Two tough women struggled last weekend for box office supremacy, with both emerging victorious.
With $61.8 million through Wednesday, Panic Room is certain to be Jodie Foster's first $100 million hit since 1997's Contact ($100.9 million). The claustrophobic thriller--with Foster thwarting a home invasion--also surpassed the box office totals for Alien 3 ($54.9 million) and The Game ($48.2 million) to become director David Fincher's biggest hit bar Seven ($100.1 million). After dropping an acceptable 39 percent in its second weekend, from $30 million to $18.2 million, Panic Room should amass between $11 million and $12 million this weekend.
Ashley Judd's High Crimes managed an impressive $14 million opening without the benefit of much pre-release fanfare and has $16.7 million through Wednesday. That's better than the $13.2 million opening for Kiss the Girls, which first paired Judd with High Crimes co-star Morgan Freeman. However, lousy reviews for this nonsensical courtroom thriller should result in a 50 percent plunge this weekend. High Crimes doesn't have the smarts or endurance to surpass Kiss the Girls' $60.5 million total.
The laughter seemed to stop last weekend despite the arrival of two comedies.
National Lampoon's Van Wilder--the first theatrical release to bear the comic institution's moniker since 1995's disastrous Senior Trip--collected a puny $7.3 million in its first weekend. National Lampoon clearly made the wrong choice in attaching its name to what was once known as Van Wilder: Party Planner.
With only $8.8 million through Wednesday, National Lampoon's Van Wilder once again proves that no one cares about Tara Reid unless she's serving up American Pie.
Tim Allen and Rene Russo wanted Big Trouble, and they sure got it in the form of a less-than-explosive $3.5 million debut.
Get Shorty director Barry Sonnenfeld's latest crime caper opened last weekend after being postponed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Seven months later, audiences still aren't ready to laugh at a plot that involves a stolen nuclear bomb and the possible military downing of a passenger airplane. Big Trouble has $4.1 million total through Wednesday, with $10 million a possible total.
Big Trouble's failure--expected or otherwise--comes as bad news for Allen and Russo. Allen's ignored Joe Somebody ($22.7 million) seems like a blockbuster in comparison. Russo now has three flops in a row following last month's Showtime ($36.3 million) and 2000's The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle ($26 million).
A plot to kill a beloved children's TV entertainer didn't need much help from Robin Williams. Death to Smoochy dropped out of the Top 10 after just one week. Director Danny DeVito's children's TV satire tumbled 62 percent in its second weekend, going from $4.2 million to $1.6 million. Its total through Sunday: $7.2 million.