THE DARK KNIGHT dominated the box office on its opening weekend, selling more tickets than the remaining Top Ten films combined. The latest adventure of the Caped Crusader opened in 4,366 theatres, where it earned an awesome $155.34-million, according to weekend estimates. (By way of comparison, the previous film, BATMAN BEGINS, opened with $48.75-million and went on to earn a U.S. total of $205.34-million.) Even if DARK KNIGHT suffers a sharp drop-off, which seems inevitable, it will easily surpass $200-million, and has a shot at reaching the $300-million mark - a level reached this summer by IRON MAN and INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Continue Reading »

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KUNG FU PANDA is a not-so-little animated film from DreamWorks that is actually kinda “mystical and kung fu-ey.” It could have been a one-joke picture (as I feared from the early trailers), or another film filled with modern, hip jokes & references (like SHREK or A SHARK’S TALE – entertaining though they may have been). Instead, the writers and directors of this project, Jonathon Aibel & Glen Berger (KING OF THE HILL) and Mark Osborne (SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS) & John Stevenson (art dept. on SHREK 2, MADAGASCAR), respectively, have a sincere understanding and fondness of Chinese kung fu films of yesteryear. The result is a film that is cute and entertaining for youngsters, but also serves up a nice helping of fun and nostalgia for us older folk, especially those who really understand and feel all warm & squishy about the butt-kicking martial arts genre. And if you’re paying attention at all, you can see several parallels to the last 3 STAR WARS films. Frankly, it handles those related themes better - certainly more entertainingly. Continue Reading »

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WALL-E cleaned up at the box office, easily taking the #1 position despite strong competition from WANTED. Pixar’s wonderful animated film - about a lonely robot cleaning up Earth after the human population has left - wowed both critics and audiences. Having earned a 96% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, the film  opened in 3,992 American theatres, where it earned an estimated $62.50-million.

WANTED - the comic-book-based action fantasy flick - opened in 3,175 theatres, earning $51.12-million.

As for holdover titles in the genres of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, you can peruse their box office fortunes below the fold. Continue Reading »

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THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN was released on May 16 of this year and quickly shot to the top of the box-office… for one week. Can’t fault it too much for a single week at the top of the pyramid, though. In a summer of mighty stiff competition even INDIANA could not hold the top spot for more than a week (heck, he even got stomped by a bunch of girls). Besides, THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE only lasted one week at number one. However, it did make approximately $10,000,000 more during its opening weekend: $65,000,000 as opposed to $55,000,000. In the sequel, C.S. Lewis’ four heroes - Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (Georgie Henley) -are brought back to the world of Narnia, but something’s very wrong. The land they helped save and rule now lies in ruins, overgrown by foliage. Eventually they—and we—discover Continue Reading »

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Apparently, there is still some laughter in that old shoe phone yet. GET SMART - the gadget-ridden spy spoof based on the ’60s television series - easily made it to #1 at the box office. Opening in 3,911 American theatres, the film earned $39.16-million. That was nearly three times as much as the weekend’s other big comedy release, THE LOVE GURU, which came in at #4 with only $14-million.

 As for holdover cinefantastique titles, there seemed to be strength in the genre.

KUNG FU PANDA held onto second place with a $22.7-million weekend, adding up to a $155.60-million three-week total.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK shrank from first to third place in its sophomore session but still earned $21.56-million, for a two-week total of $96.48-million

THE HAPPENING dropped from #3 to #5 in its second week of release, earning an even $10-million. After two weeks, the film has amassed $50.27-million - better than Shyamalan’s previous film, LADY IN THE WATER, but not match for his blockbuster hits SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL declined from fifth to sixth place with $8.41-million, yielding a five-week treasure trove of $290.84-million.

IRON MAN flew from #7 to #9, earning $4.00-million and raising its eight-week total to $304.79-million - still the biggest film of the summer.

THE STRANGERS knocked their way from eighth to 10th place with $1.95-million. The four-week total is $49.59-million - not much by summer standards but judged by recent horror films, it is better than any of the sequels and remakes that have been filling screens this year.

