WEEKEND BOX OFFICE 3/14: Robots Rule!

Elsewhere, the neo-cons on the boards were trying to laud Clint Eastwood as an example of a politically conservative director (possibly because of the gun infested "Dirty Hairy" movies). I guess this knocks their theory into a crock pot.

from Variety:

TOP STORY
'Phantom' conquers Alex
'Aviator' crashes while 'Baby' gets a second wind

By Don Groves

In some intriguing faceoffs last weekend, "Alexander" invaded Japan, its last major market, but couldn't catch the second stanza of "Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera," while "Ocean's Twelve" launched in the U.K. behind the buoyant soph session of "Meet the Fockers."
It was a downbeat frame in Germany and Australia but lively in France thanks to several Gallic productions, including "Espace detente" and "Danny the Dog."

Those 11 Oscar noms aren't propelling "The Aviator" as much as distribs might have expected, as the Howard Hughes biopic plunged in its second flights by 45% in Italy (where "Finding Neverland" exerted a magical pull on auds), 43% in France and 35% in Mexico.

Oscar mentions did provide some heft to "Million Dollar Baby" as it entered the ring in Spain, Australia and Greece, and to "Sideways."

The champ overseas for the second consecutive weekend, "Fockers" generated an estimated $15.9 million from bows in eight territories and holdovers in 20, elevating cume to $82.8 million. The Universal/UIP comedy rang up $4.7 million on 356 in Spain, $415,000 in Sweden, $377,000 in Denmark, $352,000 on 22 in the Taiwan capital Taipei, and $275,000 in Israel; all eclipsed the openings of "Meet the Parents," and the pic was No. 1 in each except Sweden.

Robert De Niro/Ben Stiller/Dustin Hoffman starrer fell by an acceptable 36% in the U.K., bagging $8.7 million, hoisting cume to $29.1 million.

"Ocean's Twelve" made off with $6.4 million on 450 in Blighty (20% below "Ocean's Eleven") and a top-ranked $916,000 on 148 in Turkey, 9% ahead of the original in admissions. Heist caper collared $11.2 million overseas, spurring cume to $201.1 million.

"Finding Neverland" whistled up $2.1 million on 273 in Italy, 15% bigger than "Chicago." Johnny Depp starrer has conjured up $26.1 million in just 15 markets.

"The Aviator" climbed to an estimated $46 million, including France's $6.6 million, Italy's $5.1 million and Mexico's $2.6 million. Martin Scorsese's epic has earned a strapping $12.3 million in the U.K. and through its third stanzas has trapped $7 million in Spain and $6.4 million in Germany, where it was No. 1, off just 20%.

Laffer "Espace detente" reigned in France, grabbing $4.5 million on 568 screens. "Danny the Dog" (aka "Unleashed"), an action-thriller toplining Jet Li and Morgan Freeman, fetched a sturdy $2.3 million on 480.

"Alexander" advanced to $120 million, helped by Japan's $1.9 million on 261. Oliver Stone's epic has captured a fine $14.5 million in Spain, $11.1 million in Italy and $10.6 million in France, but it's been blah in Australia and the U.K.

Singin' and swingin'

"Phantom of the Opera" drummed up $2.5 million in Japan, slipping by a mild 22%, boosting the total to a hearty $9.6 million. Tuner's estimated cume hit $70 million after spirited perfs in the U.K. and South Korea and limp runs in continental Europe, Mexico and Southeast Asia.

Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" took a tony $1.3 million on 201 in Spain, $896,000 on 105 in Australia, including sneaks, and $229,000 on 19 in Greece. Hilary Swank starrer has hammered out a fair $6.3 million in the U.K.

"Sideways" hit the road with a healthy per-screen average in Germany, minting $472,000 on 76. Fox's comedy expanded from 72 to 88 prints in the U.K., bottling $1.9 million in 10 days, and improved by 1% in Oz, pocketing $1.4 million in 11 days on 59. Cume is $4.4 million in 18 markets.

