While much of America is breaking out the barbecue, Pearl Harbor is on its way to breaking box office records this Memorial Day weekend, despite mediocre reviews and a rainy weekend forecast for much of the country.
Preliminary estimates indicate that Pearl Harbor grossed $17.5 million Friday ($5,435 per theater) and will do $75.3 million for the four-day weekend ($23,421 per theater), sources close to Hollywood say.
Last year, Mission: Impossible 2 opened to $16.5 million for Friday and did
$70.8 million for the four-day weekend. It went on to gross $215.4 million in
domestic theaters. Initial signs point to Pearl Harbor passing these numbers by Monday.
Though it may be too early in the weekend to draw conclusions about Pearl‘s eventual grosses, it’s clear that neither rain nor sleet nor family barbecues will keep America from seeing what’s been termed the first blockbuster movie event of the summer.
