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Heavy Metal Plays Well At Box Office
6 May 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Moviegoers did not stay at home to play the latest Grand Theft Auto videogame over the weekend, as some analysts had predicted. Indeed the only grand theft evident was the one committed by Paramount/Marvel's Iron Man, which took in $98.6 million domestically over the three-day weekend, according to figures released Monday by Media by Numbers. The film averaged a stand-out $24,024 per theater. Nevertheless, it failed to meet the studio's expectations on Sunday. While it raked in $35.23 million on Friday and $37.35 million on Saturday, its Sunday receipts fell to $26.03 million. Sony's Made of Honor opened in second place with $14.8 million, while last weekend's winner, Universal's Baby Mama, slipped to third with $10.07 million. While, taken on its own, the total weekend box-office take of $150.7 million seemed impressive, it paled in comparison to last year's, when Spider-Man 3 debuted over the comparable weekend with $151.1 million alone. The overall box office was down 16.92 percent from last year. Since the beginning of the year, total revenue is down 3.4 percent, while attendance is down 6.1 percent.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Iron Man, Paramount, $98,618,668, 1 Wks. ($102,118,668); 2. Made of Honor, Sony, $14,756,850, (New); 3. Baby Mama, Universal, $10,065,010, 2 Wks. ($32,062,480); 4. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, Warner Bros., $61,143,73, 2 Wks. ($25,369,337); 5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $6,059,920, 3 Wks. ($44,732,340); 6. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $4,187,897, 3 Wks. ($45,112,303); 7. Nim's Island, Fox, $2,677,543, 5 Wks. ($42,471,660); 8. Prom Night, Sony, $2,403,313, 4 Wks. ($41,350,731); 9. 21, Sony, $2,002,471, 6 Wks. ($78,959,237); 10. 88 Minutes, Sony/Tristar, $1,545,084, 3 Wks. ($15,368,925).

Moviegoers Turn 'Iron' Into Gold
5 May 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Box office analysts marveled at the weekend performance of Iron Man over the weekend as the superhero movie starring Robert Downey Jr. hauled in an estimated $100.7 million. The film earned nearly that amount -- $96.7 million -- in its overseas debut as well to bring its worldwide total to $201 million, including late-night screenings on Thursday. Adding to the industry-wide celebration was word that Sony's counterprogramming strategy -- pitting the romantic comedy Made of Honor opposite the superhero thriller -- also paid off, as the movie brought in $15.5 million. Nevertheless, the combined amount did not equal what Spider-Man 3 earned on its own a year ago, when it debuted over the comparable weekend with $151.1 million domestically. No one, however, expressed disappointment. Noting that Iron Man did better than expected -- Paramount, its distributor, had predicted it would make about $60 million; most analysts had forecast about $70 million -- Paul Dergarabedian, head of the box-office tracking firm Media by Numbers, told the AP: "This is certainly the shot in the arm the marketplace has needed."

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Iron Man, $100.7 million; 2. Made of Honor, $15.5 million; 3. Baby Mama, $10.3 million; 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $6.1 million; 5. Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, $6 million; 6. The Forbidden Kingdom, $4.2 million; 7. Nim's Island, $2.8 million; 8. Prom Night, $2.5 million; 9. 21, $2.1 million; 10. 88 Minutes, $1.6 million.

Spring Box Office Goes Out On An Up-Note
29 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
For the second week in a row, the box office was up a bit over the comparable week a year ago, but it did not perform quite so well as studio estimates had originally presumed. The top film, Baby Mama, from Universal, wound up with $17.4 million versus the $18.2 million that had been forecast. On the other hand, the No. 2 film, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantánamo, drew a bit more than was expected, posting $14.9 million compared with the $14.6 million that had been expected.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Baby Mama, Universal, $17,407,110, (New); 2. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, Warner Bros., $14,908,404, (New); 3. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $11,212,364, 2 Wks. ($38,237,498); 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $11,028,060, 2 Wks. ($35,090,955); 5. Nim's Island, 20th Century Fox, $4,548,792, 4 Wks. ($38,977,518); 6. Prom Night, Sony, $4,508,122, 3 Wks. ($38,222,732); 7. 21, Sony, $4,018,064, 4 Wks. ($75,792,625); 8. 88 Minutes, Sony, $3,593,890, 2 Wks. ($12,625,951); 9. Horton Hears A Who!, 20th Century Fox, $2,486,903, 6 Wks. ($147,959,806); 10. Deception, 20th Century Fox, $2,312,146, (New).