An incredible $358.4 mil

Winding its tour, "The Incredibles" drew $1 million on 81 in Hong Kong, 60% bigger than "Shrek 2" but a fraction below the record entry of "Toy Story 2." Cume hit $358.4 million.

"Closer" embraced $520,000 on 99 in South Korea and $224,000 on 55 in Russia, both OK considering neither market is hip to talky dramas. Mike Nichols-helmed pic has racked up $55.4 million in 33 markets, including the U.K.'s impressive $12.9 million and Australia's $2.9 million; in Oz it clung to top spot in its second weekend, down 34%.

In its offshore preem, "Spanglish" took a decent $727,000 on 300 in Mexico, a sensible place to begin given the pic's Mexican character played by Paz Vega.

"Racing Stripes" raced into the U.K. with a jaunty $2.1 million, on par with "Babe," according to international distrib I.S., and garnered $196,000 on 63 in Belgium. Family pic has reined in a neat $6.1 million in Australia.

WEEK BOX OFFICE FINAL
Feb. 4 - 10, 2005
Title (Distributor) Reported Weekly
Box Office

Film (Studio) This Week / Cumulative to Date

1. Boogeyman (SONY) $22,532,716 3,052 $22,532,716
2. The Wedding Date (UNIV) $13,908,310 1,694 $13,908,310
3. Are We There Yet? (SONY) $12,359,129 2,790 $53,017,041
4. Million Dollar Baby (WB) $11,580,428 2,025 $37,501,065
5. Hide and Seek (FOX) $11,194,623 3,005 $38,002,300
6. The Aviator (MIRAMAX) $7,184,280 2,530 $77,652,261
7. Sideways (FOXSEARCH) $6,297,259 1,786 $48,305,564
8. Meet the Fockers (UNIV) $6,134,395 2,504 $266,490,305
9. Coach Carter (PAR) $5,261,247 2,574 $60,365,849
10. Racing Stripes (WB) $5,010,354 3,003 $41,098,466

WEEK BOX OFFICE FINAL from Variety
Feb. 4 - 10, 2005
Title (Distributor) Reported Weekly
Box Office

Film (Studio) This Week / Cumulative to Date

1. Boogeyman (SONY) $22,532,716 3,052 $22,532,716
2. The Wedding Date (UNIV) $13,908,310 1,694 $13,908,310
3. Are We There Yet? (SONY) $12,359,129 2,790 $53,017,041
4. Million Dollar Baby (WB) $11,580,428 2,025 $37,501,065
5. Hide and Seek (FOX) $11,194,623 3,005 $38,002,300
6. The Aviator (MIRAMAX) $7,184,280 2,530 $77,652,261
7. Sideways (FOXSEARCH) $6,297,259 1,786 $48,305,564
8. Meet the Fockers (UNIV) $6,134,395 2,504 $266,490,305
9. Coach Carter (PAR) $5,261,247 2,574 $60,365,849
10. Racing Stripes (WB) $5,010,354 3,003 $41,098,466


Looks as if "Boogeyman" is still pakin' 'em in. The question is if it can hold onto the weekend. "The Aviator" is finally benefiting from Oscar buzz, word-of-mouth, and the TV talk show star appearances and even the comedy news spoof "The Daily Show."

Opening this weekend from Variety (I will try to keep up with this on Fridays but don't write it in stone):

TOP STORY
Smith pic hitches to lovers' day
Pix 'Hitch' from 'Pooh' to 'Throat' for weekend

By Gabriel Snyder

Will Smith returns to his comedic roots this weekend in the romantic laffer "Hitch," which Sony delivers to 3,575 theaters. Frame's other wide release is Disney's franchise extension toon "Pooh's Heffalump Movie," which bows in 2,529 locations.
And among the new limited releases, Universal bows NC-17-rated doc "Inside Deep Throat," from Imagine and HBO Films, on 12 screens.

Though Valentine's Day doesn't come until Monday, Sony is hoping there's plenty of love in the air over the weekend for "Hitch."

