MCN Columnists
Leonard Klady

By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com

Feel the Rush …

August 12, 2007
Weekend Finals
Domestic Market Share

Three was a charm for Rush Hour as it debuted at the top of the charts with an estimated $50.8 million. The heat from the Chan-Tucker action comedy got minimal assistance from a trio of other national debuts. The fantasy adventureStardust failed to sparkle with a fourth place $8.8 million gross; Daddy Day Camp needed emergency rehab from it $3.5 million weekend and the horror entry Skinwalkers pealed off a spare $540,000.

Niche freshmen were in better shape with the Bollywood bow of Chak de India looking strong with $390 k at 75 locations and the romantic comedy 2 Days in Paris posting a $20,500 average at eight venues. The American indie Rocket Science had OK results of $56,300 from its six launch pads.

There was considerable nervousness about the third installment of the Rush Hour franchise with pundits skeptical that its late season arrival in a season already chock-a-block with sequels could post hefty opening numbers. Previews assuaged those concerns but many pegged the bow at no more than $40 million prior to opening day.

Conversely, there was greater enthusiasm for Stardust than translated at the box office. A kid lit favorite, it appeared to be well placed behind the Harry Potter slipstream and had the type of talent quotient that might bring a nice slice of the adult audience to the multiplex. The reality was no better than lukewarm.

While weekend ticket sales took a 13% hit from last weekend’s Bourne juggernaut, it continued to outpace the 2006 tempo by 22%. A year ago Talladega Nights led the pack with $22.1 million, followed by debuts of Step Up andWorld Trade Center with respective openings of $20.7 million and $18.7 million.

Ticket buyers weren’t buying Daddy Day Camp without Eddie Murphy and while sequels aren’t necessarily equals, this follow up wasn’t even a contender. It jump started the weekend with a Wednesday bow that generated an additional $1.5 million.

There were good expansion results for the upscale Becoming Jane, the tweedy romantic and fanciful Austen biography but both Hot Rod and Bratz experience that sinking feeling along with the Latino musical saga El Cantante.

Mirroring the American summer, Bollywood is experiencing a late surge with the likes of Partner and now Chak De India. The promising start for 2 Days in Paris also reflects the picture’s solid initial returns in the European art house circuit.

