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2003 | 2001

7 articles from 2003

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Disney Film Draws Full House

11 March 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

The Disney comedy Bringing Down the House raised the roof at the box office over the weekend, earning $31.1 million in ticket sales, final figures indicated Monday. The film, starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, bested Sony's war film Tears of the Sun, starring Bruce Willis, which debuted in second place with $17.1 million. The DreamWorks comedy Old School slipped to third place with $9.2 million. The Miramax movie Chicago continued to display fine legs, as it pulled in $6.8 million in its 11th week, much of it from repeat business, according to audience surveys. The movie continued to pile up awards over the weekend, spotlighting its eminence as the film to beat at this year's Oscars. Sales for the top 12 films totaled $94.6 million, up 14 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Bringing Down the House, Disney, $31,101,026, (New); 2. Tears of the Sun, Sony, $17,057,213, (New); 3. Old School, DreamWorks, $9,190,062, 3 Wks. ($50,768,507); 4. Chicago, Miramax, $6,844,634, 11 Wks. ($114,442,185); 5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Paramount, $6,688,678, 5 Wks. ($86,885,012); 6. Cradle 2 the Grave, Warner Bros. $6,535,475, 2 Wks. ($26,878,648); 7. Daredevil, 20th Century Fox, $5,214,469, 4 Wks. ($91,536,021); 8. The Jungle Book 2, Disney, $4,258,002, 5 Wks. ($39,521,501); 9. Shanghai Knights, Disney, $2,688,514, 5 Wks. ($54,749,445); 10. The Life of David Gale, Universal, $2,124,235, 3 Wks. ($17,112,760). »

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'House' Party at Box Office

10 March 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

There were full houses for Bringing Down the House at many theaters over the weekend as the Steve Martin-Queen Latifah comedy took in an estimated $31.7 million to top a solid performance by the box office. The film, which received mixed notices, with some particularly negative comments aimed at Martin, nevertheless represented the biggest opening gross for a Martin film. His last film, Novocaine, which opening on only 105 screens in 2001, earned just $418,000 and grossed just $2 million during its entire run. Bowfinger, which opened in the summer of 1999, debuted with $18 million on 1,706 screens. Analysts credited Disney's strong marketing campaign for House's opening-weekend success. In second place, with a respectable $17.2 million, was the new Bruce Willis drama Tears of the Sun. Perhaps the most impressive performance was registered by Chicago, which, in its 11th weekend garnered an additional $6.9 million for fourth place to bring its total to $114.5 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Bringing Down the House, $31.7 million; 2. Tears of the Sun, $17.2 million; 3. Old School, $9.2 million; 4. Chicago, $6.9 million; 5. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, $6.8 million; 6. Cradle 2 the Grave, $6.6 million; 7. Daredevil, $5.2 million; 8. The Jungle Book 2, $4.2 million; 9. Shanghai Knights, $2.7 million; 10. The Life of David Gale, $2.1 million. »

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Lively 'Grave' Business

4 March 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Warner Bros.' Cradle 2 the Grave went straight 2 the top of the box office last weekend, earning $16.5 million in ticket sales. DreamWorks' Old School remained in second place with $14 million, while 20th Century Fox's Daredevil, last weekend's top film, fell to third with $11.1 million. Final figures from box-office trackers Exhibitor Relations indicated that the top 12 movies took in $86.4 million, 5.3 percent above the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Cradle 2 the Grave, Warner Bros., $16,521,486, (New); 2. Old School, DreamWorks, $14,039,612, 2 Wks. ($37,379,629); 3. Daredevil, 20th Century Fox, $11,121,009, 3 Wks. ($84,186,869); 4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Paramount, $10,252,364, 4 Wks. ($77,620,291); 5. Chicago, Miramax, $7,853,903, 10 Wks. ($104,901,344); 6. The Jungle Book 2, Disney, $6,984,002, 4 Wks. ($33,865,935); 7. Shanghai Knights, Disney, $5,027,902, 4 Wks. ($50,931,526); 8. The Life of David Gale, Universal, $4,537,395, 2 Wks. ($13,607,445); 9. Gods and Generals, Warner Bros., $2,946,476, 2 Wks. ($8,932,117); 10. The Recruit, Disney, $2,728,478, 5 Wks. ($4,809,328). »