Last year, the lovers' holiday fortuitously fell on a Saturday, helping to power Sony's Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore "50 First Dates" to a $39.9 million opening, more than $19 million of that coming on Valentine's Day itself.

Though "Hitch" is expected to lead the frame, it probably won't reach those heights as some couples may wait until their Monday dates to take in the pic.

Still, "Hitch" is attracting broad interest after getting a big boost from a well-received spot during last weekend's Super Bowl. In USA Today's ad ratings, "Hitch" was the top-ranked movie spot.

Over his 12-year bigscreen career, Smith has primarily played sci-fi ("Men in Black") and action ("Bad Boys"). But the former rapper built his thesp career in comedy with "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

As is typical in romantic comedies, interest in "Hitch" skews slightly more female, but Smith also is bringing his male fans.

"It really is attracting all quadrants," Sony distrib chief Rory Bruer said. "I think it's going to play to everyone who can get into to a PG-13 film."

'Pooh' spinoff

"Heffalump" is the third "Pooh" spinoff for Disney, following "Piglet's Big Movie" in 2003 and "The Tigger Movie" in 2000.

Both of those pics opened modestly but one of the driving economic forces for such pics as "Heffalump" is the homevid market.

"Piglet" opened to $6.1 million and ultimately cumed $23.1 million, while "Tigger" bowed with $9.4 million and reached $45.6 million.

In the "Pooh" universe, a Heffalump is a mysterious elephantlike creature that lives in the Hundred Acre Wood.

'Inside' track

Though it's only opening on 12 screens, "Inside Deep Throat" has the highest profile among the frame's fresh limited pics. With no TV spots, U has been largely relying on print media to promote the documentary about the infamous 1972 porn pic.

Screenings and panel discussions in L.A. and Gotham, as well as a racy premiere party at Sundance, have attracted wide media coverage. Doc also hits screens at a time when media decency is an issue (again).

Still, the NC-17 rating and the typically moderate commercial potential of docs are keeping industry estimates for the opening frame's grosses low.

According to U distrib chief Nikki Rocco, studio plans to add nine more markets next weekend, but the eventual pattern will depend on how high aud interest is in the doc, which was produced on a $2 million budget.

The others

Also opening this weekend is Magnolia's martial arts pic "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior," which unspools on 387 screens.

Will Smith has knocked the scary thriller off the top spot and "The Fockers" are still hanging in at 10th as one of the top grossing comedies. If "The Aviator" does what its predicted to do and take the
top Oscar it could boost the film over the $100M mark which with its international box office should make Mr. Scorcese quite pleased. His films always get very good critical response but are never expected to break any box office records. "The Aviator" really has something for everyone in it. History, the mainly male machinations of big business, great action shots (including the grand recreation of the making of "Hell's Angels" which kicks off the bio-pic). Next week will bring "Constantine," the new Keanu vehicle and we'll know what the critics think in a few days.

TOP STORY from Variety
Reeves rides sci-fi
Tykes and teens are targets for other weekend releases

By Gabriel Snyder

Warner Bros.' comicbook adaptation "Constantine" goes out this long weekend with an R rating at 3,006 theaters.
Weekend's other wide releases will appeal to tykes and young teens who largely have Monday off from school.

Twentieth Century Fox is opening family dog pic "Because of Winn-Dixie" at 3,188 locations; New Line will revive its franchise with "Son of the Mask" at 2,966.

In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics debuts "Imaginary Heroes" on eight screens, while Universal will expand doc "Inside Deep Throat" to 27 screens from 12 last week.

While newcomers seek to take advantage of the holiday play period, Sony's Will Smith romantic comedy "Hitch" will remain potent. Bolstered by Valentine's Day, pic raked in $7.5 million on Monday for the holiday's best-ever gross when it falls on a weekday; cume for its first four days was $50.7 million. Even a 50% drop would still put "Hitch" at $25 million for its second week.