Finally, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CAPSIAN dropped out of the Top Ten, falling from #9 to #11. The $1.71-million weekend raised the six-week total to $135.47-million. Though not a bad number, that is well below expectations. Perhaps Buena Vista should have waited to release the film at Christmas Time (like its predecessor).

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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THE INCREDIBLE HULK smashed its way into American 3,505 theatres this weekend, earning $54.54-million. That gave it an easy first-place win,surpassing last week’s winner, KUNG FU PANDA, which shuffled into second place with $34.32-million.

The weekend’s other big debut, THE HAPPENING, had to settle for third place, with $30.5-million earned in 2,986 theatres.

As for returning cinefantastique titles:

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL whipped its way into fifth place, down from third, with $13.55-million. The four-week total is $275.33-million.

IRON MAN decayed from #6 to #7 in its seventh weekend of release. The $5.13-million in ticket sales raised the total to $297.43-million.

THE STRANGERS dropped into eighth place, down three notches, earning $4.1-million. The three-week total is $45.36-million.

CHORNICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN retreated from #7 to #9, adding $3-million worth of treasure to the five-week total of $131.74-million.

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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Earning the eternal love of sensitive cineastes everywhere, KUNG FU PANDA kicked the crap out of YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN. Paramount’s computer-generated comedy made its dbut in 4,114 American theatres, where it earned an impressive $60.24-million. The bad news was that, despite finishing in second place, the rival comedy starring Adam Sandler, which also debuted this weekend, still managed to earn over $38-million.

As for the box office fortunes of returning cinefantastique:

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL cracked its whip all the way from second to third place, behind the two newcomers. In its third week of release, the adventure-fantasy eanred $22.79-million, raising its total to $253.01-million.

THE STRANGERS ran from third to fifth place, earning $8.94-million in its sophomore session. The two-week total of $37.30-million may be chicken feed by summer standards, but it makes the film one of the most successful horror titles released in 2008.

IRON MAN descended from #4 to #6, earning $7.48-million. The six-week total has reached $288.85-million.

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN reigned in 7th place, down two notches. The $5.66-million weekend raised the four-week total to $125.98-million.

SPEED RACER skidded out of the Top Ten. The CG-heavy racing flick fell well back, all the way from #7 to #14. The weak weekend earnings (less than half a million dollars) left the film with a five-week total of $42.08-million. In other words, Warner Bros $200-million-plus investment has brought them returns that are about to be surpassed by THE STRANGERS, a little low-budget horror movie.

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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There is no doubt that INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is a box office blockbuster - after only two weeks in theatres it has already earned over $200-million - but it could not not hold onto the #1 position for two weeks in a row. SEX AND THE CITY managed what many talk about but few achieve: counter-programming success in a summer season filled with testosterone-fueled action epics. The feature film version of the old HBO comedy made its debut in nearly U.S. 3,300 theatres, where it earned an estimated $55.74-million.

The left INDIANA JONES in second place with an impressive sophomore take of $46.71-million. That yielded a two-week total of $216.88-million.

The weekend’s other big debut was for thriller THE STRANGERS, which opened in 2,467 theatres, earning $20.71-million. Although a small number compared to the #1 and #2 films, that was better than most horror films have achieved this year.

As for other cinefantastique in the Top Ten:

IRON MAN rusted from third to fourth place in its fifth week of release. Weekend revenues of $14-million raised its U.S. total to $276.63-million.

THE CHRONCILES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN abdicted the #2 position for #5. Despite the drop, the film still earned $13.02-million, raising its fortune to $115.67 after three weeks in theatres.

SPEED RACER chugged along into eighth place, three slots behind last week’s finish. A prize of $2.14-million resulted in a four-week total of only $40.56-million - or less than one-fifth of its reported production costs.

Rounding out the Top Ten was FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, a crude comedy that we keep mentioning because it includes a rock opera version of Dracula, performed by puppets! The seventh week of release added $1.04-million to the $60.47-million total.

