News for 7/15/2003
Weekend Boxoffice
"Pirates" Pillage $46.4 Million
By Bridget Byrne
The pirates out-plundered the gentlemen.
The derring-do of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl looted a swaggering $46.4 million at the weekend box office, nearly doubling the booty taken in by The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which opened in second place with an estimated $23.2 million.
Johnny Depp's hey-ho-me-hearties adventure, inspired by Disney's theme park ride (with a wink to the Hollywood heroics of the good-old swashbuckling days of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn) has now hauled in $70.4 million since opening Wednesday.
Starring Depp as a charming rascal, Geoffrey Rush as the evil buccaneer, Orlando Bloom as the resident hunk and Keira Knightley as the beauteous maiden, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced PG-13 romp averaged $14,194 at 3,269 sites.
"Everybody had said pirate movies were cursed. The curse is officially over," Chuck Viane, Disney's distribution chief, pronounced to the Associated Press.
In contrast, Fox's oddball superheroes tale couldn't claim to be in anywhere near the league of other recent comic book-inspired flicks. Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen stars Sean Connery as intrepid explorer Allan Quatermain, who teams up with a bunch of other 19th century fictional types, including Dorian Gray and Tom Sawyer, to foil a warmonger. Also rated PG-13, The League only managed to muster $7,745 per screen at 3,002 sites.
The arrival of these two new movies wasn't good news for last week's topper, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Arnold Schwarzenegger's comeback rampage took a big tumble, down 55 percent into third place with $19.6 million. Its two-week gross is now $110.4 million.
In limited release there was good news for Michael and Mark Polish's bizarre Midwestern fable Northfork. Starring James Woods and Nick Nolte, the Paramount Classics release averaged $12,273 at just five screens for a promising $61,364 debut.
Another art-house entry, Sony Pictures Classics' The Cuckoo, failed to cluck, er, click with moviegoers. The Russian movie about morality and mortality during World War II averaged $2,868 at six screens for a $17,209 debut.
Despite the fall off of T3, the swift decline of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (dropping 48 percent in its third week, down to sixth place with $7.3 million for an $81.6 million gross) and the major collapse of The Hulk, (dropping 55 percent from its previous week, down from fifth to ninth place with $3.7 million and a four-week tally of just $124.7 million), business was good enough to spark an upturn in the overall box office after four down weekends. The top 12 films grossed $135.9 million, 7 percent higher than last weekend, and 3 percent up on this time last year.
Helping boost the box office was the continued buoyant business of those intrepid fishy heroes of Finding Nemo. The Disney-Pixar 'toon only dropped one slot and 29 percent to fifth place in its seventh week of release, earning another $8.2 million to bring its current gross to $290.8 million.
Here is how the top 10 weekend movies stacked up, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, $46.4 million
2. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, $23.2 million
3. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, $19.6 million
4. Legally Blonde: Red, White & Blonde, $12 million
5. Finding Nemo, $8.2 million
6. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, $7.3 million
7. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, $4.6 million
8. 28 Days Later, $4.2 million
9. The Hulk, $3.7 million
10. The Italian Job, $2.7 million
Harvey Tells Why Black Actors Make Less
By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - The economics of television advertising discriminate against black-oriented shows and those who work on them, says actor-comedian Steve Harvey.
Advertisers pay less for such programs even when the ratings equal or exceed those of other shows, Harvey told a meeting of the Television Critics Association on Sunday.
The result is, "African-Americans don't get to make what they deserve to make when they have a hit show," Harvey said, appearing before TV critics to promote his WB fall series, "Steve Harvey's Big Time."
Advertisers pay lower rates for programs that attract black audiences because they reason that blacks are among TV's more loyal customers, and it's easy to reach them across the TV dial, Harvey said.
That does represent the thinking of the ad community, WB executives said in a later session Sunday with TV critics. In contrast, shows that attract harder-to-reach young viewers can command higher ad rates.
"There is a truth in what he's saying, that advertisers are trying to find people that they can't get easily. And they do pay a premium for those people," said Jamie Kellner, WB's chairman and chief executive officer.
'Reloaded' Video Arrives with 3rd 'Matrix'
By Brett Sporich
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In an industry first, Warner Home Video is releasing "The Matrix Reloaded" on home video three weeks before the theatrical release of the third film in the "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Revolutions."
"Reloaded," starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss, is slated for release Oct. 14 on DVD and VHS at a retail price of about $22, Warners executives said.
Such franchise films are typically widely separated from each theatrical release under the theory that a home video release of the same series will deplete ticket sales at the box office. But Warner executives believe that this new strategy will work to pump up what has been a lagging industrywide box office take.
Under the slogan "Reload Before the Revolution," Warners is combining the consumer awareness surrounding the Nov. 5 theatrical release of "Revolutions" with the home video release of "Reloaded" as a way of consolidating their marketing dollars as much as hoping to discover a new marketing mechanism.
