By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Oy Chihuahua!
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist displayed some promise with an $11.9 million debut that ranked third overall and Bill Maher’s holy screed Religulous was resolute with $3.5 million in limited wide release. However, there weren’t sufficient laughs in the $3.6 million gross of the political satire An American Carol, which marked the first wide opener for Vivendi, and few will learn the secret of How to Lose Friends & Alienate People based on its $1.4 million start. Flash of Geniusfailed the IQ test with $2.3 million and Blindness proved short-sighted at $2.1 million.
Niche and regional fare was generally flat with the distinct exception of Rachel Getting Married, which generated near capacity crowds of $242,000 at nine venues. However, a pair of starters on the Bollywood circuit, Kidnap and Drona, had softish, virtually identical bows of roughly $120,000 from respective exposures in 60 and 90 theaters. Giggles, not roars, greeted the doc Allah Made Me Funny with box office of $36,200 at 14 stands and American indie The Business of Being Robbed had a sturdy $8,750 bow in a single Manhattan venue.
Still, the onslaught of fresh movies was sufficient to overcome individual strength, and box office rose 14% from last weekend. It experienced an even sharper upturn of 37% from 2007 when the second weekend of The Game Plan led from scrimmage with $16.6 million and the debut of The Heartbreak Kid grossed $14 million.
The Disney pedigree and a paucity of family-targeted fare had industry pundits predicting Chihuahua opening around $30 million and it pretty much played to expectations. Even better was the fact that exit polls generated a potent satisfaction level that holds out promise for sustained and extended multiplex play that’s eluded most of the company’s non-traditional animated fare.
Exit response was also strong for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, particularly among avid movie goers that demographically constitute its core appeal. Reviews were generally upbeat and the smart, romantic yarn shows signs of crossover appeal on the order (but not ultimate potency) of Superbad or Knocked Up.
Advanced ticket sales per MovieTickets.com also showed Chihuahua and Nick and Norah as front runners with upcomingHigh School Musical 3 wedged in between. No other title in the pack scored higher than 6% and their grosses reflected the dilemma of being a second or third choice in a crowded marketplace.
Most curious among the freshmen releases was the decision to open broadly on Blindness, which emerged from Toronto on a positive note. Its specialized nature suggested TLC handling and the against-the-grain option clearly didn’t work out. Less distinctly specialized fare Appaloosa and The Duchess have mined the platform strategy in recent weeks with both the western by Ed Harris and the period drama with Keira Knightly expanding effectively in their current third weekend in the marketplace. Going out fast also has ill-served the black comic Choke that’s experiencing a fast burn.
In the current Darwinian realm of movie performance the less than 50% sophomore sessions for Eagle Eye, Nights in Rodanthe and Fireproof were all positive notes and significant contributors to the viewing upturn that should at least continue with next weekend’s launch of the DiCaprio/Crowe Body of Lies.
Weekend Finals – October 3-5, 2008