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Hoping to stretch the Memorial Weekend even longer, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL opened a day early - on Thursday instead of Friday - earning $25-million in 4,260 U.S theatres. The impressive number put it as the fourth biggest Thursday opener ever, after STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH, THE MATRIX RELOADED, and STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES.

The film simultaneously opened worldwide, posting strong numbers in France and Belgium, where it grossed $2.2-million on Wednesday.

UPDATE (5/26/08): The fourth INDIANA JONES film made approximately $101-million from Friday through Sunday, for a total of $126-million counting tickets sales from Thursday’s early release. That puts the film just behind PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END for biggest Memorial Day opening. (For comparison purposes, one should not that PIRATES had only limited theatrical preivews on Thursday.) Paramount expects that KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL will add another $25-million on Monday, thanks to the extended weekend.

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It was a neck-and-neck race that turned out to be not so closer after all. On Sunday, Warner Brothers reported estimated earnings of just over $20-million for SPEED RACER, placing it a photo finish ahead of WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS. According to Yahoo’s Movie & TV News (sourced to an item in Daily Variety), the weekend estimate engendered widespread skepticism in Hollywood - skepticism that was justified when the actual tally turned out to be $18.6-million, placing the film in third place instead of second.

It is not uncommon for weekend estimates to be off by a few hundred thousand (they are estimates after all), but a difference of approximately $1.5-million suggests that WB was intentionally upping the ante. As Variety observed, “It’s far from the first time a studio with an under-performing pic has overestimated its Sunday gross and avoided an embarrassing third-place finish in Monday morning box office stories.” (Box office estimates on Monday receive more attention because they have less competition from other news, the weekend usually being quiet.)

The Yahoo post speculates that SPEED RACER’s low-octane performance will drop the checkered flag on several careers at WB, which spent between $250- to 300-million to market the movie.

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IRON MAN proved its metal at the box office, fending off two new challengers to retain the #1 position during. The critically lauded superhero fantasy film earned $50.5-million during its sophomore session. That was down approximately fifty per cent from opening weekend, but it was still two and a half times as much as the second-place film, SPEED RACER. Overall, IRON MAN did not dominate the ticket sales quite as overwhelmingly as it did on its opening weekend, when it outsold the rest of the Top Ten combined; this week, its earnings were just enough to surpass the next three top films. IRON MAN’s total now stands at an awesome $177.13-million.

SPEED RACER barely edged out WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS to take the checkered flag for second place. The Wachowski Brothers’ big-budget version of the old animated series raced into 3,606 theatres, where it earned $21.21-million. With largely negative reviews, there is likely to be a steep drop-off.

As for holdover titles of interest to Cinefantastique…

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL - the crude romantic comedy that features a rock opera version of Dracula performed by puppets - threaded its way from #5 to #6. The weekend earnings of $3.78-million raised its four-week total to $50.77-million. As predicted last week, this outdistanced its rival, THE FORBIDDEN KINDGOM, which opened the same weekend to bigger box office but dropped off faster.

THE FORBIDDEN KINDGOM relocated from sixth place to eighth place. The $1.9-million weekend lifted its four-week total to $48.26-million.

NIM’S ISLAND submerged two places, descending from #7 to # 9. Ticket sales were $1.33-million, for a six-week total of $44.2-million.

Finally, PROM NIGHT dropped out of the Top Ten, falling three places from #8 to 311. Additional revenues of $1.05-million yielded a five-week total of $42.82-million. Although nowhere near big enough to qualify as a blockbuster, this is the best haul of any more film released this year, easily surpassing THE RUINS  and the slew of Asian-themed remakes like ONE MISSED CALL, THE EYE, and SHUTTER.

UPDATE: The estimate for SPEED RACER turned out to be widly (intentionally) inflated by Warner Brothers. The film actually earned only $18.6-million, placing it in third, well behind WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS. Read more here.

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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IRON MAN crushed the competition this weekend, offering the first evidence that superheroes can save the box office this summer. The adaptation of the long-running comic book character made its debut in 4,105 theatres, earning a whopping $100.75-million during the three-day frame (Friday to Saturday). Adding in sales from midnight screenings on Thursday raises the total to $104.25-million.

