Cars got its motor running as it shifted up to an estimated $60.3 million and crossed the finish line way ahead of the pack in the weekend movie going rally. The frame also saw debuts for the new incarnation of The Omen and an aggressive premiere for The Prairie Home Companion that had tuneful dividends.Cars, the latest animated offering for Pixar, got off to a fast start of $19 million plus on Friday. It bumped up 16% on Saturday indicating that as with past Pixar efforts its appeal skews to an older audience than traditional Disney efforts. According to a studio spokesman, initial tracking shows markedly different audience composition between early, matinee and evening showings.

The film was the animation company’s last studio commitment in its initial contract with the studio and fractious negotiations with former studio chief Michael Eisner fueled speculation about where the company would be parked in future. That abruptly changed when new Disney management acquired the firm earlier this year.

The animated vehicle also dipped its toe in international waters with engagements in Australia and several Asian territories where World Cup fever isn’t expected to siphon off movie attendance. Carstopped Australian marquees with an estimated $3.3 million ahead of the debut of The Break-Up(also in its first overseas exposure) at $2.3 million.

The Break-Up ranked second domestically with $20.8 million and surprised industry pundits that anticipated a steep drop for the darkly comic tale. Its performance on the tail of last year’s The Wedding Crashers and The 40 Year Old Virgin bodes well for several upcoming adult comedies.

Weekend revenues surpassed $150 million for a 13% upturn from the prior three-day span. The box office was also ahead of the 2005 span – when Mr. & Mrs. Smith bowed to $50 million – by 5%. Attendance, however, was flat with last year and as the season presses on, greater pressure is being placed on event pictures to provide sizeable boosts on seasonal movie going.

The first weekend of The Omen added $15.1 million to the $20.3 million the film generated since its Tuesday debut. Its clever marketing ploy to bow on 6-6-06 translated into far better commercial returns than had been anticipated. It was nosed out by X-Men: The Last Stand with a gross of $15.5 million that pushed its cume to more than $200 million – the first film to reach that level this year.

The Prairie Home Companion, based on the niche Public Radio favorite, went boldly into the marketplace with an initial run of 760 theaters. The gamble translated into upbeat returns of $4.5 million that placed it seventh in the weekend lineup. According to Bob Berney of Picturehouse, the expectation aficionados would show up was evident across the board with strong urban response as well as suburban dates and engagements in smaller markets in Alaska and Montana.

“We’re attracting primarily an older audience,” said Berney. “But the response is so good, I have to believe that we’ll see more teens and twenties in the coming weeks. It’s the type of film that could generate very good repeat business.”

The globe warming doc An Inconvenient Truth also continued strong in limited expansion with a $1.5 million gross at 122 this past weekend.

New entries in the niches were few and inconsequential. Among limited releases, the fest fave basketball doc The Heart of the Game tallied almost $12,000 from three courts while the music-themed import Crossing the Bridge garnered about $11,000 from two venues.

– by Leonard Klady

Worldwide Grosses: January 1 – June 8, 2006

* does not include 2005 box office

Domestic Market Share: January 1 – June 8, 2006

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