| – | – | Title | Distrib | Weekend | % Change | Theaters | Cume | Wks |
| 1 | New | Beverly Hills Chihuahua | BV | 29,300,465 | – | 3215 | 29,300,465 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Eagle Eye | Par | 17,709,817 | -39% | 3516 | 54,614,521 | 2 |
| 3 | New | Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist | Sony | 11,311,751 | – | 2421 | 11,311,751 | 1 |
| 4 | 2 | Nights in Rodanthe | WB | 7,368,259 | -45% | 2702 | 25,088,183 | 2 |
| 5 | 39 | Appaloosa | WB | 5,050,310 | 3346% | 1045 | 5,605,167 | 3 |
| 6 | 3 | Lakeview Terrace | Sony | 4,561,227 | -34% | 2574 | 32,201,255 | 3 |
| 7 | 5 | Burn After Reading | Focus | 4,120,129 | -33% | 2397 | 51,678,103 | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Fireproof | IDP | 3,987,509 | -42% | 852 | 12,410,216 | 2 |
| 9 | New | An American Carol | Vivendi | 3,656,000 | – | 1639 | 3,656,000 | 1 |
| 10 | New | Religulous | Lions Gate | 3,409,643 | – | 502 | 3,428,633 | 1 |
| 11 | New | Flash of Genius | Uni | 2,251,075 | – | 1098 | 2,251,075 | 1 |
| 12 | New | Blindness | Miramax | 1,950,260 | – | 1690 | 1,950,260 | 1 |
| 13 | 6 | Igor | MGM | 1,739,078 | -68% | 2332 | 17,073,170 | 3 |
| 14 | 9 | Miracle at St. Anna | BV | 1,736,302 | -50% | 1185 | 6,329,692 | 2 |
| 15 | 8 | Righteous Kill | Overture | 1,609,959 | -57% | 1789 | 37,696,040 | 4 |
| 16 | 10 | The Family That Preys | Lions Gate | 1,589,086 | -49% | 933 | 35,190,864 | 4 |
| 17 | 7 | My Best Friend’s Girl | Lions Gate | 1,563,164 | -60% | 1702 | 17,610,847 | 3 |
| 18 | 11 | Ghost Town | Par | 1,469,919 | -50% | 1456 | 11,526,769 | 3 |
| 19 | New | How to Lose Friends & Alienate Peopl | MGM | 1,430,294 | – | 1750 | 1,430,294 | 1 |
| 20 | 19 | The Duchess | Par Vantage | 893,990 | 59% | 127 | 1,950,786 | 3 |
| 21 | 13 | The Dark Knight | WB | 828,213 | -52% | 663 | 525,831,387 | 12 |
| 22 | 12 | The Women | Picturehouse | 745,269 | -72% | 1139 | 25,936,550 | 4 |
| 23 | 14 | Choke | Fox Searchlight | 514,223 | -61% | 432 | 2,322,557 | 2 |
| 24 | 17 | Vicky Christina Barcelona | MGM | 406,256 | -39% | 221 | 21,060,253 | 8 |
| 25 | 15 | The House Bunny | Sony | 353,149 | -72% | 695 | 48,027,409 | 7 |
| 26 | 16 | Tropic Thunder | Par | 326,593 | -72% | 485 | 109,472,162 | 8 |
| 27 | New | Rachel Getting Married | Sony Classics | 293,369 | — | 9 | 293,369 | 1 |
| 28 | 18 | Mamma Mia! | Uni | 286,515 | -50% | 382 | 142,725,960 | 12 |
| 29 | 24 | Wall-E | BV | 210,231 | -14% | 226 | 221,127,808 | 15 |
| 30 | New | Drona | Eros | 199,329 | — | 90 | 237,647 | 1 |
| 31 | 20 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | WB | 178,357 | -66% | 210 | 100,101,513 | 13 |
| 32 | 48 | Step Brothers | Sony | 165,926 | 85% | 243 | 100,815,781 | 11 |
| 33 | 22 | Death Race | Uni | 160,945 | -61% | 266 | 35,939,585 | 7 |
| 34 | 27 | Get Smart | WB | 154,822 | -35% | 265 | 130,047,888 | 16 |
| 35 | 28 | The Mummy: Tomb of Dragon Emperor | Uni | 150,296 | -35% | 276 | 102,721,186 | 10 |
| 36 | 31 | Kung Fu Panda | Par | 143,801 | -30% | 250 | 215,395,021 | 18 |
| 37 | New | Kidnap | Studio 18 | 138,000 | – | 60 | 138,000 | 1 |
| 38 | 21 | Fly Me to the Moon | Summit | 132,780 | -74% | 178 | 11,907,364 | 8 |
| 39 | New | Chintakayala Ravi | Ficus | 123,517 | – | 26 | 123,517 | 1 |
| 40 | 25 | Mirrors | Fox | 121,664 | -50% | 203 | 30,415,298 | 8 |
| 41 | 35 | Hancock | Sony | 115,368 | -37% | 198 | 229,148,347 | 14 |
| 42 | 29 | Babylon A.D. | Fox | 102,555 | -55% | 155 | 22,333,252 | 6 |
