By Leonard Klady Klady@moviecitynews.com
Target: Cowabunga …
March 25, 2007
Weekend Finals
Domestic Market Share
TNMT – aka Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – led weekend movie going with an estimated $25.6 million. In a session dominated by openings of six national releases box office grew but there was no getting around the fact that the preems weren’t quite at peak box office potential.
Shooter, the Mark Wahlberg political thriller ranked third with $14.4 million while the kid lit fave The Last Mimzy was two rungs down at roughly $10 million. Less boffo were the horror retread The Hills Have Eyes IIwith $9.8 million, the off-the-groove Adam Sandler vehicle Reign Over Me grossing $7.8 million and the African American sport sage Pride treading water at $3.7 million.
Activity in the niches was equally fierce with good returns for the Bollywood entry Namestey London of $250,000 as well as a $140,000 bite for the shark documentary Sharkwater and a $17,000 plus screen average for Journey from the Fall, the saga of Vietnamese refugees in 1975. Casualties included John Malkovich‘s star turn in the black comic Color Me Kubrick and the talky ensembler What Love Is.
Overall box office revenues approached $140 million for a tidy 19% boost from seven days earlier. It was even more buoyant with the comparative 2006 frame with a 29% uptick. However, a year ago there were just three freshmen offerings with Inside Man and Stay Alive ranked first and third with respective grosses of $29 million and $10.7 million. The glut of new product has the year to date 12% improved from the prior year’s pace.
Fourteen years after the last cinematic excursion of the Turtles, the resurrected TNMT debuted to roughly the same box office as the second outing in 1991. That film topped out just shy of $80 million and a similar path for the current incarnation would be not unwelcome with foreign and ancillary revenues in the pot. The film bowed day and date in the U.K. and Australia but largely got shellacked by the competition.
300 slipped to second spot with an impressive $20.2 million for the session. The film is also dominating international screens with top rankings in its weekend bows in France, Mexico, Spain and Great Britain.
Fueled by strong reviews and a young male audience, Shooter edged ahead of Wild Hogs in its opening weekend. While it posted better than average potency, one can’t help but feel its full force was blunted by the volume of new product. That wasn’t quite the case with the horror sequel The Hills Have Eyes II but its burn out quotient is expected to be relatively extreme.
The frame’s two biggest marketing challenges also proved to be its biggest disappointments. The more serious inclined Adam Sandler-Don Cheadle Reign Over Me wasn’t drawing in Sandler’s core crowd and potential new converts could in no way makeup up for the defections. Pride, starring Terrence Howard as an inspirational coach, was perhaps too familiar a template despite the unusual milieu of aquatic sports.
Competition in the alternative arena was equally demanding, particularly for films bowing in a handful or fewer locations. Foreign-language entries included Offside from Iran and the French entry The Page Turner had respectable respective per theater averages of $3,600 and $8,900 but neither reached the heights to escape the confines of the art house circuit.
Similar assessments apply to the counter culture doc Air Guitar Nation, the gay themed Boy Culture and the American indie First Snow that had initial engagements in two or three theaters. However, the apotheosis of the current cutthroat environment for alternative fare is best exemplified by Color Me Kubrick. The idiosyncratic comedy-drama based on the true story of a man who posed as the famous filmmaker received generally strong critical support and had a recognizable lead performer to promote. However, the combined noise level of new movies both in the mainstream and niches pretty much drowned those assets out and the film failed to generate even $2,000 from 19 venues.
