HOLLYWOOD - Mr. Deeds really went to town this weekend, inheriting $37.6 million at the box office.Lilo & Stitch held on in second place with an animated $22.2 million. Minority Report slipped to third with $21.6 million.
While Minority beat Lilo by $417,000 last weekend, after a full week in theaters Lilo was leading by about $2 million in cumulative gross. Now after 10 days, Lilo is $4.3 million ahead of Minority.
Scooby-Doo took fourth place with $12.2 million, bringing its cume to nearly $124 million. The Bourne Identity was fifth with $10.8 million.
The weekend's other wide opening, Hey Arnold! The Movie, had nothing to shout about in sixth place with $6 million.
Ticket sales were up nearly 13 percent from this weekend last year. Key films -- those grossing $500,000 or more -- took in $138.1 million versus last year's $122.6 million.
THE TOP TEN
Columbia and New Line's PG-13 rated comedy Mr. Deeds kicked off in first place, laughing all the way to the bank with an ESTIMATED $37.6 million at 3,231 theaters ($11,637 per theater).
Directed by Steven Brill, it stars Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder. It was produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo and executive produced by Sandler and Joseph M. Caracciolo.
Mr. Deeds' average per theater was the highest for any film playing in wide release this weekend.
"We're delighted," Sony Pictures Entertainment worldwide marketing & distribution president Jeff Blake said Sunday morning.
"This is the kind of high powered opening that Adam is known for, particularly in the summer. It's very close to what The Waterboy (the weekend of Nov. 6-8, 1998 opened to) $39.4 million. It went on to do $161 million (in domestic theaters). And it's not that far from Big Daddy, which (the weekend of June 25-27, 1999 opened to) $41.5 million and went on to do $163.5 million."
In addition to those comparisons, another interesting comparison that can be made from the record books is to Sandler's last film, New Line's Little Nicky. After opening to a quiet $16.1 million the weekend of Nov. 10-12, 2000, it wound up with a domestic theatrical cume of just $39.4 million -- not much more than Deeds took in for its first weekend. With Columbia's Deeds opening Sandler is clearly back on the box office fast track.
"Adam is really a franchise in and of himself," Blake said, noting that Deeds' production cost was a relatively modest -- at least by big summer movie standards -- $55 million.
"Obviously, that's a number you can feel really good about," Blake added. "What we feel even better about is that we've got his next three movies. His animated film, Adam Sandler's 8 Crazy Nights, which opens at Thanksgiving, had a teaser trailer attached to Mr. Deeds. Punch-Drunk Love, which is the Revolution film that got such good notices at Cannes, will be a year-end release. And next June for another big summer release there's Revolution's film Anger Management with Jack Nicholson (starring with Sandler). So not only is (Adam Sandler) a great business to be in, we're in it pretty heavily."
Reflecting on Sony's sizzling hot summer at the box office, Blake also pointed out that Spider-Man, which in its ninth week has just dropped out of the Top Ten, is now at about $395.7 million and on its way to "somewhere between $400-410 million" in domestic theaters.
Hollywood handicappers are talking about Spider-Man as a likely bet to be the year's biggest grossing film. "I don't think there's going to be any question (of that)," Blake observed. "With all due respect, as good as the rest of the market is, I don't see any $400 million (films out there)."
Sony's summer success should get its next major shot in the arm from Columbia's launch this Wednesday (July 3) of Men In Black II at about 3,300 theaters and 6,000 or more screens. The film's 88 minute running time (including about seven minutes of end credits) will enable theaters to run it five or six times a day, greatly enhancing its grossing potential.
The original Men In Black's first weekend in theaters was July 4-6, 1997 with $51.07 million at 3,020 theaters ($16,910 per theater). With July Fourth falling on a Friday that year, the film's opening gave it a six day cume of $84.1 million. It went on to gross $250.1 million in domestic theaters.
"We're certainly opening on very close to 6,000 screens -- probably over 6,000 by Monday," Blake said. "Well, 6,000 screens times five or six shows a day, that's pretty good! You've got to figure you've got (at least) 30,000 shows a day no matter how you place it. I think it's going to be fun. It should be a good weekend for us."