Tracking on "Constantine," starring Keanu Reeves, has been picking up, especially since its Super Bowl spot two weeks ago. Interest is largely from males, though spread between younger and older quadrants.

And with little male fare in theaters, pic may pick up on pent-up demand. In the same frame in 2003, "Daredevil" racked up $45 million in its first four days. However, that pic was rated PG-13 and the R on "Constantine" may constrain its opening.

Citing the R-rating, Warners distrib prexy Dan Fellman said "Daredevil" isn't setting "Constantine's" pace. "'Constantine' is reaching a much different audience. That kind of a number would way exceed our expectations," he said. "You might look at the original 'Matrix,' " which opened to $27.8 million in late March 1999. "Our sights are somewhere in there. If we get a 3 in front of that, we'll be very happy."

New Line's "Son of the Mask" is its second attempt to revive a Jim Carrey franchise without Carrey. In June 2003, it tried out "Dumb and Dumberer" and opened to $10.8 million on its way to $26 million. "Son of the Mask," which has Jamie Kennedy in the lead, is expected to post a similar opening.

"Winn-Dixie" offers a combo of kids and dogs that has tended to generate consistent, if somewhat modest, box office results. In October 2003, MGM opened "Good Boy!" to $13.1 million on its way to $38 million. And in 2000, Warners used a platform release strategy to nurse "My Dog Skip" to a $34 million domestic cume.

Among the Oscar best pic contenders, only Warners' "Million Dollar Baby" will stay in more than 2,000 theaters. Distrib will widen Clint Eastwood's boxing drama by 70 to 2,105 this frame. Meanwhile, Miramax and Fox Searchlight will prune the runs of "The Aviator" and "Sideways." "Aviator" drops 486 venues for a total of 1,701 while "Sideways" is losing 319 for a total of 1,300.

Also opening in limited release this frame is MGM's "Bigger Than the Sky" on nine screens, Paramount Classics' "Schultze Gets the Blues" on four and IFC's "Turtles Can Fly" also on four. In addition, Newmarket unspools "Downfall" on one Gotham screen.

from Variety:


TOP STORY
'Fockers,' 'Hitch' tickle o'seas B.O.
'Spanglish,' 'In Good Company' fail to attract yucks or bucks

By Don Groves

Laughter was the best medicine for cinemas around the world last weekend as "Meet the Fockers" ruled in most of Europe, and "Hitch" got rich in Mexico and Brazil.
However, "Spanglish" didn't generate many yucks or bucks as it launched in Australia and Spain, and comedy/drama "In Good Company" was lousy company in the U.K.

Fans of action and Keanu Reeves found plenty to like in "Constantine" as it began its European campaign in France, Spain and Germany.

The champ overseas for the fourth weekend in a row, "Fockers" rang up an estimated $28.3 million from top-ranked debuts in eight markets and holdovers in 30. The cume vaulted to $153.7 million, past "Meet the Parents'" $139.6 million total, heading for north of $200 million. Jay Roach-helmed laffer fetched $5.8 million on 629 screens in Germany (60% bigger than "Parents"); $4.3 million on 591 in France (6% ahead); $1.3 million in Belgium (140% higher); and $1.1 million in Austria (85% better).

Robert De Niro/Ben Stiller/Dustin Hoffman starrer retained pole position in its fourth sojourn in the U.K., amassing $46.4 million to date, and in its soph session in Italy, where it scored $4.4 million (off 25%) for a cume of $12.4 million. "Fockers" minted $2.3 million in its third in Spain (down 40%), cuming $12.4 million.

"Constantine" commanded an estimated $15.5 million in 13 territories, hoisting cume to $30.7 million. Supernatural detective saga spooked $3.8 million on 511 in Germany (29% bigger than "The Bourne Supremacy"); $3.6 million on 491 in France (10% up on "Supremacy"); and $2.7 million on 308 in Spain (No. 1, 16% ahead of "Collateral"). The Reeves/Rachel Weisz starrer also captured $670,000 on 107 in the Philippines. Warners' pic experienced typically steep drops for the genre in its second weekends elsewhere in Asia, advancing to a nonetheless impressive $8.2 million in South Korea, $5 million in Taiwan and $2.4 million in Hong Kong.

