"The business yesterday was outrageous," USA Films distribution president Jack Foley said Sunday morning. "It's just so good. It's breaking out!"
Looking ahead, Foley said, the film should "finish the week with probably another $1.4 million (bringing it to) about $8.1 million and go into next weekend with an additional 100-plus theaters. I'm already sitting on 100 more runs right now for next week. And being that it is the holiday weekend, I'll get up as high as I can. If I can get (up to) 800, I'd do that because I want to exploit the Golden Globes, the holiday weekend and moving out of the Golden Globes into the (next weekend) with as much broadening as I can.
"I know I can be aggressive now because the film has demonstrated its accessibility in the marketplace. It demonstrated it in Nashville, where yesterday we did about $5,000 (and in) Tallahassee with $3,000 and Baton Rouge with $3,000. The suburbs and the small regional markets are all cranking. So I feel confident that we can go up to the next level."
If all goes well, Foley explained, by Jan. 24 "this $6.7 million that's going to turn into $8.1 million (by Jan. 18) is going to be over $13 million. It will be the biggest grossing Altman film in recent history because we'll surpass Dr. T and the Women at that point. Dr. T did about $12.2 million. Obviously, with the momentum the film is carrying right now, we've got a long way to go. It's very exciting because at this stage of the game it's going to take out The Player, too, which was about $21 million."
Rounding out the Top Ten was Warner Bros.' mega-blockbuster Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, down one rung in its ninth week with a calm ESTIMATED $3.4 million (-44%) at 2,170 theaters (-511 theaters; $1,567 per theater). Its cume is approximately $305.0 million, heading for $320 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Chris Columbus, Harry stars Daniel Radcliffe in its title role.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw Universal's R rated fantasy thriller Brotherhood of the Wolf arrive to a biting ESTIMATED $0.47 million at 21 theaters
($22,523 per theater).
Directed by Christopher Gans, it stars Samuel Le Bihan.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.