I want to see...
Nacho Libre
Pirate of the Caribbean 2
X-men 3
The Fountain
A Scanner Darkly
One of the first of the summer season blockbusters, MI:3 did not break any records -- could it be Tom's audience draw is waning? Of course, MI:2 openend on a three day weekend so it's hard to fix a comparison.
MI:3 fails to accomplish predictions
Film tops weekend box office with less cash than hoped
Sunday, May 7, 2006; Posted: 5:04 p.m. EDT (21:04 GMT)
The third in the "Mission: Impossible" series failed to live up to box office expectations in its opening weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Mission: Impossible III," $48 million
2. "RV," $11.1 million
3. "An American Haunting," $6.4 million 4. "Stick It," $5.5 million
5. "United 93," $5.2 million
6. "Ice Age: The Meltdown," $4 million
7. "Silent Hill," $3.9 million
8. "Scary Movie 4," $3.8 million
9. (tie)"Akeelah and the Bee," $3.4 million
9. (tie)"Hoot," $3.4 million. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Paramount's "Mission: Impossible III" debuted with $48.025 million, a solid opening, yet well below industry expectations and almost $10 million lower than the franchise's previous installment, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Industry analysts had expected the movie to open in the range of "Mission: Impossible II," which debuted with $57.8 million from Friday to Sunday over Memorial Day weekend in 2000, and Cruise's "War of the Worlds," which premiered with $64.9 million from Friday to Sunday over Fourth of July weekend last year.
Rob Moore, Paramount's head of worldwide marketing and distribution, said he did not believe Cruise's private life had any impact on "Mission: Impossible III," directed by "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams.
"I don't think so. There's no question it concerns us if the press is writing about things other than the movie," Moore said. "If people are writing about his personal life, then by definition, they're not writing about the movie."
Cruise's antics in the past year or so, publicity over his romance with Katie Holmes and the tabloid blitz regarding their daughter's birth in April may have left some movie-goers burned out or disenchanted with the actor.
Traditionally reserved about his private life, Cruise abruptly became an open book, jumping up and down on a couch while professing his love for Holmes in an interview with Oprah Winfrey and spouting his Scientology beliefs, including rants against psychiatry.
"Expectations were really high for this film. I think it's a good number, but people were obviously expecting better numbers," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "There's a lot to be said for how a star's public persona can affect a movie's box office."
"Mission: Impossible III" earned generally favorable reviews, some critics calling it the best in the franchise and many offering high praise for Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays Cruise's nemesis.
Along with potential Cruise backlash, the long six-year interval since "Mission: Impossible II" may have dulled audience appetites.
Head-to-head comparisons are difficult, since the previous "Mission: Impossible" movies and "War of the Worlds" opened over long holiday weekends, when Sunday grosses typically are much stronger than during a regular weekend.
Debuting in about 55 other countries, "Mission: Impossible III" took in $70 million, for a worldwide total of $118 million. Paramount noted that the new movie beat the $115 million worldwide debut of "Mission: Impossible II" in those same countries.
Factoring in higher ticket prices, the debut for "Mission: Impossible III" looks worse. About 7.3 million people saw the new movie, compared with 10.7 million over the opening weekend for "Mission: Impossible II" and 10.3 million for "Mission: Impossible," which opened with $45.4 million over Memorial Day weekend in 1996.
The weekend's other wide releases had fair to poor openings. Freestyle Releasing's "An American Haunting," starring Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland in a 19th century supernatural tale, debuted at No. 3 with $6.4 million.
New Line's family film "Hoot," adapted from Carl Hiaasen's novel about teenagers trying to save endangered owls, earned $3.4 million, tied for No. 9.
"Mission: Impossible III' led Hollywood to its seventh-straight weekend of rising revenues. The top-12 movies took in $99.4 million, up 27 percent compared to the same weekend last year, when "Kingdom of Heaven" led the box office with an anemic $19.6 million.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
I saw MI3 and it was really good,great storyline, fab action and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Also saw the trailor for Pirates 2, looks soooo gory.
MI:3 reviews are somewhat mixed but those reviewers who are either tired of action flicks or don't like them in the first place could be the difference. Roeper gave it thumbs up, Ebert thumbs down for that very reason. My question was if Tom Cruise has lost his box office bloom.
The second weekend drop should tell the story.
I thik 3 films of any franchise is gona get a bit dull, Scary Movie, Matrix etc
I dont think he has lost it, we just dont like seeing happy people.
MI -3 , to me, is like one more Rocky , who the hell really needs it. We know the dreill. Its a heap of redux. It is probably full of the same cliched gizmography as the previous 2. However, having said that, Ill get it on PPV when it shows up. Its not like Ive gotta drop everything and go see it, but I will rent it without holding my breath.
I wanna see the Garrison keilor movie "Prairie Home Companion", as a long time fan of Guy Noire, I am anxious to see if , whoever plays him, can pull it off with the same air of world weariness as keilors voice presents.
ALas , Im being to arty.
I really liked the ICE AGE MELTDOWN.I took some kids and bored them silly with paleo facts .BUT, I enjoyed the hell out of the movie. WAs it derivative? duhhhh. IS Ray Romano,as a horny mammoth not been tried before? I think the ICE AGE movies could be a Franchise.
ICE AGE 4-ESCAPE FROM THE TARPITS
ICE AGE 5-The LITTLE ICE AGE
ICE AGE 6- LOSS OF HYBRID VIGOUR
(That last one is, I admit, a stretch, and is getting too close to being a docudrama)
The first MI remake was a convoluted tangled mess of a script, II was better but still a conventional spy drama. I'll wait until the rental DVD.
I'm only looking forward to X-Men 3 for now. And I hear that the Iron Man movie is back on!
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/news/articles/2696.asp
I'm such a geek.
MMmmmmmm Xmen 3,mmmmmmmmmm Wolverine!!!!!!
Here you go, MG.
Boy, that was an uphill battle. Took me three tries to get the darned thing up.
Whererererererererererere?
It's up now. Sorry. Take a look at the post again.
Yummy, he looks very milky in that picture.
I like a guy with knives coming out of his knuckles!!
X-MEN 3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait to see DaVinci Code -- great book, awesome cast, and one of the most anticipated films of hte year...
I second "The Da Vinci Code", with my favorite Tom Hanks
AND also a great book.
Im off to see Xmen tonight!!
I saw it and it was really good,better than the others.
And it had a fine shot of Wolverine and his leather clad butt!!
Yeah Xmen is a good movie... it was loaded with action scenes but unlike the other action films, it works with the story... Good story, great special effects and good fight... Watch previews and read reviews of this movie
http://mydvdreviews.com
I really want to see this Lake House this weekend -- looks really good.
