As to how far Harry flies in domestic theaters, Goldstein added, "We just have to wait the next couple weeks and see how strong the repeat business is. We hear from theater owners all throughout the world that kids are coming back in droves (because) they love the movie."
Meanwhile, Warners has a highly anticipated opening this Friday (Dec. 7) in Ocean's Eleven at 2,500-plus theaters. Insiders expect Ocean's to be one of the holiday season's top box office success stories. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Ocean's' extensive cast includes such stars as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts.
20th Century Fox and Davis Entertainment's PG-13 rated war drama Behind Enemy Lines opened in second place with stronger than expected firepower to an ESTIMATED $19.2 million at 2,770 theaters ($6,931 per theater)
Lines' average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by John Moore, it stars Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman.
"I'm not sure it's better than we thought we would, but it sure is better than anybody else thought," Fox distribution president Bruce Snyder said Sunday morning, referring to the strong opening. Many of those focusing on Hollywood's advance radar screen had anticipated Lines to kick off to $13-15 million.
What made the difference? "Quality, at the end of the day," Snyder replied.
Some Hollywood handicappers pointed out that Lines played very well in small towns, which tend not to be reflected well in studio tracking studies. "Well, I guess there is truth in that," Snyder said. "The picture worked from the inside of the country out. It was great in small towns. It was great in big towns in the heartland. It worked right across the board."
Any concerns that the post-Sept. 11 climate in America might not be terrific for a war movie were clearly shot down by Lines' successful launch. "We had seen that (that wasn't a factor) as we went through our screening process," Snyder noted. "People were loving the movie. And you know what? Quality at the end of the day does work."
Who was on hand opening weekend? "54 percent male and 54 percent 25 and over," Snyder said, referring to the studio's Friday night exit polls. "The ratings were fantastic. The top two boxes were almost 80 percent. It was overwhelmingly strong. The definite recommends were in the high 60s. So it's not a surprise then (to see so good an opening) when you look at those kind of results."