By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Pyrites of the Caribbean…
Fool’s Gold, a Popeel of a rom-com, ascended to the top of the weekend movie going charts with an estimated $22.1 million debut. The frame’s other national freshman, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, ranked second with $17.1 million in a session that was largely status quo for this time of year.
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show spent a year looking for an ideal release date and based upon its $470,000 opening discovered none existed. Similar fates befell the Paris Hilton half correct The Hottie and the Nottie and the Japanese anime One Piece: Desert Princess. More encouraging were the limited bows of the black comic In Bruges and the uplifting Israeli comedyThe Band’s Visit and the Quebec launch of the local drama Borderline.
Weekend box office revenues were slightly shy of $110 million that translated into a 14% decline from the prior span. The figure was about 1% behind the 2007 tally led by openings of Norbit andHannibal Rising of $34.2 million and $13.1 million.
There was a decided absence of excitement surrounding the debuts of Fool’s Gold and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Reviews of the former delighted in pointing out similarities to recent adventure comedies and the work of the current pic’s performers while RJ was categorized as a kinder, gentler Martin Lawrence.
The second weekend of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concert film continued strong despite a 66% box office decline and there was similar dynamism for U2 3D that’s been playing in large format locations and plans to move into RealD sites when Hannah moves out.
Oscar contenders were holding their own though it’s difficult to identify any that have caught fire with a wide swath of the audience. With preliminary positive WGA response to a strike resolution the show may go on but not with a lot of enthusiasm from viewers.
– Leonard Klady
Weekend Estimates – February 8-10, 2008
| Title | Distributor | Gross (averag | % chang | Theater | Cume |
| Fool’s Gold | WB | 22.1 (7,060) | – | 3125 | 22.1 |
| Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | Uni | 17.1 (7,180) | – | 2386 | 17.1 |
| Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Concert | BV | 10.6 (15,470) | -66% | 687 | 53.5 |
| The Eye | Lions Gate | 6.2 (2,530) | -50% | 2470 | 21.1 |
| Juno | Fox Searchlight | 5.6 (2,400) | -21% | 2321 | 117.5 |
| 27 Dresses | Fox | 5.5 (1,930) | -36% | 2841 | 65.2 |
| The Bucket List | WB | 5.3 (1,940) | -21% | 2753 | 75.1 |
| There Will Be Blood | Par Vantage | 4.0 (2,450) | -14% | 1620 | 26.7 |
| Rambo | Lions Gate | 3.9 (1,450) | -45% | 2717 | 36.3 |
| Meet the Spartans | Fox | 3.9 (1,590) | -47% | 2446 | 33.7 |
| Untraceable | Sony | 3.3 (1,550) | -35% | 2143 | 24.2 |
| Cloverfield | Par | 2.6 (1,270) | -47% | 2030 | 75.9 |
| No Country for Old Men | Miramax | 2.2 (1,820) | -1% | 1202 | 58.2 |
| Atonement | Focus | 2.1 (1,790) | -28% | 1190 | 45.3 |
| National Treasure: Book of Secrets | BV | 2.1 (1,690) | -29% | 1256 | 212.7 |
| Over Her Dead Body | New Line/TVA | 1.8 (1,890) | -56% | 1977 | 6.8 |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | Fox | 1.7 (1,170) | -39% | 1465 | 209.8 |
| Michael Clayton | WB | 1.6 (2,090) | -9% | 757 | 46.3 |
| Strange Wilderness | Par | 1.3 (1,110) | -55% | 1211 | 5.4 |
| U2 3D | nWave | .67 (10,980) | -6% | 61 | 3 |
| Mad Money | Overture | .63 (690) | -68% | 912 | 19.8 |
| I Am Legend | WB | .57 (1,310) | -44% | 435 | 254.1 |
| First Sunday | Sony | .53 (960) | -64% | 553 | 37.5 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | – | $105.30 | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Year) | – | -1% | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Week) | – | -14% | – | – | – |
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy | Picturehouse | .47 (490) | – | 962 | 0.47 |
| Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Miramax | .45 (2,130) | 2% | 213 | 4.4 |
| In Bruges | Focus | .44 (15,750) | – | 28 | 0.44 |
| Persepolis | Sony Classics | .36 (2,900) | 6% | 125 | 2.3 |
| Borderline | TVA | .23 (5,530) | – | 42 | 0.23 |
| The Band’s Visit | Sony Classics | 68,400 (9,770) | – | 7 | 0.07 |
| The Hottie & the Nottie | Regent | 24,800 (220) | – | 111 | 0.02 |
| Ugly Me | Arcangelo | 21,200 (850) | – | 25 | 0.02 |
| One Piece: Desert Princess | Bigger Picture | 5,300 (55) | – | 97 | 0.01 |
| Spiral | Anchor Bay | 3,100 (1,550) | – | 2 | 0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – To February 7, 2008
| Distributor (titles) | Gross* | Market Share |
| Warner Bros. (10) | 185.5 | 18.30% |
| Fox (6) | 165.3 | 16.40% |
| Buena Vista (6) | 135.7 | 13.40% |
| Paramount (4) | 99.9 | 9.90% |
| Fox Searchlight (3) | 87.2 | 8.60% |
| Sony (8) | 85.4 | 8.40% |
| Lions Gate (4) | 47.5 | 4.70% |
| Par Vantage (6) | 42.4 | 4.20% |
| Universal (3) | 39.5 | 3.90% |
| Focus (2) | 31.9 | 3.20% |
| Overture (1) | 19.1 | 1.90% |
| Miramax (2) | 17.4 | 1.70% |
| MGM (5) | 15.5 | 1.50% |
| New Line (2) | 13.9 | 1.40% |
| Picturehouse (1) | 5.7 | 0.60% |
| Other * (36) | 19.1 | 1.90% |
| – | 1011 | 100.00% |
