By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Honey in the Bank …
November 4 , 2007
Weekend Estimates
Domestic Market Share
The multiplexes were abuzz with American Gangster leading the frame on an estimated $46.5 million tally and the animated Bee Movie adding a stinging $38.9 million to a turnaround session at the box office. The leaders didn’t leave much more for the national debut of Martian Child that ranked seventh with $3.5 million.
The big guns also reigned in the deluge of regional and niche freshmen though the limited bows of non-fiction entries Darfur Now and Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten posted respectable returns. Canadian bows of the comedy Surviving My Mother and The Tracy Fragments were disappointing while a single screen reissue of the seminal thriller Diva trilled to an impressive $5,600.
There was no denying the fierce spotlight placed upon American Gangster, the saga of a real life Harlem drug czar during the Vietnam era. The star vehicle’s production history had already been interrupted by the studio’s decision to halt production once and its revival upped the stakes. Industry consensus was that it had to open to at least $40 million to prove viable and many doubted that a violent saga of lawlessness could attain that benchmark; the apt precedents were not supportive.
However, it proved to hit a sonorous chord with audiences and its opening day $16 million salvo allowed for a collective sigh of relief. The picture posted this season’s best opening gross and ranked as second best fall premiere in the record books.
Also exceeding expectations was Bee Movie. Some sectors had dire predictions for the Jerry Seinfeld inspired family film, believing a discount between his core fan base and kids and parents. Initial reviews buttressed that prognosis but in the end it was families that propelled its box office and hopes to reel in adults can only improve with time.
Weekend tallies approached $140 million for a truly expansive 39% boost from the prior frame’s debut of the other buzzer Saw IV. It was also 7% improved from 2006 when the cautious bow of Boratbested the $19.5 million opening of Santa Clause 3 and $18.8 million for Flushed Away with a $26.4 million gross.
Apart from the merciless 67% decline of Saw IV, most hold over titles appeared to sustain well against the debuting commercial dynamos. Last weekend’s newbie romantic comedy Dan in Real Life slipped 31% but generally the erosion factor was between 40% and 50%.
The well received human comedy Martian Child had alienating returns that translated into an unrecoverable $1,750 theater average. It was clearly a victim to second choice-itis in the unforgiving marketplace.
The session was light on platform expansions other than the crime drama Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead that saw its gross balloon 365% and still maintained close to a $10,000 average. Also worth keeping a close check on was Darfur Now, the highly lauded documentary that’s received an effective TLC marketing campaign. Its initial three screen exposure posted a good but not great $7,800 average and continues a disturbing trend for soft returns for films – real and created – addressing serious contemporary social issues.
Weekend Estimates – November 2-4, 2007
Title |
Distributor
|
Gross (averag
|
% change
|
Theater
|
Cume
|
American Gangster |
Uni
|
46.5 (15,230)
|
–
|
3054
|
46.5
|
Bee Movie |
Par
|
38.9 (9,910)
|
–
|
3928
|
38.9
|
Saw IV |
Lions Gate
|
10.5 (3,310)
|
-67%
|
3183
|
50.6
|
Dan in Real Life |
BV
|
8.1 (4,230)
|
-31%
|
1925
|
22.9
|
30 Days of Nights |
Sony
|
3.8 (1,460)
|
-44%
|
2627
|
34.1
|
The Game Plan |
BV
|
3.8 (1,330)
|
-38%
|
2844
|
81.9
|
Martian Child |
New Line
|
3.5 (1,750)
|
–
|
2020
|
3.5
|
Michael Clayton |
WB
|
2.8 (1,320)
|
-43%
|
2107
|
33.1
|
Why Did I Get Married? |
Lions Gate
|
2.6 (1,870)
|
-54%
|
1403
|
51.1
|
Gone Baby Gone |
Miramax
|
2.3 (1,430)
|
-39%
|
1617
|
14.9
|
Nightmare Before Christmas 3D (reis |
BV
|
1.5 (2,740)
|
-55%
|
562
|
12.8
|
The Comebacks |
Fox
|
1.4 (850)
|
-59%
|
1632
|
11.8
|
We Own the Night |
Sony
|
1.3 (810)
|
-61%
|
1634
|
27.7
|
Into the Wild |
Par Vantage
|
1.3 (1,950)
|
-19%
|
660
|
10.9
|
The Darjeeling Limited |
Fox Searchlight
|
1.2 (1,980)
|
-31%
|
615
|
8
|
Across the Universe |
Sony
|
1.2 (1,420)
|
-31%
|
822
|
21
|
Bella |
Roadside Attract.
