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8 articles from 1999

27 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Warner Bros.' Matrix, The (1999) regained the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend, grossing an estimated $12.9 million and pushing Universal's Life, which earned $11.6 million, into second place. Although Matrix, The (1999) bore all the markings of a summertime release, analysts said that its success at this time of year should teach the studios an important lesson. Robert Bucksbaum, president of box-office trackers Reel Source, told Bloomberg News Monday, "It goes to show that you don't have to release a film like this in the summer. ... You can spread the wealth and release it now to avoid all the competition." The top-ten films over the weekend according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Matrix, The (1999), Warner Bros., $12, 642, 717, ($11, 708, 2992); 2. Life (1999), Universal, $11, 257, 995, ($37, 016, 425); 3. Never Been Kissed (1999), 20th Century, $6, 014, 493, ($31, 012, 917); 4. Pushing Tin (1999), 20th Century, $3, 555, 032, (New); 5. Analyze This (1999), Warner Bros., $3, 107, 637, ($95, 467, 098); 6. Lost & Found (1999), Warner Bros., $3, 024, 709, (New); 7. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Buena Vista $2, 717, 023, ($28, 771, 494); 8. Go (1999), Sony, $2, 020, 829, ($12, 502, 151); 9. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), Paramount, $2, 017, 725, ($23, 310, 698); 10. Forces of Nature (1999), DreamWorks, $1, 624, 689, $48, 125, 915.

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26 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Matrix, The (1999), repeatedly singled out by the news media during the past week as an example of Hollywood's "trenchcoat violence, " appeared to benefit from the controversy as it returned to the No. 1 spot at the box office. It had been knocked out of that spot last week by the Eddie Murphy-Martin Lawrence comedy, Life (1999), which changed places with Matrix, The (1999) this weekend as it lost 43 percent of its audience. Other films failed to make much of a showing (a usual occurrence at this time of year). Pushing Tin (1999), a comedy starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton, opened in fourth place with just $3.6 million, while the poorly reviewed Lost & Found (1999), featuring David Spade, opened in sixth with $3.1 million. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Matrix, The (1999), $12.9 million; 2. Life (1999), $11.6 million; 3. Never Been Kissed (1999), $6.2 million; 4. Pushing Tin (1999), $3.6 million; 5. Analyze This (1999), $3.2 million; 6. Lost & Found (1999), $3.1 million; 7. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), $2.8 million; 8. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), $2.02 million; 9. Go (1999), $2 million; 10. Forces of Nature (1999), $1.7 million.

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20 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Audiences thumbed their noses at critics over the weekend and turned out in huge numbers for the Eddie Murphy-Martin Lawrence prison comedy Life (1999), shelling out $20.4 million, according to final box-office figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations. The sci-fi thriller Matrix, The (1999), which had held the top spot during the previous two weeks, slipped to second place with $17.9 million. (Nevertheless, the Keanu Reeves starrer appears certain to become, by the end of the week, the first movie released this year to cross the $100-million mark.) The third place finisher was Drew Barrymore's teen comedy Never Been Kissed (1999), which pulled in $8.4 million, a 30-percent drop from the previous weekend. The only other new film to open wide over the weekend, _Goodbye, Lover (1999)_, tanked, earning only $1.01 million and finishing out of the top ten. The top-ten films over the weekend according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Life (1999), Universal, $20, 414, 775, (New); 2. Matrix, The (1999), Warner Bros., $17, 941, 314, ($98, 946, 842); 3. Never Been Kissed (1999), 20th Century Fox, $8, 411, 489, ($22, 911, 743); 4. Analyze This (1999), Warner Bros., $3, 925, 813, ($91, 149, 603); 5. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Buena Vista $3, 733, 562, ($25, 136, 802); 6. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), Paramount, $3, 114, 729, ($20, 503, 962); 7. Go (1999), Sony, $3, 018, 312, ($9, 359, 328); 8. Forces of Nature (1999), DreamWorks, $2, 464, 522, ($45, 786, 811); 9. Cookie's Fortune (1999), October, $1, 801, 083, ($3, 363, 030); 10, Shakespeare in Love (1998), Miramax, $1, 750, 254, ($89, 856, 022).

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19 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Demonstrating anew that poor reviews are of little consequence at the movie box office, the Eddie Murphy-Martin Lawrence comedy Life (1999) took in an astonishing $20.7 million in its first weekend, pushing the previously blazing Matrix, The (1999) into second place with $18.1 million. Universal distribution chief Nikki Rocco credited the urban (read "black") audience for turning out in droves for Life (1999). The film had received a handful of positive reviews on Friday, but most critics slammed it, with some suggesting that it marked the low point in Eddie Murphy's career. But Dave Davis, an analyst at Houlihan, Lokey, Howard & Zukin, told Bloomberg News: "This shows that Eddie Murphy has rejuvenated his career." And Hollywood Reporter box-office analyst Brian Fuson, in reporting on the results, commented that the movie "puts Murphy on a more positive box-office track." The top ten films over the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Life (1999), $20.7 million; 2. Matrix, The (1999), $18.1 million; 3. Never Been Kissed (1999), $8.7 million; 4. Analyze This (1999), $4 million; 5. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), $3.7 million; 6. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), $3.2 million; 7. Go (1999), $3 million; 8. Forces of Nature (1999), $2.6 million; 9. Shakespeare in Love (1998), $1.9 million; 10. Cookie's Fortune (1999), $1.8 million.

