By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Leathertails … Oops!
The thrill of victory eluded the debut of Leatherheads as its estimated $13.4 million weekend trailed the $15.4 million sophomore session of 21. The frame’s other freshmen releases also opened on the dull side with the family friendly Nim’s Island grossing $13.2 million and the horror entry The Ruinsbowing to $7.6 million.
In the continuing movie going slump the Stones rolled but didn’t rock with the limited release concert film Shine a Light tallying $1.4 million. Other specialized newbies included two from last year’s Cannes festival receiving some initial traction. The Noah Jones starrer My Blueberry Nights had a tuneful $68,300 at six venues while The Flight of the Red Balloon sailed to $34,900 in two exclusives. There was also good response of $23,300 from three screens for the Israeli importJellyfish but American indies Meet Bill and Sex and Death 100 were commercially D.O.A.
Overall business experienced another significant decline, ebbing 9% for the immediate prior weekend. Measured against 2007 box office sank by 25%. Last year’s premiere pictures were also dull including Are We Done Yet? with $14.3 million and Grindhouse cranking out $11.6 million while the second weekend of Blades of Glory led with a $22.5 million frame.
After a fast start with double-digit box office increases from 2007, the past month has seen steadily decreasing revenues. The current weak weekend finally did the trick and the year has dipped below last year’s pace by 1.5%
The long-gestating Leatherheads lost its vintage as it came short of goal posts set somewhere between $15 million and $20 million. The saga of the early years of the NFL evolved from a comedy of social conscience a la Slap Shot into more knockabout fare in hopes of extending beyond adult viewers. The strategy failed both commercially and with the country’s critical community.
While Leatherheads did a media blitz, the session’s other freshmen appeared content to wage generic campaigns aimed at the obvious suspects. The box office results for both Nim’s Island andThe Ruins were at top spin “respectable” but as the old guru has often observed: since when has the film industry been about breaking even?
All things considered, the second weekend for the card counting intrigue of 21 was sturdy with business at 64% of its premiere performance but the brunt of hold over titles experienced drops generally between 45% and 50%.
The sixth Stone – Martin Scorsese – opened his lens on Jagger, Richards, et al with Shine a Lightand scored best from 93 large format engagements. Those venues accounted for 34% of the playdates but 79% of the box office. It’s easy to understand why the industry remains keen on such enhancement as Imax and 3-D and, preferably, both. However, the added costs of digital conversion in the current recessionary climate have created fits and bursts in such growth.
Weekend Estimates – April 4-6, 2008
Title | Distributor | Gross (aver | % change * | Theate | Cume |
21 | Sony | 15.4 (5,790) | -36% | 2653 | 46.8 |
Leatherheads | Uni | 13.4 (4,850) | – | 2769 | 13.4 |
Nim’s Island | Fox | 13.2 (3,770) | – | 3513 | 13.2 |
Horton Hears a Who | Fox | 9.2 (2,570) | -48% | 3571 | 131.1 |
The Ruins | Par | 7.6 (2,690) | – | 2812 | 7.6 |
Superhero Movie | MGM | 5.3 (1,790) | -44% | 2965 | 16.8 |
Drillbit Taylor | Par | 3.4 (1,250) | -41% | 2707 | 25.5 |
Meet the Browns | Lions Gate | 3.3 (2,100) | -56% | 1554 | 37.5 |
Shutter | Fox | 2.9 (1,350) | -45% | 2125 | 23.2 |
10,000 B.C. | WB | 2.7 (1,170) | -45% | 2335 | 89.3 |
Stop-Loss | Par | 2.2 (1,720) | -51% | 1291 | 8.1 |
The Bank Job | Lions Gate | 1.7 (1,400) | -40% | 1189 | 26.7 |