Box Office A Laugh-In
28 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Audiences were apparently in a mood to laugh as three comedies, two of them new, opened with solid results during what is usually a droopy weekend ending the spring season. The Tina Fey-Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama from Universal topped the box office with an estimated $18.3 million, followed by Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantánamo Bay, which opened at No. 2 with $14.6 million. Last week's top film, Universal's Forgetting Sarah Marshall grossed about $11 million, a touch below The Forbidden Kingdom, which opened with $11.2 million. (Those two films might reverse positions when final results are reported later today.) Another new film, 20th Century Fox's Deception, starring Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams performed even worse than most analysts had expected. It pulled in only $2.2 million, but nevertheless wound up on the top-ten list -- albeit in tenth place. That so many comedies could do so well surprised many analysts. "This pokes a huge hole in that old myth that you can't open two comedies back to back or one comedy against another," Nikki Rocco, the distribution chief for Universal, which had Baby Mama competing against Sarah Marshall, told the Los Angeles Times. "The market did expand," she said, adding separately in an interview with Variety: "We had 40 percent of the market share this weekend, which is nice for any studio." Overall, the box ended on an up note, producing better results than a year earlier for the second week in a row.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Baby Mama, $18.3 million; 2. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantánamo Bay, $14.6 million; 3. The Forbidden Kingdom, $11.2 million; 4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $11 million; 5. Nim's Island, $4.5 million; 6. Prom Night, $4.4 million; 7. 21, $4 million; 8. 88 Minutes, $3.6 million; 9. Horton Hears a Who!, $2.4 million; 10. Deception, $2.2 million.

Chan and Li Make 'Kingdom' Hot
22 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
A major-studio feature starring two Chinese actors -- something that in itself would have been unthinkable even a few years ago -- wound up at the top of the U.S. box office over the weekend. Not only did The Forbidden Kingdom bring together Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but it was also produced entirely in China mostly with Chinese crews, again something that would have been unheard of until recently. Finally the martial arts film was aimed at a family audience -- without the bloody violence of virtually all previous films of the genre. Nevertheless, it wound up with $21.4 million, at the high end of analysts' expectations, handily beating Universal's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which many analysts had suggested was the film most likely to come out on top. Instead, the R-rated comedy settled for second place with $17.7 million. Together the top 12 films grossed $82.88 million, up 13.46 percent from last year's $73.05 million. This was only the second week out of the past ten that the box office has seen a rise.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Forbidden Kingdom, Lionsgate, $21,401,121, (New); 2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Universal, $17,725,330, (New); 3. Prom Night, Sony, $8,670,364, 2 Wks. ($32,133,926); 4. 88 Minutes, Sony, $6,957,216, (New); 5. Nim's Island, 20th Century Fox, $5,687,072, 3 Wks. ($32,894,115); 6. 21, Sony, $5,520,362, 4 Wks. ($70,004,505); 7. Street Kings, Fox Searchlight, $4,179,505, 2 Wks. ($20,058,143); 8. Horton Hears a Who!, 20th Century Fox, $3,511,834, 5 Wks. ($144,418,495); 9. Leatherheads, Universal, $3,049,465, 3 Wks. ($26,605,235); 10. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, $2,970,848, (New).

'Kingdom' Wears Box-office Crown
21 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The Forbidden Kingdom, the martial-arts family film that brought together Jackie Chan and Jet Li for the first time, wound up at the top of the domestic box office over the weekend with an estimated $20.9 million in ticket sales. In an interview with Bloomberg News, Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers, said, "The film is a good, solid action movie and audience, especially young audience, is looking for that shot of adrenaline. ... This was kind of warming up to summer." Coming in second was the Judd Apatow R-rated comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, written by and starring Jason Segel, which brought in $17.3 million. Several analysts had predicted that it would emerge as the weekend winner, citing its much-talked-about billboard campaign that had heightened awareness of the movie. Two other newcomers flopped. Sony's 88 Minutes, starring Al Pacino, which had been mercilessly drubbed by critics, opened in fourth place with just $6.8 million, while the Ben Stein documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, which argued on behalf of "intelligent design" -- that is, the biblical view of creation -- failed to bring out church groups in big numbers and settled for just $3.1 million to wind up in ninth place. Overall, the box office was up for the first time in five weeks, with the top 12 films earning $82.1 million, up 12 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago. "There is a collective sigh of relief in Hollywood," Dergarabedian told the Associated Press. So far this year, revenue is down 3.4 percent from last year while attendance is down 6.5 percent.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. The Forbidden Kingdom, $20.9 million; 2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $17.3 million; 3. Prom Night, $9.1 million; 4. 88 Minutes, $6.8 million; 5. Nim's Island, $5.7 million; 6. 21, $5.5 million; 7. Street Kings, $4 million; 8. Horton Hears a Who!, $3.5 million; 9. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, $3.1 million; 10. Leatherheads, $3 million.

