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BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES FOR JUNE 23-25,2000
BOX OFFICE ESTIMATES FOR JUNE 23-25,2000
By
Martin A. Grove
, Hollywood.com Staff
|
Friday, June 23, 2000
Hollywood - The weekend's biggest gross went to Jim Carrey's gross-out comedy "Me, Myself & Irene."
20th Century Fox's opening of the R-rated "Irene" easily captured first place with a high-speed ESTIMATED $24.16 million at 3,016 theaters ($8,012 per theater).
"Irene's" per theater average was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
Directed by Peter & Bobby Farrelly ("There's Something About Mary"), "Irene" stars Jim Carrey and Renee Zellweger.
"It's the highest-grossing R-rated comedy original ever released. The highest one (R-rated comedy) was 'Beverly Hills Cop 2,' which was a sequel and did $33 million," Tom Sherak, 20th Domestic Film Group chairman and senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment, said Sunday morning.
Looking at the studio's Friday night exit polls, Sherak said, "The audience was 50% male and 50% female. 58% were over 25. It played best to (males) 25 and younger." Males under 25, he said, scored it 80% in the Top Two Boxes -- 45% excellent and 35% very good -- with an 80% definite recommend.
Females under 25 rated it 75% in the Top Two Boxes - 35% excellent and 40% very good -- with a 68% definite recommend.
Males over 25 scored it 64% in the Top Two boxes - 30% excellent and 34% very good -- with a 53% definite recommend.
Females over 25 liked it least, scoring it 58% in the Top Two Boxes - 22% excellent and 36% very good -- with a 50% definite recommend.
"Based on the way the market is, it's a good opening," Sherak added. "Everybody's happy (at Fox)."
"There's Something About Mary," Fox's previous blockbuster from "Irene" directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, opened the weekend of July 17-19, 1998, to $13.7 million at 2,186 theaters ($6,286 per theater). It went on to gross $176.5 million in domestic theaters.
DreamWorks' G-rated animated feature "Chicken Run" opened a strong second with a sizzling ESTIMATED $17.5 million at 2,491 theaters ($7,025 per theater).
"Chicken" began running Wednesday at six theaters in New York and Los Angeles, grossing $47,328 Wednesday and $48,598 Thursday. Its two-day total of $95,926 makes its five-day cume approximately $17.6 million.
"Chicken's" early run in New York and L.A. was intended to attract media attention in the country's top two markets. DreamWorks correctly anticipated that the film would draw favorable reviews and wanted to have quotes available in time for its weekend ads.
Directed by Peter Lord & Nick Park, "Chicken" features such voices as Mel Gibson and Miranda Richardson.
"'Antz' opened to $17.2 million, which was our biggest (previous animated feature opening)," DreamWorks distribution head Jim Tharp said Sunday morning. "It's extremely positive because 'Antz' opened at a time (Oct. 2-4, 1998) when there was nothing else in the market for your core family audience. Right now, you've got 'Titan,' 'Dinosaur' and 'Fantasia' in the market. So it's a little more crowded than normal."
Tharp also pointed out that the film's "jump from Friday to Saturday was 29%. Historically, animation in June goes up 8% to 15%. If you look back at any of the animated movies that opened in recent history, none have gone up more than 15% or 16% and most around 10%. So the movie is playing on a broader basis, well beyond the core family audience. I think that's caused by the reviews that we got. It was almost 100% really good reviews as well as (very favorable) word of mouth.
"In today's world, you start seeing the results of word of mouth on Saturday and Sunday of the opening week. In the old days, you'd have to wait a week or so. Word of mouth is almost instantaneous because of the internet and megaplexes where so many people can see the movie and you get the word out."
DreamWorks, he added, is, "very pleased - to the point where we're going to add 300 to 400 runs this Friday for the holiday weekend. We think the movie is now set up perfectly to expand over those five days (of the July Fourth weekend) and the gross should hold very well."