Weekend Finals – March 23 – 25, 2007
Title |
Distrib
|
Weekend
|
% Chang
|
Theater
|
Cume
|
Wks
|
||
1
|
New
|
TNMT |
WB
|
24,255,205
|
–
|
3110
|
24,255,205
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
300 |
WB
|
19,862,491
|
-40%
|
3280
|
161,706,146
|
3
|
3
|
New
|
Shooter |
Par
|
14,523,571
|
–
|
2806
|
14,523,571
|
1
|
4
|
2
|
Wild Hogs |
BV
|
13,850,542
|
-27%
|
3401
|
123,303,817
|
4
|
5
|
New
|
The Last Mimzy |
New Line
|
10,024,819
|
–
|
3017
|
10,024,819
|
1
|
6
|
New
|
The Hills Have Eyes II |
Fox
|
9,686,362
|
–
|
2447
|
9,686,362
|
1
|
7
|
3
|
Premonition |
Sony
|
9,562,739
|
-45%
|
2831
|
31,653,484
|
2
|
8
|
New
|
Reign Over Me |
Sony
|
7,460,690
|
–
|
1671
|
7,460,690
|
1
|
9
|
New
|
Pride |
Lions Gate
|
3,533,300
|
–
|
1518
|
3,533,300
|
1
|
10
|
4
|
Dead Silence |
Uni
|
3,440,415
|
-56%
|
1806
|
13,216,140
|
2
|
11
|
5
|
I Think I Love My Wife |
Fox Searchli
|
2,769,349
|
-51%
|
1794
|
10,048,530
|
2
|
12
|
6
|
Bridge to Terabithia |
BV
|
2,323,868
|
-55%
|
2010
|
78,873,979
|
6
|
13
|
7
|
Ghost Rider |
Sony
|
1,678,864
|
-60%
|
1560
|
113,216,624
|
6
|
14
|
12
|
Amazing Grace |
IDP
|
1,476,109
|
-30%
|
932
|
16,790,093
|
5
|
15
|
17
|
The Namesake |
Fox Searchli
|
1,306,819
|
83%
|
117
|
2,640,299
|
3
|
16
|
8
|
Zodiac |
Par
|
1,168,965
|
-64%
|
872
|
31,639,642
|
4
|
17
|
9
|
Norbit |
Par
|
965,543
|
-65%
|
1006
|
94,053,460
|
7
|
18
|
10
|
Music and Lyrics |
WB
|
875,423
|
-61%
|
875
|
49,163,340
|
6
|
19
|
15
|
The Lives of Others |
Sony Classic
|
742,648
|
-7%
|
232
|
5,672,720
|
7
|
20
|
New
|
Namastey London |
Eros
|
578,224
|
–
|
65
|
578,224
|
1
|
21
|
14
|
Night at the Museum |
Fox
|
563,540
|
-33%
|
427
|
246,926,396
|
14
|
22
|
13
|
Breach |
Uni
|
505,095
|
-66%
|
457
|
32,427,985
|
6
|
23
|
19
|
Happy Feet |
WB
|
395,313
|
-36%
|
405
|
197,207,309
|
19
|
24
|
11
|
The Number 23 |
New Line
|
335,403
|
-84%
|
505
|
35,063,732
|
5
|
25
|
28
|
The Host |
Magnolia
|
269,884
|
10%
|
94
|
1,057,280
|
3
|
26
|
22
|
Pan’s Labyrinth |
Picturehouse
|
251,003
|
-45%
|
207
|
36,673,437
|
13
|
27
|
29
|
La Vie en Rose |
TVA
|
230,071
|
-6%
|
42
|
632,564
|
2
|
28
|
32
|
Deep Sea 3-D |
WB
|
211,166
|
2%
|
35
|
25,208,963
|
56
|
29
|
27
|
The Pursuit of Happyness |
Sony
|
196,518
|
-22%
|
283
|
163,872,868
|
15
|
30
|
16
|
The Ultimate Gift |
Bigger Pictur
|
191,399
|
-76%
|
183
|
3,018,257
|
3
|
31
|
39
|