Kicking off its offshore adventures, "Hitch" wooed $1.4 million on 350 in Mexico (9% below "What Women Want") and $809,000 on 211 in Brazil (7% ahead of "Women"), No. 1 in both.

The antics of Adam Sandler as a rich Bel-Air guy and Paz Vega as his Mexican housekeeper in "Spanglish" don't seem to be resonating overseas, at least outside of Mexico where it has grossed a fair $2.1 million after its third frame. Sony's pic picked up $781,000 on 206 in Australia (ranked fourth), $518,000 on 200 in Spain (where it was handicapped by having to be released with subtitles, as dubbing wasn't an option) and $233,000 on 60 in Russia.

"Spanglish" was caught in a demo squeeze in Oz as females flocked to "Bride and Prejudice," which whistled up a jaunty $813,000 on 99, including previews, and males turned out for "House of Flying Daggers," which captured $744,000 on 107, with sneaks; Zhang Yimou-helmed actioner has rustled up a fine $76 million, with Latin America ahead.

The Paul Weitz-helmed "In Good Company" brought in an estimated $1.1 million on 305 in the U.K., beaten by "Are We There Yet's?" surprisingly robust $1.67 million bow on 230 and "Shall We Dance's" $2 million on 408, including sneaks, among others. The Richard Gere/Jennifer Lopez starrer has racked up a handsome $72 million, with Japan and Belgium ahead.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera," remarkably, was the pace-setter again in Japan in its fourth stanza, orchestrating around $2 million, to lift the total to $20.6 million: Japan is the tuner's most lucrative market, surpassing the U.K.; its estimated cume hit $81 million.

Among the Oscar contenders, "The Aviator" mustered an estimated $1.2 million on 170 in South Korea and clung to the top spot in its second flight Down Under, making $1.1 million (slipping by 24%) for a cume of $3.1 million. Biopic's estimated cume levitated to $70 million.

"Million Dollar Baby" punched up a sturdy $1.06 million on 204 in Italy and, through its third stanzas, skipped along to $5 million in Spain and $2.4 million in Oz.

"Finding Neverland" plunged by 49% in Italy, courting a sweet $6.5 million in 10 days, but eased by just 19% in its third in Spain, where it has banked $3.4 million. Johnny Depp starrer's estimated cume hit $42 million in 24 markets.

"Sideways" swallowed a tasty $780,000 on 165 in Spain and $690,000 on 173 in Italy, and opened OK on limited release in Sweden but poorly in South Korea. Fox's road trip has earned $14.4 million in 43 markets, including the U.K.'s $4.1 million and Oz's $2.2 million after its fourth weekend, France's $1.7 million in 12 days and Germany's $1.65 million in 18 days.

"Pooh's Heffalump Movie" was tops on its debut in Finland, making $248,000 (beating fellow frosh "Meet the Fockers") and No. 1 again in its second chapters in Sweden (climbing to $903,000) and Norway ($904,000).

From Variety:

Looks like "Hitch" which did pretty good with the critics is racking up the audience numbers. Hard to tell what "Constantine" will do in the coming weeks as it has to overcome poor critical response. Three of the Oscar contenders are still on the top ten but Sunday's Oscar may finally give at least the winner a boost. "Million Dollar Baby" really needs it but I suspect "The Aviator" to win. It will be a close one, however. Makes the awards this year very suspense filled for a change.

