Box Office Analysis for May 18: The Matrix Reloaded. Daddy Day Care, X2: X-Men United, Down With Love, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Anger Management, Identity, Holes, A Mighty Wind, Bend It Like Beckham

Thanksgiving box office retrospective

Martin Grove's box office analysis for the Thanksgiving weekend 2002. Includes a retrospective of the holiday weekend at the box office over the last 10 years.

Three films should enjoy heaping portions of box office pie over a five-day Thanksgiving period in which the marketplace expands to $240 million or more. Which movie carves itself the biggest slice of holiday business remains to be seen, but insiders say the happy chart-topping trio will be Universal and Imagine Entertainment's "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," last weekend's Number One film, and Buena Vista's two openings -- Disney's "102 Dalmatians" and Touchstone's "Unbreaka

HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 6, 2000 -- Recycled genre cool vs. offbeat comedy vs. a bunch of Pokemon knockoffs -- that's the lineup heading into the cineplexes this weekend as "Get Carter," "Meet the Parents" and "Digimon: The Movie" open. But the question remains: Can any of these films unseat last week's No. 1, Denzel Washington's feel-good fest "Remember the Titans"? Here's a rundown of this weekend's new films: "Get Carter" The Skinny: Sly Stallone stars as the stolid small-time gangster set out to aven

HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 24, 2000 -- What? Robin Williams playing a flamboyant and outrageous character? Yep, in what's obviously not-much-of-a-stretch, the seasoned funnyman is going to portray Liberace in a biopic currently in development. Titled "Liberace," the flick will follow the rise of the flaming entertainer's career until his death in 1987. HEARING VOICES: Variety reports that Alec Baldwin will produce and star in a series of play readings called "City Center Voices! Of the American Theater" in

HOLLYWOOD, July 20, 2000 – This weekend, there's a rivalry between generations at the box office. Four major releases, targeting three distinct age groups, arrive at the cinemas. There's "Pokemon: The Movie 2000" for the kiddies; "The In Crowd" and "Loser" for the bouncing teens; and "What Lies Beneath" for the moms and pops. So basically, what we're really saying here is that it’ll probably be just easier for the whole family to see the super-freaks flick "X-Men," again. But, decide for yourse

The cheerleaders of "Bring It On" easily topped the chart, despite tracking studies suggesting a closer race for first place with "The Art of War." Universal's opening of Beacon Pictures' PG-13-rated dark comedy about cheerleaders kicked off to a cheerful ESTIMATED $17.41 million at 2,380 theaters ($7,315 per theater). Its per-theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend. "In an environment this year where there were lots of teen films that didn't w

Jennifer Lopez's "The Cell" easily locked up first place at this weekend's box office. The R-rated fantasy suspense thriller from New Line opened to a sexy ESTIMATED $17.2 million at 2,411 theaters ($7,134 per theater). "Obviously, we're thrilled with the opening," New Line distribution president David Tuckerman said Sunday morning. "It shows that Jennifer Lopez is a star and can open a picture. Also, the two Vinces - Vaughn and D'Onofrio - were very strong, as they always are." New Line clearly

HOLLYWOOD, July 30, 2000 -- Eddie Murphy + prosthetic makeup + fat jokes = ka-ching! "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps," the heavily upholstered Murphy's sequel to the 1996 hit "The Nutty Professor," crushed all comers under its immense weight at the box office, earning a hefty $42.7 million in its opening weekend. The ghost-story-cum-slasher-thriller "What Lies Beneath" dropped to No. 2 in its second weekend, but continued to do well with $22 million in ticket sales. Here's a quick-and-dirty run