Memo to Al Pacino and/or Matt Damon: Before finalizing plans to ring in the new millennium with a No. 1 box-office hit, look over your shoulder. EEEK! A mouse!
“Stuart Little,” Columbia’s animated talking-mouse movie, picked up major post-Christmas steam at the box office early this week, grossing an estimated $11.7 million on Monday and Tuesday, according to studio estimates. Disney’s “Toy Story 2,” in its seventh week of release, proved that it can still kick butt as it pulled in about $9.6 million during the same two days.
Last weekend’s top two films also started the week strong, though less impressively. “Any Given Sunday,” which stars Pacino, posted $7 million over Monday and Tuesday, while Damon‘s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” made $7.7 million.
As for New Year’s holiday weekend? When the grown-ups are finished partying like it’s … well, you know — it may very well be the adult-friendly “Sunday” or “Ripley” that takes the title. Whether or not that comes to pass, experts say the real stars of this week clearly have been the small-fry films.
“The week between Christmas and New Year’s, that’s when kids’ films rule,” a studio executive said yesterday. “Last year it was ‘A Bug’s Life‘ and ‘Prince of Egypt,’ this time it’s ‘Stuart Little‘ and ‘Toy Story 2.’ This is a time when adults are distracted and kids are the only group that’s going to the movies in droves, so it’s surprising that the studios released as many dramas as they did. In some cases that may have been a mistake.”
At least two major films are faring roughly thus far in the holiday season. Universal’s “Man on the Moon,” the Andy Kaufman biopic starring Jim Carrey, in release since Dec. 22, had grossed a weak $16 million through Tuesday. And Fox’s “Anna and the King” starring Jodie Foster, had taken in an even weaker $16.3 million since debuting Dec. 17. The latter film could easily be bumped from the Top 10 this weekend.
Based on their stars’ track records, Both “Moon” and “King” are shaping up to be major disappointments: Carrey‘s last film, 1998’s “The Truman Show,” grossed more than $125 million domestically, while Foster‘s 1997 sci-fi film, “Contact,” made more than $100 million.
“Man on the Moon” bowed in the No. 6 spot last weekend, despite strong reviews for Carrey‘s portrayal of Kaufman, the late oddball comic and star of TV’s “Taxi.” Studio officials are holding out hope that the picture will rebound once the kids return to school — and grown-up fare returns to fashion.
“Right now there is a lot of product available out there, a lot of soft entertainment for people to take the kids to,” Jeff Sakson, a Universal executive, said yesterday. “That’s why ‘Stuart Little‘ and ‘Toy Story’ are doing well, and that’s also why ‘Mr. Ripley‘ is doing well — it’s getting the teenage girl audience. It may be a different kind of Matt Damon movie than you’ve seen before, but it’s still a Matt Damon movie.
“The word of mouth [on “Man on the Moon“], and the effects of all the good reviews, should kick in after the holidays,” Sakson said.
