By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Who’s On First…
Doc Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who translated best to the big screen audience this past weekend with an estimated $45.3 million. It was sloppy seconds for the frame’s two other national freshmen with the teen martial arts yarn Never Back Down generating a respectable $8.8 million to rank third overall and the Apocalyptic adventure Doomsday struggling to find a crowd with a $4.7 million tally.
Limited release openers generated uninspiring returns including Funny Games’ failure to translate controversy into box office with a $520,000 gross from 289 theaters. American indie drama Sleepwalking proved commercially somnambulistic with a $1,640 average from 30 venues and Maldeamores targeted at the Hispanic audience sputtered with an $830 per screen in 20 exposures.
The potent bow of the first big screen animated adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss assuaged critics ruffled by live-action movie Grinch and hatted Cats. Horton Hears a Who broke a series of arcane box office records but the really important one is its current status as 2008’s biggest opening grosser. With the current absence of family fare in the marketplace expectations were high for the movie … just not as high as ticket sales bore out.
Never Back Down repped the first saturation release for Summit and as with most start ups there was plenty of room to observe: “if only this film had been released by a major.” Summit’s ground floor participation with such films as Step Up, Babel and Michael Clayton has resulted in impressive international returns. But logically starting a domestic operation at full throttle would have been a true anomaly.
Similarly, the prospect of squeezing more commercial juice out of Rogue Pictures’ genre outings by flipping distribution from Focus to Universal is likely best served on a title by title basis. Doomsday, in retrospect, played no better going out via the mother company.
Weekend box office experienced a 12% boost from last weekend with overall revenues approaching $118 million. Horton had that extra bit of b.o. utz to push grosses up 2% from 2007 when the second weekend of 300 led with $32.9 million and the top new entry was Premonition at $17.6 million.
Holdover titles displayed no great stamina and it’s safe to say that the award/Oscar season is officially over. Last week’s leader 10,000 B.C. took a 55% hit and continues to be the overall prominent title in the international arena. Horton’s initial foreign foray saw it slightly out-paced in Mexico and Spain by the caveman and a local debut in Germany but first in Brazil and excluding previews in the U.K. and Australia, it corralled an estimated $14.2 million.
Activity in the margins continued to be tepid though the session’s debut of Funny Games generated considerable media scrutiny. An American adaptation of and by Michael Haneke of his decade old Austrian movie raised eyebrows for its scathing look at a complacent society via the framework of an abusive psychological thriller. Defenders applauded the filmmaker’s fiat of challenging viewers not to look … but in the end there appeared little concrete reason to thrown down the gauntlet.
Weekend Finals – March 14-16, 2008
| Title | Distrib | Weekend | % Change | Theaters | Cume | Wks | ||