Unfortunately, that IRON MAN’s success would benefit the movie industry as a whole. The film’s gross was more than twice that of the remaining Top Ten films combined. To put it in baseball terms, Hollywood increasingly seems to be striking out with the majority of its players, relying on the occasional grand slam home run to score big.

As for other films of interest to fans of cinefantastique…

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL held onto the #4 position for the second week in a row, behind MADE OF HONOR and BABY MAMA.  The romantic comedy - featuring a rock opera version of Dracula performed by Muppets - earned $6.13-million, raising its three-week total to $44.80-million.

THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM dropped from sixth to third place in its third weekend, earning $4.2-million. Released the same weekend as SARAH MARSHALL, the martial arts fantasy starring Jackie Chan and Jet Li remains ahead but just barely, with a total take of $45.12-million.

NIM’S ISLAND drifted from #5 to #7 in its fifth week of release. Earning $2.75-million raised its total to an unimpressive $42.54-million.

PROM NIGHT declined two slot sto #8, where it took in $2.5-million. After four weeks, its total stands at $41.48-million.

Finally, DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO dropped out of the top ten, slipping from #11 to #9. Still, the weekend take of $1.35-million raised the eight-week total to an impressive $149.83-million.

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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With no new sci-fi, horror, or fantasy films in wide release, two debut comedies, BABY MAMA and HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY,  jumped to the top of this weekend’s box office, knocking last week’s winner, THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, down to third place.

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, the martial arts fantasy starring Jacki Chan and Jet Lie, earned an estimated $11.23-million in its sophomore session, for a two-week total of $38.26-million.

As for other returning titles of interest to fans of cinefantastique…

NIM’S ISLAND maintained its longitude at #5 for te second week in a row. The fantasy film earned $4.23-million, raising its four-week total to $28.95-million.

PROM NIGHT danced from sixth to third place in its third weekend, with a box office take of $4.4-million. that yielded a total of $38.12-million. Far from great, but better than other recent horror releases.

DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO listened to the sound of $2.4-million in tickets sales, dropping from #8 to #9. After seven weeks, the film has earned $147.88-million in U.S. theatres - the only film this year to pass the $100-million mark.

NOTE: Greg McLean’s ROGUE opened in limited release this week, arriving in far too few theatres to make an appearance in the weekend Top Ten. The word “limited” turned out to be somewhat of an exaggeration: the film was not booked into theatres in New York or Los Angeles (the two biggest markets), instead appearing in only single theatres in cities like San Diego and San Francisco.

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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FORBIDDEN KINGDOM - co-starring Jet Li and Jackie Chan - exceeded expectations, which had predicted the film would edge just past the $19-million mark. Instead, the martial arts fantasy - which made its debut in 3,151 theatres - finished up the weekend with an estimated $20.87-million, easily outdistancing runner-up FORGETTNIG SARAH MARSHALL.

As for returning fantasy, horror, and sci-fi titles…

PROM NIGHT was downgraded in its sophomore session from #1 to #3, where it earned $9.1-million, for a two-week total of $32.56-million.

NIM’S ISLAND floated from fourth to fifth place, earning $5.6-million. After three weekends, that brings the total to $32.86-million.

DR. SEUSS’ HORTON HEARS A WHO had a hear loss of two decibels, from #6 to #8. With $3.5-million in weekend ticket sales, the film heard its six-week total swell to $144.41-million.

Finally, SUPERHERO MOVIE dropped out of the Top Ten faster than a speeding bullet, leaping from ninth to twelfth place. The film earned $1.54-million in its fourth weekend, raising its total to 423.54-million.

Read the complete Top Ten here.

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Slashfilm.com reports that THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM earned $6.7-million on Friday, indicating that it will wind up the weekend with approximately $19.1-million, which should be good enough for first place.

The $19-million opening is about on part with the debut of Chan’s SHANGHIA KNIGHTS but well behind his three RUSH HOUR films. For Lit, it represents his second biggest box office bow, after LETHAL WEAPON 4.

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