Failure to Launch surprised pundits with an unexpectedly potent estimate of $24.7 million to emerge the weekend’s top viewed movie. Also stronger than anticipated was the horror remake ofThe Hills Have Eyes that ranked third overall with $15.6 million while the recycled The Shaggy Dog barked up a Disneypointing $16.1 million. Best of the limited openers was Ask the Dust in a session that again wasn’t quite up to 2004 levels.

Expectations for the romantic comedy teaming of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey in Failure to Launch were modest and some trackers expected its furry canine competitor to have a better opening gross. To no one’s great surprise the picture’s core audience was older and female; it’s just that the sector came out in greater numbers than usual. There are encouraging signs the film might catch on with a younger crowd and prove to have very good commercial stamina.

More inspiration than remake of the very popular bygone films starring Fred MacMurray, The Shaggy Dog was tailored to the physical low-brow humor of its star Tim Allen. The film proved more satisfying than earlier efforts at transformative comedy in 1976’s The Shaggy D.A. but unless it has legs, or paws aplenty, it’s a franchise that won’t be unleashed on the public for at least a generation.

Cult horror favorite The Hills Have Eyes that launched director Wes Craven’s career in 1977 looked like a much too arcane chiller for a redo. The new version went for the viscera and targeted an audience largely unfamiliar with its origins to great effect. It’s $15.6 million now ranks the biggest opener for the Fox Searchlight label.

Weekend revenues rang up about $107 million to record a modest 4% increase from last weekend’s Oscar frame. However, they still lagged behind the prior year’s performance by 8% when Robotsentered the marketplace with a $36 million gross. The slow, consistent erosion of box office and admissions that’s continued for three years is apt to be topic A when the nation’s exhibitors descend on Las Vegas tomorrow for its annual ShoWest convention.

The weekend also saw the flaccid national bow of Johnny Depp in the period costume drama The Libertine. Its $2.2 million gross suggest audiences prefer the actor’s costumes include an eye patch.

There was nothing of particular note or stamina among the crowd of holdover releases with virtually all titles experiencing drops of at least 40%. Last weekend’s Oscar contenders and winners failed to catch a second wind though most were already consigned back to an art house niche. Brokeback Mountain advanced past $80 million but hopes of reaching 9-figures have been dashed. Oscar kudos continued to be an asset for Capote but come up empty translated into a steep drop forTransamerica. And while Lionsgate opted not to put its contender Crash back into theaters during award season, it decided it deserved a token reissue following its best picture win that generated a modest $280,000 gross from 130 theaters. Foreign-language winner Tsotsi expanded to 30 venues for a good but not exceptional $7,700 plus location average.

Most potent among limited bows was writer-director Robert Towne’s long cherished desire to bring author John Fante’s novel Ask the Dust to the screen. Arriving without fanfare or promotional heft it still managed to generate a $10,000 plus average from its seven exposures. Rave reviews failed to launch the Mexican import Duck Season that grossed $23,200 in six venues and Sundance-preemed Game 6 was hoopless with $9,200 from four sites and Asia Argento’s The Heart is Deceitful proved marginally more encouraging with a $9,700 gross from two screens.

In Canada the Viking legend Beowulf & Grendel that was co-produced with England and Iceland bowed to an okay $110,000 from 32 playdates but the acclaimed French import Anthony Zimmerfailed to translate in Quebec where it tallied about $68,000 from 29 exposures.

– by Leonard Klady

Domestic Market Share: January 1 – March 2, 2006

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