WEEK BOX OFFICE FINAL
Feb. 18 - 24, 2005
Title (Distributor) Weekly Box Office / Screens / Cumulative

1. Hitch (SONY) $42,692,999 3,575 $101,008,218
2. Constantine (WB) $38,931,540 3,006 $38,931,540
3. Because of Winn-Dixie (FOX) $15,451,681 3,188 $15,451,681
4. Son of the Mask (NEW LINE) $10,196,526 2,966 $10,196,526
5. Million Dollar Baby (WB) $10,003,826 2,105 $57,507,348
6. Are We There Yet? (SONY) $9,359,256 2,519 $72,366,449
7. Boogeyman (SONY) $6,959,567 2,572 $42,608,077
8. Pooh's Heffalump Movie (BV) $6,295,804 2,529 $13,549,938
9. The Aviator (MIRAMAX) $5,952,415 1,710 $89,904,752
10. Sideways (FOXSEARCH) $5,406,352 1,300 $59,627,867

Again a movie although receiving poor reviews, Vin Diesel's frist comedic outing "The Pacifier" takes the number one spot. "Be Cool" with mixed reviews takes the second spot. It's a Diesel vs. Travolta contest through the week and next weekend's inevitable box office drop should tell the story.

Anyone wondering whether to rush out to see "Robots" this weekend may be interested:

from Variety

TOP STORY
'Robots' revs up
'Hostage,' 'Passion Uncut' also debut

By Dave McNary

Machines should mean maximum moolah this weekend at the nation's multiplexes: Fox's CGI toon "Robots" is opening at a saturation-level 3,776 engagements and looks poised to emulate the studio's success with "Ice Age" during the same frame three years ago.
Overall business could be solid thanks to Miramax's opening of Bruce Willis actioner "Hostage" at 2,123 playdates, Newmarket's launch of "The Passion Recut" at 952 and significant holdover performances by Disney and Spyglass' "The Pacifier" and MGM's "Be Cool."

But prospects appear brightest for "Robots" due partly to its Blue Sky pedigree. The same shingle produced the toon "Ice Age," which set a record for a March opening with a surprisingly strong $46.3 million on its way to $176 million domestically.

Fox's extensive marketing push for "Robots" has stressed the star power of Robin Williams, Halle Berry and Mel Brooks and placed the emphasis on the pic's slapstick comedy, opting for an approach similar to that for DreamWorks' successful launch of "Shark Tale" in the fall. Fox also is likely to attract customers this weekend via its strategy of attaching the trailer for "Star Wars: Episode III -- The Revenge of the Sith," featuring "Robots" star Ewan McGregor.

"Robots" may not be able to match the heights scaled by "Ice Age," however, since it will compete for the same family audience as the soph sesh of "Pacifier," which opened with a stronger-than-expected $30.6 million. "Robots" will be playing at 58 Imax locations and on 60 digital screens.

"Hostage," with Willis portraying a retired hostage negotiator, carries an R rating and is aimed squarely at the adult male audience. Miramax is hoping for returns in line with those of Fox's "Man on Fire" last spring. That pic launched with $22 million and grossed $77 million by the end of its run.

"Hostage" is likely to compete for viewers with "Be Cool," which posted a solid $23.5 million launch last weekend.

'Passion' puzzle

"The Passion Recut," a slightly trimmed version of last year's blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," is the biggest unknown in the marketplace. Plans to launch the unrated pic, from which director Mel Gibson has removed some of the more violent shots, coalesced earlier this year as part of a plan to return it to theaters during the Easter season.

"Mel wanted to make changes in response to the fact that some people were squeamish about seeing it last year," Newmarket prexy Bob Berney said. "As big as it was, there were a lot of people who didn't go for that reason."

The Regal and Cinemark chains haven't booked the new version, partly because it does not carry a rating. Gibson's Icon Prods. decided to release the "The Passion Recut" unrated after being informed in January by the Motion Picture Assn. of America that the film was still too intense to receive the PG-13 Gibson wanted.

It's difficult to forecast how many moviegoers will want to see the newer version given that last year's grossed $370 million domestically and the DVD has been out since August.

"We always thought that this would be something that would become an annual event," Berney noted.

New Line is platforming relationship comedy/drama "The Upside of Anger," starring Joan Allen and Kevin Costner, at nine playdates.