– Leonard Klady

Weekend Finals – August 10-12, 2007

Title
Distrib
Weekend
% Chang
Theaters
Cume
Wks
1 New Rush Hour 3
New Line
49,100,158 3778 49,100,158 1
2 1 The Bourne Ultimatum
Uni
32,879,125 -52% 3686 131,552,425 2
3 2 The Simpsons Movie
Fox
11,269,651 -55% 3552 152,381,993 3
4 New Stardust
Par
9,169,779 2540 9,169,779 1
5 6 Hairspray
New Line
6,396,666 -31% 2805 92,139,670 4
6 3 Underdog
BV
6,352,377 -45% 3013 24,643,289 2
7 4 I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Uni
5,877,915 -45% 2799 103,777,170 4
8 5 Harry Potter & the Order of Phoenix
WB
5,432,130 -43% 2585 272,047,388 5
9 7 No Reservations
WB
3,855,029 -41% 2053 32,025,018 3
10 New Daddy Day Camp
Sony
3,402,678 2332 4,887,285 1
11 8 Transformers
Par
3,236,060 -46% 1803 302,869,658 6
12 16 Becoming Jane
Miramax
2,902,117 199% 601 4,502,593 2
13 11 Ratatouille
BV
2,373,416 -40% 1835 193,415,390 7
14 9 Hot Rod
Par
2,223,876 -58% 2607 11,016,352 2
15 10 Bratz
Lions Gate
1,420,336 -66% 1509 7,566,705 2
16 12 El Cantante
Picturehouse
1,401,148 -56% 537 5,579,231 2
17 New Skinwalkers
FreeStyle
753,520 745 753,520 1
18 13 Live Free or Die Hard
Fox
685,463 -62% 503 131,888,585 7
19 New Les 3 p’tits cochons
Christal
462,252 98 462,252 1
20 17 Talk to Me
Focus
401,942 -40% 193 3,509,574 5
21 New Chak De! India
Yash Raj
351,887 62 351,887 1
22 21 Shrek the Third
Par
316,698 -31% 344 321,329,057 13
23 19 Knocked Up
Uni
311,910 -39% 281 146,842,550 11
24 23 Evan Almighty
Uni
303,655 -19% 318 97,898,890 8
25 35 Ocean’s Thirteen
WB
303,368 129% 321 116,267,510 10
26 18 Rescue Dawn
MGM
268,848 -52% 403 4,826,789 6
27 20 Sicko
LGF/Alliance
265,871 -47% 204 23,249,325 8
28 25 Once
Fox Searchlight
259,923 -9% 124 6,964,084 13
29 24 Fantastic Four: Rise of Silver Surfer
Fox
229,449 -37% 255 130,788,105 9
30 15 Who’s Your Caddy?
MGM
187,169 -83% 311 5,371,428 3
31 29 La Vie en Rose
TVA/Picturehou
186,188 -15% 128 8,773,678 21
32 27 Surf’s Up
Sony
186,072 -20% 253 58,365,173 10
33 22 Sunshine
Fox Searchlight
180,704 -60% 116 3,166,574 4
34 New 2 Days in Paris
IDP
173,641 10 173,641 1
35 33 Deep Sea 3-D
WB
167,340 -5% 30 31,284,990 76
36 14 I Know Who Killed Me
Sony
146,205 -87% 334 7,032,372 3
37 30 Pirates of Caribbean: At World’s End
BVI
136,536 -29% 139 307,592,347 12
38 51 No End in Sight
Magnolia
118,581 169% 21 235,594 3
39 26 License to Wed
WB
113,446 -52% 135 42,893,457 6
40 34 My Best Friend
IFC/Christal
113,219 -21% 60 819,988 5
41 28 1408
MGM
106,058 -54% 135 70,918,071 8
42 37 The Ten
Thinkfilm
102,725 -15% 40 292,939 2
43 31 Nancy Drew
WB
101,061 -43% 189 25,355,848 9
44 36 Spider-Man 3
Sony
77,571 -39% 151 336,436,184 15
45 40 Goya’s Ghosts
IDP
65,981 -12% 39 590,322 4
46 45 Broken English
Magnolia
65,887 4% 41 818,674 8
47 41 Wild Hogs
BV
63,550 -13% 83 168,502,638 24
48 42 Waitress
Fox Searchlight
59,778 -18% 65 18,699,775 15
49 New Rocket Science
Picturehouse
58,536 6 58,536 1
50 54 Magnificent Desolation
Imax
52,875 32% 5 20,620,011 99
51 57 Moliere
Sony Classics
50,671 54% 26 153,605 3
52 46 Paris je t’aime
First Look
41,315 -34% 31 4,940,593 14
53 38 Meet the Robinsons
BV
41,146 -50% 95 97,690,955 20
54 52 Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia
Sky High
39,573 -5% 10 1,023,826 20
55 53 Wild Safari 3-D
nWave
39,117 -5% 10 14,653,852 123
56 63 This is England
IFC
33,459 76% 9 95,849 3
57 55 Interview
Sony Classics
30,653 -20% 26 307,590 5
58 56 Golden Door
Miramax
27,019 -22% 23 996,031 12
59 47 Arctic Tale
Par Vantage
25,108 128% 24 147,890 3
60 50 Disturbia
Par
23,069 -51% 47 80,207,510 18
61 49 Mr. Brooks
MGM
20,340 -43% 55 28,476,219 11
62 83 Gypsy Caravan
Shadow
19,396 44% 13 250,418 30
63 65 Space Station
Imax
17,027 -6% 1 65,680,703 278
64 59 You Kill Me
IFC
16,813 -31% 14 2,415,335 8
65 43 Ma Tante Aline
Alliance
16,047 -74% 19 776,751 4
Source: Nielsen EDI; MCN