Under the Same Moon | Weinstein Co. | 1.6 (3,670) | -28% | 437 | 8.8 |
College Road Trip | BV | 1.6 (960) | -53% | 1705 | 40.9 |
Shine a Light | Par Vantage | 1.4 (5,180) | 276 | 1.4 | |
Run Fat Boy Run | Picturehouse | 1.4 (1,230) | -41% | 1115 | 4.4 |
Vantage Point | Sony | 1.1 (990) | -51% | 1128 | 71.1 |
Never Back Down | Summit | 1.1 (900) | -54% | 1209 | 23 |
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day | Focus | .72 (1,430) | -38% | 503 | 10.5 |
The Other Boleyn Girl | Sony | .58 (820) | -54% | 706 | 26 |
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) | – | $98.50 | – | – | – |
% Change (Last Year) | – | -25% | – | – | – |
% Change (Last Week) | – | -9% | – | – | – |
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
The Counterfeiters | Sony Classics | .38 (3,130) | 3% | 123 | 2.9 |
My Blueberry Nights | Weinstein Co. | 68,300 (11,380) | – | 6 | 0.06 |
Flight of the Red Balloon | IFC | 34,900 (17,450) | – | 2 | 0.03 |
Meet Bill | First Look | 30,500 (850) | – | 36 | 0.03 |
Jellyfish | Zeitgeist | 22,300 (7,430) | – | 3 | 0.01 |
Sex and Death 101 | Anchor Bay | 14,100 (2,820) | – | 5 | 0.01 |
Water Lilies | Koch Lorber | 3,400 (3,400) | – | 1 | 0.01 |
Global Grossers – To March 30, 2008
Title | Distributor | Gross |
I Am Legend | WB | 270,214,778 |
National Treasure: Book of Secrets | BVI | 258,452,003 |
10,000 B.C. | WB | 230,668,896 |
Jumper | Fox | 198,747,514 |
Horton Hears a Who | Fox | 197,609,863 |
Juno | Fox/Mandate | 185,142,982 |
Alvin and the Chipmunks | Fox | 168,679,687 |
Cloverfield | Paramount | 157,903,442 |
Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis | Pathe | 157,314,114 |
The Bucket List | WB | 148,939,032 |
27 Dresses | Fox/Spyglass | 134,783,157 |
Asterix aux jeux Olympiques | Pathe | 130,521,428 |
Vantage Point | Sony | 126,507,378 |
The Spiderwick Chronicles | Paramount | 118,422,878 |
Sweeney Todd | Paramount/WB | 125,045,246 |
Step Up 2 | BV/Summit | 110,504,896 |
No Country for Old Men | Miramax/Para | 110,232,834 |
P.S. I Love You | WB/Summit | 109,635,887 |
Enchanted | BV | 107,450,510 |
The Golden Compass | New Line | 106,921,784 |
Rambo | Lions Gate/NuI | 103,202,282 |
* does not include 2007 box office |
Domestic Market Share – To March 27, 2008
Distributor (releases) | Gross | Market Shar |
Fox (9) | 419.8 | 18.70% |
Warner Bros. (12) | 371.9 | 16.50% |
Buena Vista (8) | 265.4 | 11.80% |
Sony (11) | 223.6 | 9.90% |
Paramount (7) | 206.2 | 9.20% |
Lions Gate (7) | 137.9 | 6.10% |
Universal (6) | 127.2 | 5.70% |
Fox Searchlight (3) | 119.2 | 5.30% |
Par Vantage (6) | 64.4 | 2.90% |
New Line (4) | 61.3 | 2.70% |
Focus (4) | 56.1 | 2.50% |
Miramax (3) | 38 | 1.70% |
MGM (7) | 31.9 | 1.40% |
Summit (2) | 31.6 | 1.40% |
Overture (2) | 20.8 | 0.90% |
Other * (88) | 73.7 | 3.30% |
* none greater than 0.45% | 2249 | 100.00% |
Top Domestic Grossers – To March 27, 2008
Title | Distributor | Gross |
Juno * | Fox Searchlight | 113,564,674 |
Horton Hears a Who | Fox | 99,849,148 |
The Bucket List * | WB | 90,378,651 |
National Treasure: Book of Secret | BV | 84,668,814 |
10,000 B.C. | WB | 80,045,351 |
Cloverfield | Par | 79,868,530 |
Jumper | Fox | 77,984,874 |
27 Dresses | Fox | 75,941,603 |
Alvin and the Chipmunks * | Fox | 68,973,565 |
The Spiderwick Chronicles | Par | 68,646,009 |
Fool’s Gold | WB | 67,524,778 |
Vantage Point | Sony | 66,948,480 |
Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Co | BV | 64,547,158 |
Step Up 2: The Streets | BV | 57,001,753 |
I Am Legend * | WB | 56,933,914 |
Rambo | Lions Gate | 42,754,105 |
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins | Uni | 42,093,210 |
Atonement * | Focus | 39,617,946 |
There Will Be Blood * | Par Vantage | 39,438,070 |
First Sunday | Sony | 38,182,387 |