| 1 | New | Horton Hears a Who | Fox | 45,012,998 | – | 3954 | 45,012,998 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 10,000 B.C. | WB | 16,773,312 | -53% | 3410 | 61,577,423 | 2 |
| 3 | New | Never Back Down | Summit | 8,603,195 | – | 2729 | 8,603,195 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | College Road Trip | BV | 7,810,400 | -43% | 2706 | 24,203,543 | 2 |
| 5 | 3 | Vantage Point | Sony | 5,462,747 | -26% | 2761 | 59,263,128 | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | The Bank Job | Lions Gate | 5,054,961 | -15% | 1613 | 13,257,949 | 2 |
| 7 | New | Doomsday | Uni | 4,926,565 | – | 1936 | 4,926,565 | 1 |
| 8 | 5 | Semi-Pro | New Line | 3,043,162 | -47% | 2270 | 29,809,714 | 3 |
| 9 | 7 | The Other Boleyn Girl | Sony | 2,882,846 | -29% | 1212 | 19,153,729 | 3 |
| 10 | 6 | The Spiderwick Chronicles | Par | 2,335,238 | -50% | 2407 | 65,376,031 | 5 |
| 11 | 8 | Jumper | Fox | 2,025,810 | -45% | 1605 | 75,657,556 | 5 |
| 12 | 11 | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day | Focus | 1,940,781 | -22% | 539 | 5,299,639 | 2 |
| 13 | 10 | Fool’s Gold | WB | 1,688,262 | -39% | 1505 | 65,356,918 | 6 |
| 14 | 9 | Step Up 2 the Streets | BV | 1,531,231 | -50% | 1546 | 55,458,225 | 5 |
| 15 | 13 | Juno | Fox Searchlight | 1,192,817 | -39% | 846 | 139,812,288 | 15 |
| 16 | 12 | Penelope | Summit | 886,917 | -58% | 757 | 8,258,801 | 3 |
| 17 | 14 | Definitely, Maybe | Uni | 695,520 | -40% | 649 | 30,689,995 | 5 |
| 18 | 18 | The Bucket List | WB | 618,202 | -49% | 595 | 90,218,795 | 12 |
| 19 | 16 | Be Kind Rewind | New Line | 591,178 | -49% | 452 | 10,026,037 | 4 |
| 20 | 17 | Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | Uni | 579,165 | -49% | 515 | 41,666,605 | 6 |
| 21 | 15 | No Country for Old Men | Miramax | 525,085 | -66% | 511 | 73,674,390 | 19 |
| 22 | New | Funny Games | WIP | 510,958 | – | 274 | 510,958 | 1 |
| 23 | 21 | In Bruges | Focus | 487,876 | -6% | 211 | 5,246,624 | 6 |
| 24 | 20 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | Fox | 478,797 | 10% | 461 | 215,163,603 | 14 |
| 25 | 26 | The Counterfeiters | Sony Classics | 419,049 | 50% | 72 | 1,214,974 | 4 |
| 26 | 27 | Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus 3-D | BV | 402,684 | 0% | 60 | 64,156,981 | 7 |
| 27 | 19 | There Will Be Blood | Par Vantage | 346,935 | -62% | 339 | 39,339,536 | 12 |
| 28 | 29 | The Band’s Visit | Sony Classics | 263,633 | 7% | 105 | 1,564,060 | 6 |
| 29 | 24 | U2 3D | nWave | 241,010 | -21% | 66 | 6,589,038 | 6 |
| 30 | 23 | 27 Dresses | Fox | 234,735 | -35% | 272 | 75,525,410 | 9 |
| 31 | 25 | I Am Legend | WB | 228,857 | -22% | 264 | 256,015,411 | 14 |
| 32 | 22 | The Eye | Lions Gate | 205,709 | -48% | 213 | 30,979,834 | 7 |
| 33 | 37 | Cloverfield | Par | 187,004 | 46% | 357 | 79,589,201 | 9 |
| 34 | 31 | Enchanted | BV | 181,998 | -19% | 256 | 127,989,260 | 17 |
| 35 | 34 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventu | nWave | 166,588 | 10% | 45 | 9,029,475 | 24 |
| 36 | 30 | National Treasure: Book of Secrets | BV | 165,786 | -30% | 177 | 217,216,391 | 13 |
| 37 | 32 | La Ligne brisee | Alliance | 153,675 | -16% | 65 | 432,975 | 2 |
| 38 | 47 | Rambo | Lions Gate | 104,508 | 46% | 201 | 42,611,220 | 8 |
| 39 | 33 | Atonement | Focus | 101,505 | -35% | 129 | 50,732,545 | 15 |