|
.85 (4,570)
|
-36%
|
186
|
2.4
|
Lars and the Real Girl |
MGM
|
.78 (2,430)
|
-16%
|
321
|
2.4
|
Elizabeth: The Golden Age |
Uni
|
.61 (1,090)
|
-63%
|
562
|
15.4
|
Rendition |
New Line
|
.56 (920)
|
-76%
|
609
|
9.3
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
–
|
$133.50
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
% Change (Last Year) |
–
|
7%
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
% Change (Last Week) |
–
|
39%
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead |
Thinkfilm
|
.34 (9,830)
|
365%
|
35
|
0.45
|
Lust, Caution |
Focus
|
.31 (2,540)
|
-34%
|
122
|
3.3
|
Assassination of Jesse James … |
WB
|
.23 (1,080)
|
-47%
|
212
|
3.3
|
Surviving My Mother |
Alliance
|
62,700 (1,140)
|
–
|
54
|
0.06
|
Darfur Now |
WIP
|
23,400 (7,800)
|
–
|
3
|
0.02
|
Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritt |
IFC
|
18,900 (9,450)
|
–
|
2
|
0.02
|
A Broken Sole |
Prism
|
10,300 (10,300)
|
–
|
1
|
0.01
|
Diva (reissue) |
Rialto
|
5,600 (5,600)
|
–
|
1
|
0.01
|
The Tracy Fragments |
Odeon
|
3,260 (1,630)
|
–
|
2
|
0.01
|
Worldwide Box Office – To November 1, 2007
Title |
Distributor
|
Gross |
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End |
BV
|
961,653,057 |
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix |
WB
|
942,294,650 |
Spider-Man 3 |
Sony
|
890,976,387 |
Shrek the Third |
Par
|
795,564,752 |
Transformers |
Par
|
702,463,147 |
Ratatouille |
BV
|
560,837,324 |
The Simpsons Movie |
Fox
|
522,063,442 |
300 |
WB
|
455,946,644 |
The Bourne Ultimatum |
Uni
|
412,395,279 |
Night at the Museum * |
Fox
|
394,697,927 |
Live Free or Die Hard |
Fox
|
374,443,221 |
Ocean’s Thirteen |
WB
|
310,940,968 |
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer |
Fox
|
286,218,471 |
Wild Hogs |
BV
|
253,658,370 |
Rush Hour 3 |
NLC
|
248,876,584 |
Ghost Rider |
Sony
|
229,847,486 |
Mr. Bean’s Holiday |
Uni/Wk Title
|
224,238,605 |
Knocked Up |
Uni
|
215,921,696 |
The Pursuit of Happyness * |
Sony
|
209,859,635 |
Hairspray |
NLC
|
191,401,859 |
Domestic Market Share – November 1, 2007
Distributor (releases) |
Gross (millions)
|
Mrkt Share
|
Paramount (18) |
1265.2
|
15.90% |
Sony (26) |
1160.7
|
14.60% |
Warner Bros. (27) |
1076.5
|
13.50% |
Buena Vista (18) |
1057.1
|
13.30% |
Universal (18) |
926.2
|
11.70% |
Fox (19) |
758.9
|
9.60% |
New Line (11) |
414.8
|
5.20% |
Lions Gate (20) |
338.1
|
4.30% |
MGM (22) |
291.9
|
3.70% |
Focus (8) |
107.3
|
1.30% |
Fox Searchlight (12) |
98.1
|
1.20% |
Miramax (8) |
75.8
|
0.90% |
Picturehouse (7) |
56.9
|
0.70% |
Paramount Vantage (6) |
45.1
|
0.60% |
Other * (258) |
276
|
3.50% |
– |
7948.6
|
100.00% |