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'Cradle' Rocks

3 March 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Martial arts and hip-hop successfully combined at the box office over the weekend as the Jet Li-DMX starrer Cradle 2 the Grave opened with an estimated $17.1 million. Old School remained in second place with about $13.9 million. But Daredevil, with Ben Affleck in the guise of the comic book hero, dropped from first- to third-place with $13.9 million. Overall, the top 12 films grossed about $85.8 million, up some 4.6 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Cradle 2 The Grave, $17.1 million; 2. Old School, $13.9 million; 3. Daredevil, $11 million; 4. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, $10.1 million; 5. Chicago, $8.1 million; 6. The Jungle Book 2, $6.8 million; 7. Shanghai Knights, $4.8 million; 8. The Life of David Gale, $4.4 million; 9. Gods and Generals, $2.8 million; 10. The Recruit, $2.6 million. »

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'Daredevil' Blindsides 'Old School'

25 February 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

The weekend box office turned out to be a closer race than studio analysts had initially estimated, with only about $600,000 separating the top two films, Daredevil and Old School.The superhero movie earned $18.1 million, while the super jerk movie earned $17.5 million. Three relatively heavy dramas that also debuted over the weekend proved to be box-office disappointments -- especially Ted Turner's $90-million epic Gods and Generals, which earned just $4.7 million. Nevertheless, the overall box office was up 14 percent over the comparable weekend a year ago as the top 12 movies grossed $96.2 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Daredevil, 20th Century Fox, $18,092,309, 2 Wks. ($69,471,858); 2. Old School, DreamWorks, $17,453,216, (New); 3. How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days, Paramount, $11,590,320, 3 Wks. ($64,621,440); 4. The Jungle Book 2, Disney, $8,709,662, 4 Wks. ($25,168,387); 5. Chicago, Miramax, $8,241,306, 9 Wks. ($94,094,784); 6. The Life of David Gale, Universal, $7,117,225, (New); 7. Shanghai Knights, Disney, $6,507,878, 3 Wks. ($44,509,866); 8. Gods and Generals, Warner Bros., $4,675,246, (New); 9. Dark Blue, MGM, $3,880,688, (New); 10. The Recruit, Disney, $3,414,899, 4 Wks. ($44,330,457). »

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It's Double Dare(devil)

24 February 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Old School, starring Will Ferrell, may have taken the lead at the box office on Friday, but by the time the weekend was over, Daredevil, starring Ben Affleck, had made a comeback. With $18.9 million, it has now held the top box-office spot for two weeks in a row and has brought its 10-day gross to $70.3 million. "This solidifies Affleck as a major draw," Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, told Bloomberg News. Old School wound up in second place with an estimated take of $17.5 million. Other new entrants in the box-office contest lagged far behind. The Life of David Gale, starring Kevin Spacey, took in $7.2 million. Gods and Generals, Ted Turner's personally funded Civil War drama, earned only $4.8 million, while Dark Blue appeared dark red with just $3.75 million. Overall, ticket sales for the top 12 movies added up to about $96.2 million, 14 percent above the total for the comparable weekend a year ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Daredevil, $18.9 million; 2. Old School, $17.5 million; 3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, $11.9 million; 4. The Jungle Book 2, $8.6 million; 5. Chicago, $8.5 million; 6. The Life of David Gale, $7.2 million; 7. Shanghai Knights, $6.4 million; 8. Gods and Generals, $4.8 million; 9. Dark Blue, $3.75 million; 10. The Recruit, $3.5 million. »

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Movie Reviews: 'The Life of David Gale'

21 February 2003 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Alan Parker's The Life of David Gale starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, although dealing with a far different subject, is also being called to task for heavy handedness. Writes Elvis Mitchell in the New York Times: "Mr. Parker seems to think audiences are incapable of coming to their own conclusions, so he relieves them of that burden by doing it for them." Lou Lumenick in the New York Post makes the same point with greater emphasis: "The Life of David Gale is so nasty, hysterical and long-winded -- and unintentionally makes capital punishment foes look so twisted -- you wish someone had administered a lethal injection to this dreck in its planning stages." Rita Kempley in the Washington Post also writes similarly: "After two hours of bludgeoning by Parker's moralistic mallet, even those who came in sympathetic to his views may leave with second thoughts. That's not to say that the question of capital punishment is unworthy of debate. But this isn't a debate, it's a sermon." But Joe Morgenstern in the Wall Street Journal suggests the film is really not an effort to sway public opinion at all. "Mainly it's a highfalutin' pretext for a lurid, laborious thriller," he writes. But Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times has the harshest words of all for the movie: "Let it be said this movie is about as corrupt, intellectually bankrupt and morally dishonest as it could possibly be without David Gale actually hiring himself out as a joker at the court of Saddam Hussein." »

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2003 | 2001

7 articles from 2003

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