| 40 | 51 | Married Life | Sony Classics | 97,915 | 75% | 22 | 178,243 | 2 |
| 41 | 28 | Witless Protection | Lions Gate | 87,652 | -65% | 196 | 4,131,640 | 4 |
| 42 | 71 | Paranoid Park | IFC/Filmoption | 86,818 | 191% | 29 | 145,229 | 2 |
| 43 | 38 | Mad Money | Overture | 84,133 | -30% | 155 | 20,536,106 | 9 |
| 44 | 35 | The Water Horse: Legend of Deep | Sony | 75,501 | -48% | 179 | 41,915,580 | 12 |
| 45 | 60 | Deep Sea 3-D | WB | 70,875 | 68% | 10 | 34,606,940 | 107 |
| 46 | 39 | Jodhaa Akbar | UTV | 70,040 | -41% | 40 | 3,336,296 | 5 |
| 47 | 41 | The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Miramax | 61,253 | -28% | 65 | 5,791,810 | 16 |
| 48 | 53 | Dolphins and Whales 3-D | 3D Entertainment | 59,556 | 9% | 10 | 397,174 | 5 |
| 49 | 40 | Meet the Spartans | Fox | 58,433 | -50% | 91 | 38,011,770 | 8 |
| 50 | 42 | The Savages | Fox Searchlight | 54,554 | -34% | 58 | 6,426,953 | 16 |
| 51 | 43 | Persepolis | Sony Classics | 52,999 | -35% | 60 | 4,019,675 | 12 |
| 52 | 44 | The Kite Runner | Par Vantage | 50,914 | -38% | 74 | 15,690,103 | 14 |
| 53 | 73 | Caramel | Roadside Attract. | 49,709 | 83% | 26 | 507,717 | 7 |
| 54 | 50 | 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days | IFC/Mongrol | 47,834 | -17% | 44 | 1,165,676 | 18 |
| 55 | New | Sleepwalking | Overture | 47,762 | – | 30 | 47,762 | 1 |
| 56 | 58 | Space Station 3-D | Imax | 46,282 | 4% | 7 | 73,866,926 | 309 |
| 57 | 36 | Charlie Bartlett | MGM | 46,078 | -68% | 80 | 3,846,192 | 4 |
| 58 | 63 | Borderline | TVA | 43,309 | 12% | 32 | 1,024,983 | 6 |
| 59 | 54 | Diary of the Dead | Weinstein Co. | 42,713 | -21% | 47 | 750,309 | 5 |
| 60 | 56 | CJ7 | Sony Classics | 42,233 | -15% | 25 | 104,527 | 2 |
| 61 | 62 | Magnificent Desolation | Imax | 40,129 | 2% | 7 | 22,907,477 | 130 |
| 62 | RE | Continental, un film sans fusils | Christal | 36,047 | – | 8 | 163,972 | 14 |
| 63 | 46 | Untraceable | Sony | 33,997 | -53% | 49 | 28,892,644 | 8 |
| 64 | 52 | City of Men | Miramax | 33,753 | -38% | 38 | 307,076 | 4 |
| 65 | 45 | The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything | Uni | 32,824 | -55% | 103 | 12,914,476 | 10 |
| 66 | 70 | Up the Yangtze | KinoSmith | 30,570 | -2% | 9 | 333,013 | 6 |
| 67 | 64 | La Vie en Rose | Picturehse/TVA | 28,489 | -27% | 23 | 10,194,734 | 53 |
| 68 | 69 | Year My Parents Went on Vacation | City Lights | 25,514 | -19% | 20 | 341,801 | 5 |
| 69 | New | Maldeamores | Maya | 25,486 | – | 25 | 25,486 | 1 |
| 70 | 83 | Snow Angels | WIP | 25,428 | 78% | 3 | 44,898 | 2 |
| 71 | 59 | Bee Movie | Par | 25,420 | -42% | 61 | 127,185,171 | 20 |
| 72 | 65 | The Golden Compass | New Line | 25,158 | -34% | 58 | 70,188,003 | 15 |
| 73 | 55 | Sweeney Todd | Par | 25,048 | -52% | 72 | 52,882,759 | 13 |
| 74 | 66 | Charlie Wilson’s War | Uni | 24,228 | -32% | 29 | 66,748,978 | 13 |
| 75 | 49 | Michael Clayton | WB | 23,808 | -63% | 43 | 49,024,969 | 24 |
| 76 | 68 | P.S. I Love You | WB | 23,657 | -26% | 37 | 53,719,465 | 13 |
| 77 | 57 | One Missed Call | WB | 23,392 | -47% | 51 | 26,913,433 | 11 |
| 78 | 48 | Bonneville | SenArts | 22,979 | -69% | 24 | 386,969 | 3 |
| 79 | 77 | Chicago 10 | Roadside Attract. | 22,888 | 13% | 13 | 106,401 | 3 |
| 80 | 75 | The Orphanage | Pichouse/Christal | 22,019 | 2% | 31 | 7,102,135 | 12 |
| 81 | 72 | Girls Rock! | Shadow | 17,461 | -41% | 13 | 58,965 | 2 |
| Source: MCN/EDI | ||||||||