Estimates – August 10-12, 2007

Title
Distributor
Gross (average)
% change *
Theaters
Cume
Rush Hour 3
New Line
50.8 (13,450)
3778
50.8
The Bourne Ultimatum
Uni
33.9 (9,190)
-51%
3686
132.5
The Simpson Movie
Fox
11.0 (3,090)
-56%
3552
152.1
Stardust
Par
8.8 (3,470)
2540
8.8
Hairspray
New Line
6.4 (2,290)
-30%
2805
92.2
Underdog
BV
6.3 (2,100)
-45%
3013
24.6
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Uni
5.8 (2,070)
-46%
2799
103.7
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
WB
5.4 (2,100)
-43%
2585
272
No Reservations
WB
4.0 (1,930)
-40%
2053
32.1
Daddy Day Camp
Sony
3.5 (1,510)
2332
5
Transformers
Par
3.2 (1,790)
-46%
1803
302.9
Becoming Jane
Miramax
3.0 (4,940)
205%
601
4.6
Ratatouille
BV
2.3 (1,260)
-42%
1835
193.3
Hot Rod
Par
2.2 (830)
-59%
2607
11
Bratz
Lions Gate
1.4 (900)
-68%
1509
7.5
El Cantante
Picturehouse
1.3 (2,320)
-61%
542
4.18
Live Free or Die Hard
Fox
.66 (1,310)
-69%
503
131.9
Skinwalkers
FreeStyle
.54 (730)
737
0.54
Talk to Me
Focus
.40 (2,090)
-40%
193
3.5
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films)
$150.50
% Change (Last Year)
22%
% Change (Last Week)
-13%
Also debuting/expanding
Chak De India
Yash Raj
.39 (5,250)
75
0.39
2 Days in Paris
IDP
.16 (20,510)
8
0.16
Rocket Science
Picturehouse
56,300 (9,390)
6
0.06
Dans Paris
IFC
12,200 (6,100)
2
0.01
Descent
City Lights
8,400 (4,200)
2
0.01

Domestic Grosses: To August 9, 2007

Title
Distributor
Gross
Spider-Man 3
Sony
336,351,445
Shrek the Third
Par
321,012,359
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s
BV
307,455,811
Transformers
Par
299,633,598
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoe
WB
266,615,258
300
WB
210,702,543
Ratatouille
BV
191,042,064
Wild Hogs
BV
168,439,088
Knocked Up
Uni
146,530,640
The Simpsons Movie
Fox
141,112,342
Live Free or Die Hard
Fox
131,203,122
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Fox
130,558,656
Night at the Museum *
Fox
125,041,114
Blades of Glory
Par
118,628,332
Ghost Rider
Sony
117,257,346
Ocean’s Thirteen
WB
115,964,142
The Bourne Ultimatum
Uni
98,673,300
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Uni
97,899,255
Meet the Robinsons
BV
97,649,809
Evan Almighty
Uni
97,595,235

Domestic Market Share: To August 9, 2007

Distributor (Releases)
Gross
Market Share
Paramount (15)
1161.4
18.60%
Warner Bros. (22)
946.6
15.20%
Buena Vista (15)
911.2
14.60%
Sony (19)
890.9
14.30%
Fox (16)
683.9
11.00%
Universal (13)
662.3
10.60%
New Line (7)
194.7
3.10%
MGM (14)
191.1
3.10%
Lions Gate (13)
129.5
2.10%
Fox Searchlight (11)
87.4
1.40%
Focus (4)
55.8
0.90%
Picturehouse (4)
50.8
0.80%
Miramax (7)
46.1
0.70%
Par Vantage (5)
34.7
0.60%
Sony Classics (12)
33.6
0.50%
Other * (166)
159.6
2.50%
* none greater than 0.4%
6239.6
100%
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Klady

Quote Unquotesee all »

It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon