The domestic again puts LOTR as second for the week as the box office falls off for the other entries ("Polly" will likely taper off this weekend).
Title Wednesday Gross
Along Came Polly $1.33M $35.4M
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $599K $330M
Big Fish $581K $41.2M
Cold Mountain $504K $67M
Something's Gotta Give $425K $103M
Torque $403K $12.4M
Calendar Girls $377K $18.8M
Cheaper by the Dozen $312K $116M
The Last Samurai $232K $103M
Mona Lisa Smile $172K $61.3M
Add in the international box office and you have nearly 13M more dollars for last weekend. The other films have not been released internationally and "The Last Samurai" actually beat out LOTR last weekend as that was the first week of European release. LOTR was released in limited theaters in Europe.
We'll see what happens on Monday with the "Tad Hamilton" milquetoast comedy hitting the theaters, albeit with "Vegas" hunk, Jeff Duhamel perhaps bringing in some box office.
BTW, the total box international office of the three LOTR films is likely to reach well over 2 billion dollars!
"Cold Mountain" is bombing at the box office -- is this an indication that people are staying away from a film with great performances, epic battle scenes but ultimately a rather down trodden and almost depressing story?
One of the worst weeks for turnout at the cinema and considering the foder offered on the big screen it's no wonder. Of course, because of the prebooked tickets for Gibson's "Passion," it will likely bring in 40M which will net Mel about $15M, still short by many dollars to recoop his investment. They next weekend it is expected the attendance will drop off and if it sinks below 10M, Gibson will have to wait for the DVD so everyone can sit an have dinner and watch the slaughterhouse goings on over a steak dinner to make money on the film.
Carl Diorio in Variety:
Universal's remake of zombie classic "Dawn of the Dead" had a lively bow, digging up an estimated $27.3 million to top the weekend box office.
Previous B.O. kingpin "The Passion of the Christ" was resigned to second place after three consecutive weekends at No. 1. But the Newmarket-distribbed Crucifixion drama grossed $19.2 million in the latest session to boost its cume to $295.3 million and reach a new high for an R-rated pic.
Warner Bros.' Angelina Jolie suspenser "Taking Lives" debuted with $11.4 million, completing frame's R-rated trifecta. And Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a Charlie Kaufman-penned drama starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, bowed in sixth place with $8.6 million.
A pair of soph-session pics also clung to top-10 rankings. Sony's Johnny Depp suspenser "Secret Window" finished fifth with $9.6 million on a 47% drop from its opening gross, while MGM's family actioner "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London" dipped 25% to fetch $6 million in eighth place.
Industrywide, the weekend repped a 27% uptick from the same frame a year ago, with $124 million in total estimated grosses, according to B.O. tracker Nielsen EDI.
Year-to-date, 2004 is almost 6% ahead of the same portion of last year at $1.74 billion.
In a limited bow this weekend, IFC Films' Colin Farrell starrer "Intermission" grossed an estimated $40,010 from 10 theaters in Gotham, L.A. and Boston. That repped an acceptable per-venue average of $4,001, with drama set to expand to 18 locations in eight markets Friday.
Also, Sony Pictures Classics' "Bon Voyage" -- a French wartime laffer starring Gerard Depardieu -- rung up $30,992 in a notable Gotham exclu.
Dawn of the Dead on place 4. I`m surprise...
I believe it dropped by 60% on its second weekend which is more than expected. Even competant remakes don't seem to bring in the box office the investors had planned on. The question is, why do they plan on it?
Jay Leno quipped that he didn't know what to see this weekend, "Hellboy" or "Passion of the Christ." Wouldn't that make a double bill!
Lightwizard wrote:Jay Leno quipped that he didn't know what to see this weekend, "Hellboy" or "Passion of the Christ." Wouldn't that make a double bill!
both have their own unique charm. I have to wonder why people dismiss a movie adapted from a comic book. Are comics considered juvenile and not worth looking at?
"Road to Perdition," "From Hell," and many more films have been adapted from "comic" books. I guess it depends on the target audience in both cases. Those two films are obviously aimed at an adult audience and "Hellboy" is a crossover that should appeal to many age brackets. It's unfair to compare these to literary adaptations such as "Howard's End" or "Barry Lyndon" and in fact many high minded efforts have turned out to be flat and unengaging.
Lightwizard wrote:"Road to Perdition," ...have been adapted from "comic" books.
hmmm, I never heard that.
They're really called "illustrated novels," but that's a convenient euphemism for a comic book. There's really nothing comic about either of those pictures and in "From Hell" you have to buy into the rather looney premise of the true identity of Jack the Ripper.
I saw the preview of the second "Spider Man" and it looks like it could be better than the first. Is Hollywood wising up and purposefully holding back on the first picture so it isn't downhill all the way like "Matrix?" Peter Jackson had the advantage of making all three LOTR movies at one time (they really aren't sequels, it's a nine hour movie broken up into three parts). He could hold the stops until the end (okay, so tonight I'm into organ metaphors).
Hey, Light.
What do you know about Van Helsing? It looks dark, moody and beautiful--Tim Burtonish...
Do you know who directed? Heard anything?
All you wanted to know about "Van Helsing."
Looks good but I hope it's not another Hollywood potboiler like the remake of "The Shining."
LINK:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338526/
The official site:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338526/
I wasn't able to make the studio preview on this one and not because I wanted to avoid it. This is the same director who directed "The Mummy" and "Deep Rising" so look for a popcorn movie which will be entertaining but likely not with much substance.
Thanks, LW. I just saw a trailer, and the mood and look piqued my interest.
I am a sucker for a castle-y, craggy Transylvanian backdrop flick.
I'll give it a go.
I actually enjoyed both the "Mummy" movies as far at the genre -- not that I would particularly add them to my DVD collection (they're shown on cable frequently). One never knows when an action adventure director wil finally hit that note where it transcends the genre like "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
(I like the X-Men films also).
But I'm not impressed by "The Matrix" and less impressed with the sequels. Number II should have been entitled "Matrix II: Loaded with Blanks."
The theme is as old as the Forties Sci-Fi and the creators of the series are political activists who believe they've delivered some new and profound message. George Orwell, Aldous Huxley or Frederick Pohl/C.M. Kornbluth they are not.
I think I'm the only person who has dodged The Matrix movies.
I do like the substantial films, but goth-type Dracula flicks are a guilty pleasure for me. With some movies (Winged Migration, LOTR, Sleepy Hollow)--I just enjoy the majesty of a beautiful screen.