The Wind That Shakes the Barle |
IFC/Christal
|
158,537
|
59%
|
39
|
398,703
|
2
|
32
|
30
|
The Messengers |
Sony
|
155,094
|
-32%
|
255
|
35,585,820
|
9
|
33
|
23
|
The Last King of Scotland |
Fox Searchli
|
152,661
|
-58%
|
136
|
17,170,865
|
26
|
34
|
34
|
Miss Potter |
MGM
|
149,791
|
-20%
|
77
|
1,669,927
|
13
|
35
|
31
|
Charlotte’s Web |
Par
|
134,416
|
-39%
|
251
|
82,734,184
|
15
|
36
|
33
|
Blood Diamond |
WB
|
132,669
|
-31%
|
195
|
57,194,978
|
16
|
37
|
20
|
Daddy’s Little Girls |
Lions Gate
|
130,318
|
-78%
|
152
|
31,339,647
|
6
|
38
|
New
|
Sharkwater |
Alliance
|
124,167
|
–
|
25
|
124,167
|
1
|
39
|
21
|
The Astronaut Farmer |
WB
|
117,543
|
-78%
|
225
|
10,682,489
|
5
|
40
|
26
|
The Queen |
Miramax
|
117,419
|
-63%
|
143
|
56,002,774
|
26
|
41
|
40
|
Avenue Montaigne (Orchestra S |
Thinkfilm/Sev
|
107,685
|
14%
|
29
|
806,557
|
26
|
42
|
18
|
Black Snake Moan |
Par Vantage
|
102,206
|
-85%
|
136
|
9,188,883
|
4
|
43
|
24
|
Because I Said So |
Uni
|
93,540
|
-73%
|
152
|
42,544,915
|
8
|
44
|
New
|
Journey from the Fall |
ImaginAsia
|
87,442
|
–
|
4
|
87,442
|
1
|
45
|
43
|
Epic Movie |
Fox
|
74,265
|
-11%
|
122
|
39,598,585
|
9
|
46
|
36
|
Stomp the Yard |
Sony
|
70,114
|
-48%
|
135
|
61,466,753
|
11
|
47
|
42
|
The Painted Veil |
WIP
|
68,350
|
-24%
|
81
|
7,848,366
|
14
|
48
|
44
|
Volver |
Sony Class/
|
61,227
|
-23%
|
70
|
13,698,504
|
21
|
49
|
41
|
Fido |
TVA
|
60,740
|
-34%
|
48
|
181,481
|
2
|
50
|
35
|
Dreamgirls |
Par
|
60,710
|
-65%
|
103
|
103,011,182
|
15
|
51
|
25
|
Reno 911!: Miami |
Fox
|
60,183
|
-82%
|
126
|
20,216,440
|
5
|
52
|
52
|
Roving Mars |
BV
|
51,837
|
-13%
|
14
|
6,512,872
|
61
|
53
|
38
|
Notes on a Scandal |
Fox Searchli
|
48,105
|
-53%
|
65
|
17,333,306
|
13
|
54
|
45
|
Ma Fille, Mon Ange |
Alliance
|
40,721
|
-48%
|
40
|
2,265,476
|
6
|
55
|
51
|
Eragon |
Fox
|
40,402
|
-33%
|
71
|
74,989,944
|
15
|
56
|
49
|
Breaking and Entering |
Weinstein Co
|
39,178
|
-42%
|
50
|
880,510
|
9
|
57
|
64
|
Into Great Silence (Die Grosse S |
Zietgeist/Mon
|
38,655
|
25%
|
10
|
278,660
|
14
|
58
|
New
|
Color Me Kubrick |
Magnolia
|
37,201
|
–
|
19
|
37,201
|
1
|
59
|
53
|
Children of Men |
Uni
|
37,103
|
-31%
|
38
|
35,470,991
|
14
|
60
|
47
|
Magnificent Desolation |
Imax
|
29,359
|
-62%
|
12
|
17,962,619
|
78
|
61
|
46
|
Hannibal Rising |
MGM
|
28,223
|
-64%
|
32
|
27,561,285
|
7
|
62
|
New
|
Boy Culture |
TLA
|
27,835