Estimates – March 14-16, 2008
| Title | Distributor | Gross (averag | % change * | Theater | Cume |
| Horton Hears a Who | Fox | 45.3 (11,460) | – | 3954 | 45.3 |
| 10,000 B.C. | WB | 16.2 (4,750) | -55% | 3410 | 61 |
| Never Back Down | Summit | 8.8 (3,220) | – | 2729 | 8.8 |
| College Road Trip | BV | 7.9 (2,920) | -42% | 2706 | 24.3 |
| Vantage Point | Sony | 5.5 (1,980) | -26% | 2761 | 59.3 |
| The Bank Job | Lions Gate | 4.9 (3,020) | -18% | 1613 | 13.1 |
| Doomsday | Uni | 4.7 (2,420) | – | 1936 | 4.7 |
| Semi-Pro | New Line | 3.0 (1,320) | -48% | 2270 | 29.8 |
| The Other Boleyn Girl | Sony | 2.9 (2,380) | -29% | 1212 | 19.1 |
| The Spiderwick Chronicles | Par | 2.3 (970) | -51% | 2407 | 65.4 |
| Jumper | Fox | 2.0 (1,270) | -44% | 1605 | 75.7 |
| Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day | Focus | 1.9 (3,580) | -23% | 539 | 5.3 |
| Fool’s Gold | WB | 1.7 (1,150) | -38% | 1505 | 65.4 |
| Step Up 2: The Streets | BV | 1.5 (950) | -52% | 1546 | 55.4 |
| Juno | Fox Searchlight | 1.2 (1,390) | -40% | 846 | 139.8 |
| Penelope | Summit | .89 (1,180) | -58% | 757 | 8.3 |
| Definitely, Maybe | Uni | .73 (1,120) | -57% | 649 | 30.7 |
| Be Kind Rewind | New Line | .63 (1,390) | -46% | 452 | 10 |
| The Bucket List | WB | .61 (1,030) | -41% | 595 | 90.2 |
| Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | Uni | .59 (1,140) | -48% | 515 | 41.7 |
| No Country for Old Men | Miramax | .53 (1,040) | -66% | 511 | 73.7 |
| Funny Games | WIP | .52 (1,800) | – | 289 | 0.52 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | – | $114.30 | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Year) | – | 2% | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Week) | – | 12% | – | – | – |
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| The Counterfeiters | Sony Classics | .39 (5,560) | 42% | 71 | 1.2 |
| Paranoid Park | Filmop/IFC | 80,200 (2,770) | 125% | 29 | 0.14 |
| Sleepwalking | Overture | 49,300 (1,640) | – | 30 | 0.05 |
| Maldeamores | Maya | 16,600 (830) | – | 20 | 0.02 |
| Contempt | Rialto | 13,100 (13,100) | – | 1 | 0.01 |
| Towards Darkness | Peace Arch | 1,220 (1,220) | – | 1 | 0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – To March 13, 2008
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Mkt Share |
| Warner Bros. (12) | 322.7 | 18.20% |
| Fox (7) | 269.5 | 15.20% |
| Buena Vista (8) | 236.1 | 13.30% |
| Paramount (5) | 170.9 | 9.60% |
| Sony (10) | 166.4 | 9.40% |
| Fox Searchlight (3) | 115.4 | 6.50% |
| Universal (5) | 113.2 | 6.40% |
| Lions Gate (6) | 85.8 | 4.80% |
| Par Vantage (6) | 63.2 | 3.50% |
| New Line (4) | 53.2 | 3.00% |
| Focus (4) | 47.6 | 2.70% |
| Miramax (3) | 36.6 | 2.10% |
| Overture (1) | 20.4 | 1.10% |
| MGM (6) | 20.2 | 1.10% |
| Other * (69) | 55.6 | 3.10% |
| – | 1776.8 | 100.00% |
Top Limited Grossers – To March 6, 2008
| Title | Distributor | Gross |
| The Orphanage | Picture/Christal | 6,785,399 |
| U2 3D | nWave | 5,928,939 |
| The Diving Bell and the Butterfly | Mrmx | 4,658,936 |
| The Savages | Fox Searchlight | 4,439,120 |
| In Bruges | Focus | 4,029,929 |
| Persepolis | Sony Classics | 3,668,394 |
| Jodhaa Akbar | UTV | 3,114,658 |
| Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventu | nWave | 2,908,041 |
| Cassandra’s Dream | Weinstein Co. | 978,515 |
| The Band’s Visit | Sony Classics | 970,389 |
