at 2,539 theaters (theater count unchanged; $1,851 per theater). Its accumulative is approximately $15.0 million. However, even though Remember The Titans did well and gave the box office a much needed kick in the pants, overall, the marketplace is down over 27% from last year and the films being released are under-performing. But look out for the studios to release their big Oscar guns.
Still Scary After All These Years
By: Steve Ryfle March 19, 2001 11:50am EST

This ain't your daddy's version of "The Exorcist." The most acclaimed and artfully done horror film is returning to U.S. cinemas on Friday, 27 years after its original release. With a full 11 minutes of never-before-seen footage, plus a fully reworked stereo soundtrack (with additional music and notched-up sound effects), "The Exorcist" feels, in many ways, just as contemporary today as when it was released (except maybe for the big lapels, sideburns and the slow pacing). This isn't the "director's cut" of the film, but rather the "writer's cut." William Peter Blatty, who wrote the screenplay (based on his novel), has been lobbying ever since "The Exorcist" first came out to replace a handful of scenes that director William Friedkin filmed but edited out of the picture. (Read Hollywood.com's accompanying interview with William Friedkin.) While most of these additions are either minor (a short snippet of dialogue) or low-key (new noises in the attic, a ghostly shadow on the wall), there are several major changes that help to explain some of the enduring mysteries of the film. Here's a brief rundown of the major scenes that now appear, for the first time, in "The Exorcist." The "Spider-Walk" Scene: This deleted scene, which lasts only a few seconds, is the stuff of movie legend. In one of the most conventional "shock value"-type scenes filmed for "The Exorcist," Regan (Linda Blair) startles her mother and housekeeper by scampering down the stairs upside-down in a weird sort of insect crawl. Originally, director Friedkin opted to cut this scene out simply because it didn't look convincing; the effect was created by hanging Blair's stunt double on wires and gliding her down the stairs, but the wires were slightly visible and it was apparent that Regan wasn't crawling under her own power. For the new version, Friedkin used computer-generated imaging to matte out the pesky wires and to otherwise clean up the imperfect effects work. Then he replaced this footage (it occurs, startlingly, at the end of the scene wherein Regan's mom learns of Burke's mysterious death). He also judiciously edited it for maximum effect, cutting out the tail end of the sequence wherein Regan's devilish (and very rubbery) tongue flicks out of her mouth. The Doctor's Office: One of the great mysteries (or imperfections, if you prefer) of the original cut of "The Exorcist" was that there was very little foreshadowing of Regan's demonic possession. Except for her fascination with a Ouija board, there was nothing to suggest a connection to the supernatural. In fact, there was a gaping hole in the story. After the infamous "party scene," wherein Regan wanders into the room and tells an astronaut that he's going to "die up there" on the moon, Chris puts her daughter to bed and tells her not to worry. That her weird, unexplainable behavior is caused by nerves, just like the doctor said. But never before had the movie shown or mentioned anything about a visit to the doctor. The new version of "The Exorcist" fixed that gap by replacing an entire scene that Friedkin originally filmed yet deleted because he felt it too expository. The Moment of Truth: Near the end of the film, after Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) have completed Round One of the exorcism, the two priests sit outside Regan's bedroom, gathering strength to continue the climactic ritual. In the original cut, two men were simply seen sitting on the stairs, and the implication was that they were simply collecting their physical strength. The new version restores a brief conversation between the two, wherein Karras asks the question that all of us watching the question are also asking: "Why her? Why would the devil possess this little girl." Father Merrin doesn't exactly know, except to say that it's the ultimate test of faith, a gambit by the devil designed to erode everyone's faith in God.
The Devil's Handiwork?
By: Steve Ryfle March 19, 2001 11:50am EST

Has America become too prudish for projectile vomiting? Apparently the Motion Picture Association of America thinks so. The powerful ratings board recently gave a thumbs-down to a trailer for the upcoming re-release of "The Exorcist," deeming it too "extreme" for modern audiences. Yes, we're talking about "The Exorcist," that high-falutin' devil-possession movie that came out in, uh, 1973. Twenty-freakin'-seven years ago. This has director William Friedkin, who supervised the restoration of the film, including 12 minutes of footage that was cut from the original version, hopping mad. "Rejecting it on the grounds that it was too intense is like rejecting it on the grounds that it's too funny," Friedkin told The Hollywood Reporter last week. "It makes no sense at all and seems to be contrary to the purpose of the ratings board, which is not to judge content but simply to issue a rating based on certain material in the shots -- nudity, excessive violence or language -- and this trailer has none of that." Friedkin described the nixed trailer as "... Very abstract and impressionistic. You won't get the story line out of it." We called the MPAA to get its side of the story, but haven't received word yet as to what the association found objectionable in the trailer. The trailer, by the way, can be downloaded from the Ain't It Cool Web site (www.aint-it-cool-news.com), but you've got to hunt for it (hint: search for the word "Exorcist"). According to the movie's official Web site (www.theexorcist.warnerbros.com), the restored version of "The Exorcist" includes something called the "spider walk" scene, wherein Regan (Linda Blair) turns upside down and walks down a flight of stairs in a crab-like posture.