| 43 | 37 | Space Chimps | Fox | 101,571 | -39% | 232 | 29,942,542 | 12 |
| 44 | 23 | Traitor | Overture | 100,218 | -61% | 188 | 23,147,191 | 6 |
| 45 | 38 | Tell No One | Music Box | 97,624 | -34% | 75 | 5,639,027 | 14 |
| 46 | 76 | Swing Vote | BV | 89,903 | 387% | 176 | 16,229,781 | 10 |
| 47 | 41 | Elegy | IDP | 74,252 | -39% | 70 | 3,383,637 | 9 |
| 48 | 40 | Indiana Jones & Kingdom of Crystal Sk | Par | 72,250 | -49% | 128 | 316,957,122 | 20 |
| 49 | 36 | Pineapple Express | Sony | 72,061 | -59% | 96 | 87,483,552 | 9 |
| 50 | 46 | Man on Wire | Magnolia | 69,888 | -29% | 65 | 2,509,822 | 11 |
| 51 | 30 | Forever Strong | Crane | 68,283 | -69% | 66 | 385,926 | 2 |
| 52 | 33 | Star Wars: The Clone Wars | WB | 67,153 | -64% | 166 | 34,853,585 | 8 |
| 53 | 26 | Disaster Movie | Lions Gate | 62,100 | -74% | 140 | 14,069,282 | 6 |
| 54 | 43 | C’est pas moi, je le jure! | Seville | 61,264 | -43% | 36 | 213,875 | 2 |
| 55 | 47 | Frozen River | Sony Classics | 59,336 | -36% | 57 | 1,996,900 | 10 |
| 56 | 49 | Transsiberian | First Look | 56,098 | -36% | 58 | 2,026,565 | 12 |
| 57 | 32 | Bangkok Dangerous | Lions Gate | 45,480 | -77% | 103 | 15,195,406 | 5 |
| 58 | New | Paris | Equinoxe | 45,458 | – | 11 | 45,458 | 1 |
| 59 | 56 | Deep Sea 3-D | WB | 44,028 | -17% | 10 | 36,473,293 | 136 |
| 60 | 54 | Hellboy II: The Golden Army | Uni | 38,969 | -32% | 70 | 76,013,667 | 13 |
| 61 | New | Allah Made Me Funny | Truly Indie | 38,867 | – | 14 | 38,867 | 1 |
| 62 | 50 | Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure | nWave | 38,457 | -49% | 25 | 19,144,336 | 53 |
| 63 | 44 | The Longshots | MGM | 37,598 | -64% | 102 | 11,299,040 | 7 |
| 64 | 53 | Hashar | Eros | 37,105 | -36% | 8 | 115,392 | 2 |
| 65 | 75 | The Children of Huang Shi | Sony Classics | 35,987 | 90% | 40 | 1,013,776 | 20 |
| 66 | 65 | A Secret | Strand | 33,433 | 2% | 8 | 257,918 | 5 |
| 67 | RE | For the First Time | ABS | 31,061 | – | 2 | 232,388 | 6 |
| 68 | 57 | Battle in Seattle | Vitagraph | 28,542 | -47% | 40 | 167,866 | 3 |
| 69 | 58 | Bottle Shock | FreeStyle | 26,143 | -47% | 30 | 3,986,011 | 9 |
| 70 | 51 | Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 | WB | 25,086 | -58% | 80 | 43,905,471 | 9 |
| 71 | 62 | Dolphins and Whales 3-D | 3D Entertainment | 24,639 | -27% | 7 | 4,785,334 | 34 |
| 72 | 42 | Towelhead | WB | 24,393 | -79% | 38 | 351,094 | 4 |
| 73 | 63 | Trouble the Water | Zeitgeist | 23,917 | -28% | 13 | 323,457 | 7 |
| 74 | 77 | A Girl Cut in Two | IFC | 22,131 | 29% | 13 | 279,394 | 8 |
| 75 | 55 | Wanted | Uni | 21,798 | -60% | 47 | 134,503,662 | 15 |
| 76 | 52 | Iron Man | Par | 20,015 | -66% | 74 | 318,333,214 | 23 |
| 77 | 68 | Il y a longtemps que je t’aime | Metropole | 19,518 | -23% | 11 | 167,107 | 4 |
| 78 | 45 | Magnificent Desolation | Imax | 18,734 | -82% | 4 | 26,014,813 | 159 |
| 79 | 59 | I Served the King of England | Sony Classics | 17,683 | -56% | 17 | 446,355 | 6 |
| Source: MCN/EDI | ||||||||
Estimates – October 3-5, 2008
| Title | Distributor | Gross (average) | % change * | Theaters | Cume |
|
Beverly Hills Chihuahua |
BV | 28.9 (8,980) | – | 3215 | 28.9 |
|
Eagle Eye |
Par | 17.8 (5,050) | -39% | 3516 | 54.7 |
|
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist |
Sony | 11.9 (4,930) | – | 2421 | 11.9 |
|
Nights at Rodanthe |
WB | 7.4 (2,740) | -45% | 2702 | 25.1 |
|
Appaloosa |
WB | 5.0 (4,810) | 3322% | 1045 | 5.6 |
|
Lakeview Terrace |