'Prom Night' Slashes Box Office
15 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
After a series of horrible performances at the box office by horror flicks, Sony's Prom Night graduated with honors over the weekend as it took in $20.8 million, far more than the studio said that it expected -- and about what it cost to produce. It beat the Keanu Reeves cop drama Street Kings, which opened with $12.5 million, by a wide margin. Overall, the box office grossed $95 million down from $118 million for the comparable weekend a year ago -- a drop of 19.6 percent. Through the first 15 weeks of the year, ticket sales are off 3.5 percent and attendance, 6.6 percent from last year.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Prom Night, Sony, $20,804,941, (New); 2. Street Kings, Fox Searchlight, $12,469,631, (New); 3. 21, Sony/Col, $10,470,173, 3 Wks. ($61,738,420); 4. Nim's Island, 20th Century Fox, $9,111,667, 2 Wks. ($25,391,566); 5. Leatherheads, Universal, $6,276,665, 2 Wks. ($21,976,580); 6. Horton Hears a Who!, 20th Century Fox, $5,920,566, 4 Wks. ($139,548,920); 7. Smart People, Miramax, $4,092,465, (New); 8. The Ruins, Paramount, $3,385,395, 2 Wks. ($13,548,871); 9. Superhero Movie, MGM, $3,216,247, 3 Wks. ($21,304,164); 10. Drillbit Taylor, Paramount, $2,044,988, 4 Wks. ($28,436,029).

Movie Reviews: 'Prom Night'
14 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Prom Night, which did not have a special screening for critics, drew the expected howls from them over the weekend when they viewed it with paying customers. In the New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis concluded that the film "offers less gore than the average Band-Aid commercial and fewer scares than the elimination episodes of Dancing With the Stars." Jason Anderson in the Toronto Globe and Mail called it "a bland, timid and thoroughly un-thrilling teen thriller." Across town at the Toronto Star Peter Howell quoted a line from the film, "Donna, you gotta stop being scared, okay? Because there's nothing left to be scared of," then remarked, "Amen to that."

Theaters Celebrate 'Prom Night'
14 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
After months of frightful box-office performances by horror flicks, Sony/Screen Gems's Prom Night debuted with $22.7 million over the weekend at the high end of analysts' predictions. It was the best debut for a horror film this year. In second place was Fox Searchlight's R-rated Street Kings, starring Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker, which brought in an estimated $12 million. In its third week, 21 was still showing a strong hand as it took in $11 million. Everything else on the theater marquees looked weak, however, as the box office wound up with less revenue than it did a year ago for the fourth straight weekend. The top 12 films earned $82.6 million, more than 19 percent below what it took in during the comparable weekend last year. The fourth-ranked film, Fox's Nim's Island, brought in $9 million, while the George Clooney comedy Leatherheads rounded out the top five with $6.2 million. The only other film to open wide this weekend, Miramax's Smart People, wound up with $4.2 million, to place seventh.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. Prom Night, $22.7 million; 2. Street Kings, $12 million; 3. 21, $11 million; 4. Nim's Island, $9 million; 5. Leatherheads, $6.2 million; 6. Horton Hears a Who!, $6 million; 7. Smart People, $4.2 million; 8. The Ruins, $3.3 million; 9. Superhero Movie, $3.1 million; 10. Drillbit Taylor, $2.1 million.

Critics Not Invited To 'Prom Night'
11 April 2008 (StudioBriefing)
You won't be reading any reviews for it, but Sony Screen Gems's horror flick Prom Night is the favorite among box-office analysts to win this weekend's movie competition. Today's (Friday) Los Angeles Times reported that tracking surveys indicate that the film will take in $18-22 million, about the same as it cost to produce. The likely No. 2 film, according to the analysts, is the Keanu Reeves-Forest Whitaker drama Street Kings, which analysts figure will bring in $10-12 million. But Daily Variety pointed out that, with the exception of Cloverfield, horror films have performed weakly this year. It suggests that Street Kings could best it. Also opening this weekend, but in only about 1,100 theaters, is Miramax's Smart People, with Ellen Page of Juno, Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker. In limited release, France's controversial award winner Persepolis, an animated film -- it now has an English soundtrack -- about a girl's experiences growing up in Iran at the time of the Islamic revolution, is due to open in 136 theaters.