|
–
|
3
|
27,835
|
1
|
63
|
59
|
Little Children |
New Line
|
27,500
|
-24%
|
43
|
5,414,998
|
25
|
64
|
56
|
Venus |
Miramax
|
23,002
|
-52%
|
37
|
3,311,430
|
14
|
65
|
54
|
Casino Royale |
Sony
|
22,630
|
-54%
|
35
|
167,490,028
|
19
|
66
|
57
|
Believe in Me |
IFC
|
22,316
|
-47%
|
26
|
196,361
|
3
|
67
|
37
|
Arthur and the Invisibles |
MGM
|
22,218
|
-81%
|
58
|
14,929,879
|
11
|
68
|
50
|
Catch and Release |
Sony
|
21,656
|
-66%
|
71
|
15,595,635
|
9
|
69
|
60
|
The Italian |
Sony Classic
|
20,341
|
-42%
|
22
|
321,036
|
10
|
70
|
55
|
Happily Never After |
Lions Gate
|
19,746
|
-59%
|
52
|
16,128,968
|
12
|
71
|
61
|
Letters from Iwo Jima |
WB
|
19,282
|
-44%
|
37
|
13,646,221
|
14
|
72
|
68
|
Smokin’ Aces |
Uni
|
19,026
|
-28%
|
38
|
35,722,611
|
9
|
73
|
New
|
La Tournesse de pages |
Tartan/Seville
|
18,844
|
–
|
2
|
127,104
|
21
|
74
|
69
|
Cashback |
Alliance
|
18,100
|
-30%
|
20
|
59,958
|
2
|
75
|
New
|
Offside |
Sony Classic
|
18,003
|
–
|
5
|
18,003
|
1
|
Source: Nielsen EDI; MCN
|
Estimates – March 23-25, 2007
Title |
Distributor
|
Gross (avera
|
% chang
|
Theater
|
Cume
|
TNMT |
WB
|
25.6 (8,220)
|
–
|
3110
|
25.6
|
300 |
WB
|
20.2 (6,160)
|
-38%
|
3280
|
162.1
|
Shooter |
Par
|
14.4 (5,120)
|
–
|
2806
|
14.4
|
Wild Hogs |
BV
|
14.2 (4,190)
|
-25%
|
3401
|
123.7
|
The Last Mimzy |
New Line
|
10.0 (3,320)
|
–
|
3017
|
10
|
Premonition |
Sony
|
9.9 (3,500)
|
-44%
|
2831
|
32
|
The Hills Have Eyes II |
Fox
|
9.8 (4,010)
|
–
|
2447
|
9.8
|
Reign Over Me |
Sony
|
7.8 (4,680)
|
–
|
1671
|
7.8
|
Pride |
Lions Gate
|
3.7 (2,440)
|
–
|
1518
|
3.7
|
Dead Silence |
Uni
|
3.4 (1,890)
|
-56%
|
1806
|
13.2
|
I Think I Love My Wife |
Fox Searchlight
|
2.7 (1,520)
|
-52%
|
1794
|
10
|
Bridge to Tarabithia |
BV
|
2.3 (1,160)
|
-55%
|
2010
|
78.9
|
Ghost Rider |
Sony
|
1.7 (1,070)
|
-60%
|
1560
|
113.2
|
Amazing Grace |
IDP
|
1.5 (1,650)
|
-27%
|
932
|
16.8
|
The Namesake |
Fox Searchlight
|
1.3 (11,200)
|
83%
|
117
|
2.6
|
Zodiac |
Par
|
1.1 (1,300)
|
-66%
|
872
|
31.6
|
Norbit |
Par
|
1.0 (960)
|
-65%
|
1006
|
94.1
|
Music and Lyrics |
WB
|
.89 (1,020)
|
-61%
|
875
|
49.2
|
The Lives of Others |
Sony Classics
|
.69 (3,070)
|
-14%
|
225
|
5.6
|
Breach |
Uni
|
.52 (1,140)
|
-65%
|
457
|
32.4
|
Weekend Total ($500,000+ Films) |
$132.70
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
|
% Change (Last Year) |
–
|
29%
