By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Stomp, Rattle & Roll…
January 15, 2007
Weekend Estimates
Domestic Market Share
Stomp the Yard led the Martin Luther King holiday frame with an estimated $26.2 million in a crowded marketplace that proved fiercely competitive. With a number of strong holdover titles most freshmen entries wound up underperforming, particularly the horror outing Primeval that grossed $6.9 million and family entry Arthur and the Invisibles at $5.7 million. Alpha Dog that ranked sixth overall had better results with an initial foray of $7.5 million.
While revenues were roughly on par with last year’s holiday business, there are now considerably more titles vying for that consistent audience. Simply put, there are too many options for movie goers and even popular titles aren’t grossing up to their potential.
Stomp the Yard followed on the heels of the likes of Step Up and Save the Last Dance with contemporary hip hop and Terpsichore targeted at young adults. Entering the weekend it was minimally expected to be the best of the incoming titles though not necessarily first in the marketplace. However, when the dust settled it nosed ahead of Night at the Museum which is nearing a $200 million domestic cume.
Dreamgirls doubled its exposure to good but not great results of $10.1 million. The timing was mindful of tonight’s Golden Globe broadcast where it’s expected to finally win a handful of awards and launch is potent Oscar campaign.
Alpha Dog, a true crime saga that earned some solid reviews, stepped out cautiously with 1,289 playdates to respectable results. The acquisition will be a tidy and profitable venture for the filmmakers and studio.
Primeval suffered from a campaign that was indecisive. A mix of terror and adventure that was inspired by a true story its edginess wasn’t reflected in advertising and the core horror crowd largely gave it a pass.
Already a significant success in Europe with close to $60 million banked in Europe in its first month of release, Arthur and the Invisibles failed in its Atlantic crossing. The kid lit books it’s based upon aren’t well known in the U.S. and the decision to re-title the film from Arthur and the Minimoys stripped it of potential intrigue for a family crowd that clearly opted for other alternatives.
Winding up its domestic run, Casino Royale passed $162 million to become the biggest 007 grosser in North America.
Award season triggered a number of expansions that included Letters from Iwo Jima, Notes on a Scandal and Curse of the Golden Flower. The first two films continued to perform well with respective theater averages of $12,920 and $9,600. Still Iwo Jima is facing an up hill climb with most high profile organizations and guilds consigning it to foreign-language status that may consign it to specialized engagements.
There were only a couple of new releases in alternative arenas. Guru on the Bollywood circuit bowed to excellent results with a $10,000 plus average from 70 venues. God Grew Tired of Us, inspired by the true tale of The Lost Boys of Sudan, rang up a sturdy $27,800 from just two engagements.
Weekend Estimates – January 12-15, 2007
Title | Distributor | Gross (avera | % change | Theater | Cume |
Stomp the Yard | Sony | 26.2 (12,780) | 2051 | 26.2 | |
Night at the Museum | Fox | 21.5 (5,950) | -14% | 3612 | 190.2 |
The Pursuit of Happyness | Sony | 11.0 (3,480) | -19% | 3169 | 138.4 |
Dreamgirls | Par | 10.1 (5,310) | 10% | 852 | 67 |
Freedom Writers | Par | 8.7 (4,010) | -12% | 2179 | 20 |
Alpha Dog | Uni | 7.5 (5,850) | 1289 | 7.5 | |
Children of Men | Uni | 7.4 (4,930) | -33% | 1508 | 22.4 |
Primeval | BV | 6.9 (2,830) | 2444 | 6.9 | |
Arthur and the Invisibles | MGM | 5.7 (2,550) | 2247 | 5.7 | |
Charlotte’s Web | Par | 4.9 (1,960) | -29% | 2513 | 73.3 |
The Good Shepherd | Uni | 4.4 (2,190) | -37% | 1994 | 54.7 |
Happily Never After | Lions Gate | 4.2 (1,780) | -39% | 2381 | 11.8 |
Rocky Balboa | MGM | 2.8 (1,530) | -56% | 1835 | 65.7 |
Blood Diamond | WB | 3.0 (2,660) | -28% | 1116 | 48.3 |
We Are Marshall | WB | 2.8 (1,570) | -43% | 1804 | 39.2 |
Pan’s Labyrinth | Picturehouse | 2.6 (13,560) | 209% | 194 | 4.8 |
Happy Feet | WB | 2.6 (1,780) | -39% | 1451 | 188.8 |
Eragon | Fox | 2.5 (1,580) | -50% | 1614 | 70.7 |
Curse of the Golden Flower | Sony Classics | 2.3 (1,840) | 498% | 1234 | 4.6 |
Casino Royale | Sony | 2.0 (2,480) | -37% | 819 | 162.8 |
Code Name: The Cleaner | New Line | 2.0 (1,130) | -56% | 1736 | 7 |
Notes on a Scandal | Searchlight | 1.9 (9,600) | 57% | 200 | 4.4 |
The Holiday | Sony | 1.8 (1,320) | -57% | 1337 | 61.8 |
The Queen | Miramax | 1.3 (3,810) | 14% | 344 | 31.7 |
The Painted Veil | WIP | 1.2 (5,890) | 124% | 202 | 2.6 |
Apocalypto | BV | 1.0 (2,180) | -47% | 467 | 49 |
Guru | Adlabs | .71 (10,140) | 70 | 0.71 | |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $149.00 | ||||
% Change (Last Year) | -1% | ||||
% Change (Last Week) | 9% | ||||
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
Letter from Iwo Jima | WB | .45 (12,920) | 411% | 35 | 1 |
Perfume | Par | .39 (1,400) | -40% | 280 | 1.4 |
Miss Potter | MGM | .20 (6,960) | 53% | 29 | 0.39 |
God Grew Tired of Us | Newmarket | 27,800 (13,900) | 2 | 0.03 |
Domestic Market Share: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2006
Distributor (releases) |
Gross
|
Percentage
|
% Chang
|
Rank ’05
|
Sony (33) |
1718.1
|
18.60%
|
87%
|
5
|
Buena Vista (25) |
1474.4
|
16.00%
|
60%
|
4
|
Fox (28) |
1398.6
|
15.20%
|
3%
|
2
|
Warner Bros. (25) |
1065.9
|
11.60%
|
-23%
|
1
|
Paramount (18) |
949.9
|
10.30%
|
15%
|
6
|
Universal (21) |
816.6
|
8.90%
|
-19%
|
3
|
Lions Gate (18) |
333.8
|
3.60%
|
17%
|
10
|
New Line (13) |
253.2
|
2.70%
|
-40%
|
7
|
Weinstein Co. (14) |
226.5
|
2.40%
|
383%
|
17
|
Focus (13) |
184.8
|
2.00%
|
15%
|
12
|
MGM (11) |
166.8
|
1.80%
|
-9%
|
11
|
Fox Searchlight (14) |
165.6
|
1.80%
|
62%
|
14
|
Sony Classics (23) |
59.3
|
0.60%
|
-6%
|
15
|
FreeStyle (9) |
56
|
0.60%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Other * (290) |
361.6
|
3.90%
|
-9%
|
–
|
– |
9231.1
|
100.00%
|
3.80%
|
–
|
* DreamWorks ranked seventh; Miramax ninth in 2005 |