Paramount's R-rated urban appeal remake "Shaft" fell two rungs to third place in its second week, packing less punch with an ESTIMATED $13.25 million (-38%) at 2,407 theaters (+70 theaters; $5,505 per theater). Its cume is approximately $42.9 million, heading for the low $70 millions.
"I thought it was going to be 35%-40% off and it's pretty much in that ballpark," Paramount distribution president Wayne Lewellen said Sunday morning. "It's not crossing over (to suburban audiences) to the extent that we hoped for. The big grosses are still the big urban markets, primarily ethnic audiences."
Directed by John Singleton, "Shaft" stars Samuel L. Jackson and Vanessa Williams.
Buena Vista/Touchstone's PG-13-rated action thriller "Gone In 60 Seconds" continued sliding in its third weekend, down two pegs to fourth place with a less sexy ESTIMATED $9.5 million (-36%) at 3,089 theaters (+40 theaters; $3,085 per theater). Its cume is approximately $68.9 million.
Directed by Dominic Sena and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Mike Stenson, "Gone" stars Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie.
20th Century Fox's PG-13 comedy "Big Momma's House" was still showing good legs in its fourth week, down two notches to fifth place with an ESTIMATED $8.7 million (-25%) at 2,846 theaters (+3 theaters; $3,057 per theater). Its cume is approximately $85.4 million, on its way to $90-100 million.
Directed by Raja Gosnell, it stars Martin Lawrence and Nia Long.
Paramount's blockbuster "Mission: Impossible 2" dropped two notches to sixth place in its fifth week with a less thrilling ESTIMATED $8.0 million (-30%) at 3,245 theaters (-388 theaters; $2,465 per theater).
The PG-13 rated action adventure sequel's cume is approximately $189.3 million, heading for $210-220 million in domestic theaters. The first "Mission" did $181 million domestically.
Directed by John Woo, "M:I-2" stars Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, Rade Sherbedgia and Ving Rhames.
DreamWorks' R-rated action adventure "Gladiator" rose one peg to seventh place in its eighth week with a still solid ESTIMATED $4.0 million (-25%) at 1,812 theaters (-454 theaters; $2,208 per theater). Its cume is approximately $165.6 million, heading for about $180 million in domestic theaters.
"Gladiator" is half owned by Universal, which is releasing it internationally. Its international cume cracked $300 million this weekend, a spokesman for Universal said Sunday morning. Its opening in France this weekend, he said, was the last of its major territory openings, bringing the film's international total to about $145 million.
Directed by Ridley Scott, it stars Russell Crowe.
20th Century Fox's PG-rated animated feature "Titan A.E." plunged three orbits in its second week with a disappointing ESTIMATED $3.7 million (-60%) at 2,768 theaters (+34 theaters; $1,337 per theater). Its cume is approximately $16.9 million.
Buena Vista/Disney's PG-rated computer animated feature "Dinosaur" fell two notches to ninth place in its sixth weekend with a dull ESTIMATED $3.5 million (-41%) at 2,248 theaters (-690 theaters; $1,535 per theater). Its cume is approximately $127.0 million, heading for about $140 million in domestic theaters.
Directed by Ralph Zondag and Eric Leighton, "Dinosaur" features such voices as D.B. Sweeney, Ossie Davis, Joan Plowright, Della Reese and Alfre Woodard.
Rounding out the Top Ten was Dimension Films' PG-13-rated teen appeal romantic comedy "Boys and Girls," down four pegs in its second week with a less attractive ESTIMATED $3.1 million (-56%) at 1,989 theaters (+6 theaters; $1,558 per heater). Its cume is approximately $14.0 million.
Directed by Robert Iscove, "Boys" stars Freddie Prinze, Jr., Claire Forlani, Jason Biggs and Amanda Detmer.
OTHER OPENINGS
This weekend also saw the arrival of USA Films' R-rated drama "Boricua's Bond," placing 20th with a quiet ESTIMATED $53,000 at 24 theaters ($2,225 per theater).