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
% Change (Last Week) |
–
|
19%
|
–
|
–
|
–
|
Also debuting/expanding | |||||
La Vie en Rose |
TVA
|
.25 (5,950)
|
2%
|
42
|
0.65
|
Namestey London |
Eros
|
.24 (3,640)
|
–
|
65
|
0.24
|
Sharkwater |
Alliance
|
.14 (5,640)
|
–
|
25
|
0.14
|
Journey from the Fall |
ImagineAsia
|
68,400 (17,100)
|
–
|
4
|
0.07
|
Color Me Kubrick |
Magnolia
|
31,500 (1,660)
|
–
|
19
|
0.03
|
Boy Culture |
TLA
|
24,700 (8,240)
|
–
|
3
|
0.02
|
Offside |
Sony Classics
|
18,100 (3,620)
|
–
|
5
|
0.02
|
The Page Turner |
Tartan
|
17,800 (8,900)
|
–
|
2
|
0.02
|
First Snow |
FreeStyle
|
12,700 (4,240)
|
–
|
3
|
0.01
|
What Love Is |
Big Sky
|
10,000 (240)
|
–
|
42
|
0.01
|
Air Guitar Nation |
Shadow
|
8,500 (4,250)
|
–
|
2
|
0.01
|
The Prisoner … |
Red Envelope
|
2,420 (1,210)
|
–
|
2
|
0.01
|
To Worldwide Grosses – Jan 1 – March 22, 2007
Title |
Distributor
|
Gross
|
Night at the Museum * |
Fox
|
364,117,131
|
The Pursuit of Happyness * |
Sony
|
202,988,338
|
Ghost Rider |
Sony
|
200,774,278
|
300 |
WB
|
171,076,979
|
Norbit |
Par
|
128,331,013
|
Blood Diamond * |
WB
|
122,419,424
|
Wild Hogs |
BV
|
116,754,553
|
Dreamgirls * |
Par
|
114,372,497
|
Music and Lyrics |
WB
|
108,395,840
|
Casino Royale * |
Sony
|
102,641,923
|
Rocky Balboa * |
MGM/Fox
|
95,257,430
|
Bridge to Terabithia |
BV/Summit
|
90,716,168
|
Happy Feet * |
WB
|
81,577,114
|
Charlotte’s Web * |
Par
|
80,604,493
|
Eragon * |
Fox
|
80,287,875
|
Déjà vu * |
BV
|
77,197,330
|
The Holiday * |
Sony
|
75,084,044
|
Hannibal Rising |
MGM/DDL
|
69,859,179
|
Babel * |
Par Vant/Summit
|
68,001,767
|
Arthur et les Minimoys * |
MGM/Europa
|
65,896,328
|
Apocalypto * |
BV/Icon
|
64,772,762
|
* does not include 2006 box office |
Domestic Market Share: Jan 1 – March 22, 2007
Distributor (releases) |
Gross
|
Percentage
|
Sony (10) |
312.7
|
18.00%
|
Paramount (8) |
252.7
|
14.50%
|
Warner Bros. (13) |
241.4
|
13.90%
|
Fox (9) |
210.5
|
12.10%
|
Buena Vista (10) |
178.9
|
10.30%
|
Universal (6) |
178.3
|
10.20%
|
MGM (8) |
76.3
|
4.40%
|
Lions Gate (4) |
47.2
|
2.70%
|
New Line (4) |
44.4
|
2.60%
|
Picturehouse (2) |
35.3
|
2.00%
|
Fox Searchlight (5) |
30.9
|
1.80%
|
Miramax (2) |
30.3
|
1.70%
|
Par Vantage (2) |
22.5
|
1.30%
|
Sony Classics (4) |
16.9
|
1.00%
|
Focus (1) |
16.4
|
0.90%
|
IDP (3) |
12.9
|
0.70%
|
Other * (56) |
33.2
|
1.90%
|
*none greater than 0.45% |
1740.8
|
100.00%
|