Sony | 4.5 (1,740) | -36% | 2574 | 32.1 |
|
Burn After Reading |
Focus | 4.1 (1,720) | -34% | 2397 | 51.7 |
|
Fireproof |
IDP | 3.9 (4,600) | -42% | 852 | 12.3 |
|
An American Carol |
Vivendi | 3.6 (2,210) | – | 1639 | 3.6 |
|
Religulous |
Lions Gate | 3.5 (6,990) | – | 502 | 3.5 |
|
Flash of Genius |
Uni | 2.3 (2,090) | – | 1098 | 2.3 |
|
Blindness |
Miramax | 2.1 (1,250) | – | 1690 | 2.1 |
|
The Miracle of St. Anna |
BV | 1.7 (1,440) | -50% | 1185 | 6.3 |
|
Igor |
MGM | 1.7 (710) | -69% | 2332 | 17 |
|
The Family That Preys |
Lions Gate | 1.6 (1,720) | -49% | 933 | 35.2 |
|
Righteous Kill |
Overture | 1.6 (900) | -57% | 1789 | 37.7 |
|
Ghost Town |
Par | 1.5 (1,030) | -48% | 1456 | 11.6 |
|
My Best Friend’s Girl |
Lions Gate | 1.5 (900) | -60% | 1702 | 17.6 |
|
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People |
MGM | 1.4 (780) | – | 1750 | 1.4 |
|
The Duchess |
Par Vantage | .88 (6,930) | 56% | 127 | 1.9 |
|
The Women |
Picturehouse | .81 (710) | -69% | 1139 | 26 |
|
The Dark Knight |
WB | .79 (1,190) | -53% | 663 | 525.8 |
|
Choke |
Fox Searchlight | .52 (1,200) | -61% | 432 | 2.3 |
| Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | $109 | – | – | – | |
| % Change (Last Year) | – | 37% | – | – | – |
| % Change (Last Week) | – | 14% | – | – | – |
| Also debuting/expanding | |||||
| Vicky Christina Barcelona | MGM | .41 (1,860) | -38% | 221 | 21.1 |
| Rachel Getting Married | Sony Classics | .24 (26,890) | – | 9 | 0.24 |
| Drona | Eros | .12 (1,370) | – | 90 | 0.12 |
| Kidnap | Studio 18 | .12 (1,940) | – | 60 | 0.12 |
| Allah Made Me Funny | Truly Indie | 36,200 (2,590) | – | 14 | 0.04 |
| Paris | Equinoxe | 34,600 (1,080) | – | 32 | 0.03 |
|
The Pleasure of Being Robbed |
IFC | 8,750 (8,750) | – | 1 | 0.01 |
Domestic Market Share – To October 5, 2008
| Distributor (releases) | Gross | Mrkt Share |
| Warner Bros. (23) | 1472.8 | 20.00% |
| Paramount (15) | 1280.4 | 17.40% |
| Sony (20) | 978.4 | 13.30% |
| Universal (16) | 957.8 | 13.00% |
| Fox (19) | 779.9 | 10.60% |
| Buena Vista (12) | 659.1 | 8.9% |
| Lions Gate (14) | 283.4 | 3.80% |
| Fox Searchlight (6) | 152.8 | 2.10% |
| Focus (6) | 112.4 | 1.50% |
| MGM (13) | 98.4 | 1.30% |
| Overture (6) | 91.2 | 1.20% |
| Paramount Vantage (11) | 73.9 | 1.00% |
| New Line (4) | 61.8 | 0.80% |
| Picturehouse (7) | 61.6 | 0.80% |
| Miramax (6) | 54.6 | 0.70% |
| Summit (3) | 46.6 | 0.60% |
| Other * (249) | 208.9 | 2.70% |
| * none greater than 0.4% | 7374 | 100.00% |
Top Limited Releases – To October 5, 2008
| Title | Distributor | Gross |
| The Dark Knight | WB | 525,003174 |
| Iron Man | Par | 318,313,199 |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Par | 316,884,872 |
| Hancock | Sony | 229,032,979 |
| Wall-E | BV | 220,917,577 |
| Kung Fu Panda | Par | 215,251,220 |
| Horton Hears a Who | Fox | 154,529,439 |
| Sex and the City | WB | 152,647,258 |
| Mamma Mia! | Uni | 142,439,445 |
| The Chronicles of Narnia | BV | 141,682,713 |
| The Incredible Hulk | Uni | 134,617,678 |
| Wanted | Uni | 134,481,864 |
| Get Smart | WB | 129,893,066 |
| Juno* | Fox Searchlight | 115,568,583 |
| Tropic Thunder | Par | 109,145,569 |
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | Uni | 102,570.809 |
| Stepbrothers | Sony | 100,649,855 |
| You Don’t Mess With the Zohan | Sony | 100,112,110 |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth | WB | 99,923,156 |
| 10,000 B.C. | WB | 94,819,450 |
*Does not include 2007 box office