Directed by Val Lik, it stars Val Lik and Tyson Beckford.
SNEAK PREVIEWS
There were no national sneak previews this weekend.
EXPANSIONS
On the expansion front, Miramax's R-rated drama "Butterfly" went wider in its second week, placing 19th with a quiet ESTIMATED $84,000 at 14 theaters ($6,000 per theater). Its cume is approximately $128,000.
"'Butterfly' went into an additional eight markets this past weekend," Miramax senior vice president, marketing David Kaminow said Sunday morning. "We're going to go next Friday to the top twenty markets."
Directed by Jose Luis Cuerda, it stars Fernando Fernan Gomez.
WEEKEND COMPARISONS
Key films -- those grossing more than $500,000 for the weekend -- took in approximately $102.41 million, down about 19.50% from the comparable weekend last year when key films grossed $127.22 million.
This weekend's key film gross was up about 2.84% from this year's previous weekend when key films grossed $99.58 million.
Last year, Sony's opening week of "Big Daddy" was first with $41.54 million at 3,027 theaters ($13,722 per theater); and Buena Vista/Disney's second week of "Tarzan" was second with $24.06 million at 3,049 theaters ($7,890 per theater). The top two films one year ago grossed $65.6 million. This year, the top two films grossed an ESTIMATED $41.7 million.
STUDIO MARKET SHARES
Based on business by key films (those grossing $500,000 or more), last weekend's top six distributors were:
20th Century Fox was first with three films ("Me, Myself & Irene," "Big Momma's House" and "Titan, A.E."), grossing an ESTIMATED $36.56 million or 35.7% of the market.
DreamWorks was second with four films("Chicken Run," "Gladiator," "Road Trip" and "Small Time Crooks"), grossing an ESTIMATED $23.6 million or 23.0% of the market.
Paramount was third with two films ("Shaft" and "Mission: Impossible 2"), grossing an ESTIMATED $21.25 million or 20.8% of the market.
Buena Vista (Disney and Touchstone) was fourth with four films("Gone in 60 Seconds," "Dinosaur," "Fantasia 2000" and "Shanghai Noon"), grossing an ESTIMATED $16.8 million or 16.4% of the market.
Miramax (Miramax and Dimension) was fifth with one film ("Boys and Girls"), grossing an ESTIMATED $3.1 million or 3.0% of the market.
New Line was sixth with one film ("Frequency"), grossing an ESTIMATED $0.58 million or 0.6% of the market.
ADDITIONAL ESTIMATES
(11)Shanghai Noon/Buena Vista/Touchstone: Theaters: 1,569 (-567) Gross: $2.2 million (-42%) Average per theater: $1,405 Cume: $51.9 million
(12)Fantasia 2000/Buena Vista/Disney: Theaters: 1,313 (0) Gross: $1.6 million (-45%) Average per theater: $1,219 Cume: $55.7 million (including IMAX run)
(13)Road Trip/DreamWorks: Theaters: 1,468 (-683) Gross: $1.5 million (-51%) Average per theater: $1,022 Cume: $63.6 million
(14)Small Time Crooks/DreamWorks: Theaters: 463 (-149) Gross: $0.6 million (-35%) Average per theater: $1,296 Cume: $15.8 million
(15)Frequency/New Line: Theaters: 527 (-250) Gross: $0.58 million (-34%) Average per theater: $1,095 Cume: $42.7 million
(16)U-571/Universal: Theaters: 546 (-142) Gross: $0.52 million (-25%) Average per theater: $945 Cume: $75.0 million
(17)The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas/Universal: Theaters: 506 (-60) Gross: $0.28 million (-30%) Average per theater: $545 Cume: $33.3 million
(18)Erin Brockovich/Universal: Theaters: 413 (-72) Gross: $0.25 million (-25%) Average per theater: $605 Cume: $124.3 million
(19)Butterfly/Miramax: (See EXPANSIONS above)
(20)BORICUA'S BOND/USA Films: (See OTHER OPENINGS above)
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