By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Who’s That Knocking…
The remake of When a Stranger Calls definitely rang the bell for audiences with an estimated $22.2 million. The frame’s only other national bow was the inter-racial romance Something Newthat aroused little passion with a $4.9 million gross to rank seventh in the lineup. Otherwise the weekend was marked by expansions of movies that figured prominently in last week’s Oscar announcements.
Distributors buckled down for movie going erosion as the Super Bowl weekend arrived. Weekend business was arcing toward roughly $108 million or a 16% decline from the prior weekend. However, it also represented a 6% boost from 2005.
For those with long memories, the original When a Stranger Calls with Carol Kane and Charles Durning opened in 1979 and scared up great business and a totally forgettable sequel. Contemporary audiences know it primarily from small screen rotation and the decision to green light a new interpretation marks another shrewd move for the profitable grindhouse fare representative of Screen Gems.
Despite generally positive reviews Something New failed to draw black or white and appears destined for red (ink). Audiences have historically been cool to inter-racial tales with exceptions such as The Bodyguard emphasizing other elements of their stories. The new offering wasn’t helped by the absence of stars or its cool, levelheaded approach to the issue.
The Academy Award best picture slate pumped new energy into most of the nominees. Though favorite Brokeback Mountain took a small hit, the film remains on track to gross more than $100 million if it takes top honors next month. Munich staved off commercial extinction with its major award nominations and both Capote and Good Night, and Good Luck were afforded the opportunity for major national exposure in theaters though none of the latter trio generated potent screen averages. Lions Gate is mounting a more aggressive than anticipated campaign for Crashwith full page ads noting its DVD availability. Industry pundits are surprised the company hasn’t four-walled courtesy theatrical engagements in Los Angeles and New York and scuttlebutt is that financier Bob Yari is on the hook for ads but not new bookings. Ironically, if the film proves to be a spoiler, Yari isn’t one of the designated accepting producers per a guild ruling.
Other films riding Oscar mania include Walk the Line, TransAmerica and Mrs. Henderson Presents.
The session also featured the first significant exposure of the Oscar M.I.A. Three Burials of Meliquades Estrada (following an Oscar qualifying run) that showed good initial response with about $250,000 from 35 engagements. Still it’s difficult to gauge whether its strength tilts toward the art house or appeal to Hispanic crowds.
Other debuting fare in the niches generated modest to poor returns. The oft-delayed A Good Woman surfaced at 35 theaters with an indifferent $100,000 and the latest from Utah-based HaleStone – Suits on the Loose – demonstrated little expansion potential with $33,500 from 26 sites. Slightly more potent was the indie production Tamara with $32,600 from 14 venues.
Weekend Estimates – February 3-5, 2006
| Title | Distributor | Gross (average) | % change | Theaters | Cume |
| When a Stranger Calls | Sony | 22.2 (7,400) | – | 2999 | 22.2 |
| Big Momma’s House 2 | Fox | 13.1 (4,030) | -53% | 3261 | 45.2 |
| Nanny McPhee | Uni | 9.9 (4,610) | -32% | 2145 | 26.6 |
| Brokeback Mountain | Focus | 6.3 (3,030) | -3% | 2089 | 60.4 |
| Hoodwinked | Weinstein Co. | 5.2 (1,800) | -30% | 2907 | 44 |
| Underworld: Evolution | Sony | 5.1 (1,770) | -55% | 2870 | 52.7 |
| Something New | Focus | 4.9 (1,680) | – | 2907 | 4.9 |
| Annapolis | BV | 3.5 (2,170) | -55% | 1607 | 12.9 |
| Walk the Line | Fox | 3.4 (2,140) | 11% | 1577 | 110.7 |
| Glory Road | BV | 3.0 (1,420) | -43% | 2141 | 39 |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | BV | 2.9 (1,710) | -35% | 1716 | 281.8 |
| Last Holiday | Par | 2.6 (1,340) | -46% | 1920 | 36.3 |
| The Matador | Weinstein Co. | 2.3 (2,570) | -36% | 905 | 8.6 |
| Capote | Sony Classics | 2.2 (1,810) | 219% | 1225 | 17.9 |
| Match Point | DreamWorks | 2.0 (3,870) | -28% | 509 | 16.6 |
| Munich | Uni | 1.9 (1,650) | 13% | 1140 | 43.16 |
| Good Night, and Good Luck | WIP | 1.7 (1,800) | 823% | 929 | 26.9 |
| Fun with Dick and Jane | Sony | 1.6 (1,190) | -54% | 1361 | 108.7 |
| The New World | New Line | 1.4 (1,780) | -42% | 803 | 10.2 |
| King Kong | Uni | 1.3 (1,470) | -46% | 869 | 215 |
| End of the Spear | Rocky Mountain | 1.2 (1,520) | -51% | 817 | 9.9 |
| Mrs. Henderson Presents | Weinstein Co. | 1.0 (3,880) | 234% | 260 | 3.2 |
| Memoirs of a Geisha | Sony | .87 (1,140) | -44% | 765 | 55.3 |
| Syriana | WB | .71 (1,010) | -47% | 705 | 48.3 |
| Hostel | Lions Gate | .59 (1,050) | -67% | 564 | 47 |
| TransAmerica | Weinstein Co. | .53 (5,250) | 12% | 101 | 1.68 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $117.00 | – | – | – | |
| % Change (Last Year) | – | 6% | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Week) | – | -16% | – | – | – |
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada | Sony Classics | .25 (7,090) | – | 35 | 0.29 |
| Roving Mars | BV | .24 (8,960) | -41% | 27 | 0.76 |
| Imagine Me and You | Fox Searchlight | .12 (2,180) | 135% | 56 | 0.19 |
| A Good Woman | UTV | .10 (2,950) | – | 35 | 0.1 |
| Suits on the Loose | HaleStone | 33,500 (1,290) | – | 26 | 0.03 |
| Tamara | Intl Film Exchange | 32,600 (2,330) | – | 14 | 0.03 |
| Who Gets to Call It Art | Palm | 7,800 (3,900) | – | 2 | 0.01 |
Domestic Market Share: January 1 – February 2, 2006
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Percentage |
| Sony (6) | 133.4 | 16.70% |
| Buena Vista (9) | 128.3 | 16.10% |
| Fox (7) | 120.6 | 15.10% |
| Universal (5) | 110.7 | 13.90% |
| Weinstein Co. (6) | 54.1 | 6.80% |
| Warner Bros. (5) | 47.1 | 5.90% |
| Lions Gate (2) | 46.9 | 5.90% |
| Focus (3) | 46.1 | 5.80% |
| Paramount (4) | 37.3 | 4.60% |
| Fox Searchlight (2) | 17.5 | 2.60% |
| DreamWorks (3) | 15.7 | 2.20% |
| New Line (3) | 10.1 | 1.30% |
| Rocky Mountain (1) | 8.6 | 1.10% |
| Sony Classics (6) | 6.5 | 0.80% |
| Other * (37) | 14.7 | 1.80% |
| * none greater than 0.4% | 639.8 | 100.00% |