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13 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Matrix, The (1999) remained clearly The Movie To See over the weekend, pulling in $22.6 million, well ahead of the rest of the box-office pack, according to Exhibitor Relations. The film's results were almost twice those for the Drew Barrymore starrer Never Been Kissed (1999), which opened in second place with $11.8 million and more than four times those for the third place 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), the teen-oriented version of Taming of the Shrew which collected $5.05 million. In fourth place was the Steve Martin-Goldie Hawn comedy Out-of-Towners, The (1999), with $5.01 million. Today's (Tuesday) Los Angeles Times observed that Out-of-Towners, The (1999) is likely to become a major flop for Paramount, earning only $30 million while costing $40 million. An even bigger failure, the Times observed, may be Universal's EDtv, which is likely to earn only $25 million while costing $55 million. The top-ten films for the weekend, according to final figures released by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Matrix, The (1999), Warner Bros., $22, 563, 331, ($73, 310, 417); 2. Never Been Kissed (1999), 20th Century Fox, $11, 836, 707, (New); 3. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Buena Vista $5, 049, 227, ($20431363); 4. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), Paramount, $5, 010, 781, ($16, 203, 092); 5. Analyze This (1999), Warner Bros., $4, 997, 020, ($85, 848, 183); 6. Go (1999), Sony, $4, 706, 795, (New); 7. Forces of Nature (1999), DreamWorks, $3, 537, 259, ($42, 393, 313); 8. Twin Dragons (1992), Dimension, $2, 829, 990, (New); 9. Doug's 1st Movie (1999), Buena Vista $2, 407, 375, ($14, 018, 000); 10. Foolish (1999), Live, $2, 184, 633, (New).

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6 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The box office rose from the dead over the Easter weekend, topping the comparable week in 1998 for only the second time this year. Warner's/Village Roadshow's Matrix, The (1999) revived it with a $27.8 million take, the most ever earned by a film premiering on an Easter weekend. The movie had opened on Wednesday, in the middle of Spring Break at most schools, and pulled in $9.6 million in its first two days, mostly from teens and young males. But, Warner's distribution chief Dan Fellman told the Associated Press Monday, "As the weekend progressed, more and more females came to the movie." Other new films failed to make a similar splash. 10 Things I Hate About You, a teen-oriented version of The Taming of the Shrew finished second with $8.3 million, while the adult-oriented Steve Martin-Goldie Hawn comedy Out-of-Towners, The (1999) followed close behind with $8.2 million. The top ten films over the Easter weekend, according to final figures released Monday by Exhibitor Relations (total-to-date figures in parentheses): 1. Matrix, The (1999) Warner Bros., $27, 788, 331, (New); 2. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Disney-Touchstone, $8, 330, 681, (New); 3. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), Paramount, $8, 224, 215, (New); 4. Analyze This (1999), Warner Bros., $6, 332, 089, ($78, 536, 130); 5. Forces of Nature (1999), DreamWorks, $6, 200, 540, ($36, 466, 898); 6. EDtv (1999), Universal, $4, 446, 390, ($15, 357, 405); 7. Shakespeare in Love (1998), Miramax, $3, 115, 017, ($84, 105, 704); 8. Doug's First Movie, Buena Vista $3, 071, 684, ($9, 348, 264); 9. Life Is Beautiful (1997), Miramax, $2, 669, 480, ($44, 720, 425); 10. Mod Squad, The (1999), MGM/UA, $2, 568, 784, ($10, 417, 855).

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5 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Warner Bros.' and Village Roadshow's Matrix, The (1999), which wowed the critics with its elaborate special effects but left them cold with what they indicated was a less-than-special or effective plot, set an Easter-weekend record, grossing an estimated $27.6 million. (The film earned an additional $9.6 million on Wednesday and Thursday). "This is Warner Bros. going back to its successful formula that made it the power, " entertainment analyst Art Rockwell told Bloomberg News. "It's classic Warner Bros. filmmaking, " he added. Far behind in second place was 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), the teen-oriented version of The Taming of the Shrew with about $8.7 million. Another new film, Out-of-Towners, The (1999), which targeted adults, was third with $8.1 million. The top-ten films for the weekend, according to estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Matrix, The (1999), $27.6 million; 2. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), $8.7 million; 3. Out-of-Towners, The (1999), $8.1 million; 4. (Tie) Analyze This (1999), Forces of Nature (1999), $6.3 million; 6. EDtv (1999), $4.6 million; 7. Shakespeare in Love (1998), $3.3 million; 8. Doug's 1st Movie (1999), $3.1 million; 9. Life Is Beautiful (1997), $2.8 million; 10. Mod Squad, The (1999), $2.4 million.

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2 April 1999 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

If you didn't like Neil Simon's 1970 Out-of-Towners, The (1999) with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis -- and most critics did not -- you're probably not going to like the new version with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn any better. Many of today's (Friday) reviews compare the two films, with some wondering why the new one was made at all. Writes Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post: "If you've seen the preview, you've seen the movie. In fact, there really isn't a movie. There's a preview and then a much longer preview. ... It's so predictable that you could chart the tides off it." Kevin Thomas in the Los Angeles Times observes, "Martin and Hawn do have as much charm as they have a gift for comedy, but ultimately the film is not as consistently effective as they are." But Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times concludes that Out-of-Towners, The (1999) is "not a proud moment in the often-inspired careers of Martin and Hawn." Only John Cleese, in the role of a snobbish hotel manager, escapes the general derision of the critics. Lawrence Van Gelder in the New York Times calls Cleese's performance "a saving grace to this film" and "a comic gem." Rod Dreher in his review of the movie says that he heard one moviegoer remark on his way out: "Thank God for John Cleese."

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8 articles from 1999