"I don't believe it will affect ticket sales in any negative way," said Ron Sanders, Warner Home Video's domestic executive vp and general manager. "In fact, I believe that the home video release of 'Reloaded' will boost ticket sales of 'Revolutions.' "
"Sure, this is an industry first," he added. "But we believe that this franchise presents us with a unique opportunity to combine a theatrical release of a very popular film with home video that will set a precedent for sales within the industry."
While both the VHS and DVD will be priced for sale to consumers, the DVD includes several bonus features that should boost sales, such as a behind-the-scenes look at how the freeway chase scene was crafted and shot and the humorous parody of "The Matrix Reloaded" that was featured on the 2003 MTV Movie Awards.
"The Matrix Reloaded" has grossed about $274 million at the North American box office after nine weeks.
News for 7/12/3003
Underwood to be a love interest on 'Sex'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blair Underwood is joining Sex and the City for four episodes, but producers and his publicist won't say which of the characters he'll romance. Underwood, 38, will make his first appearance around the ninth of 12 episodes airing this summer, Daily Variety reported Tuesday. Another eight episodes of the HBO comedy, now in its final season, are set to air early next year.
Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, tracks the romances of four New York City women. Chris Noth, John Corbett, Ron Livingston and Kyle MacLachlan are among the actors who've appeared on the show as love interests.
Underwood co-starred last summer in the Steven Soderbergh film Full Frontal and in the '80s TV series L.A. Law.
Rowland Falls for Indie 'Filler'
By Zorianna Kit
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Kelly Rowland, one-third of pop trio Destiny's Child, is in final negotiations to star opposite Duane Martin in the romantic comedy "The Seat Filler."
The indie project goes into production Saturday in Los Angeles. Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are executive producing. Nick Castle will direct.
Martin -- who also co-wrote the project with Mark Brown and Tisha Campbell-Martin -- will play a struggling, unemployed man who is studying for the bar exam. To make ends meet, he works as a seat filler for various awards ceremonies. While occupying the seat of a high-powered entertainment attorney, he meets his dream girl (Rowland), a gorgeous superstar who is performing at the event. To his amazement, the dream girl falls hard for him too. There is one problem: she is under the mistaken impression that he is a wealthy lawyer, not a lowly seat filler.
Rowland will be seen next in New Line Cinema's "Freddy vs. Jason," due out next month.
Humanitas Prizes Fisher, Kelley, Caro
By Borys Kit
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Screenwriter Antwone Fisher, TV producer David E. Kelley and "Whale Rider" director Niki Caro picked up Humanitas prizes Thursday for their contribution to the film and TV industry.
The award, established in 1974, recognizes television and motion picture writers whose work honestly explores the complexities of the human experience and sheds light on the positive values of life.
Fisher was cited in feature film for writing Fox Searchlight's "Antwone Fisher," his autobiographical account of his own search for healing and acceptance.
Gordon Rayfield received the TV award in the 90-minute or longer category for Showtime's "Our America," about two young teens who chronicle their life in a housing tenement for National Public Radio. The two categories each carried a prize of $25,000.
Kelley won the $15,000 prize for the 60-minute television category for his "Final Judgment" episode of ABC's "The Practice."
Caro won the $10,000 Sundance feature film prize for adapting the New Zealand film "Whale Rider," which is generating strong sales in limited release at the box office.
Larry Wilmore, Teri Schaffer and Steve Tompkins took home the 30-minute television category prize of $10,000 for the episode of Fox's "The Bernie Mac Show" titled "Sweet Home Chicago, Part 2."
In the world of children's programming, Marita Giovanni and Bruce Graham were awarded the prize in the live-action category for writing Disney Channel's "A Ring of Endless Night," while Dwayne McDuffie and Alan Burnett snagged the animation category prize for the "Jimmy" episode of the WB Network's "Static Shock." Both prizes included a $10,000 award.
Among the attendees at the Universal Hilton event were directors Michael Apted and Edward Zwick, screenwriter Steven Zaillian, "Antwone Fisher" producer Todd Black, as well as nominees Graham Yost, William H. Macy, John Wells and Peter Hedges.
News for 7/7/2003
Simmons Searching for Urban Filmmakers
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Russell Simmons and Stan Lathan, the production team responsible for the Peabody-award winning Def Poetry series on HBO and the blockbuster Def Comedy Jam franchise, are looking for budding urban filmmakers to submit completed works for consideration for acquisitions, and possible distribution.
Simmons produced the 1996 hit "The Nutty Professor," which starred Eddie Murphy and grossed $129 million to date worldwide.
Simmons Lathan Media Group (SLMG) has established the New Def Filmmakers program to identify and nurture aspiring filmmakers for future projects.
Says Simmons, "There's just so much talent out there, and now the opportunities won't just be for the kids who have fathers in Beverly Hills who are directors and have natural opportunities. They will also be for the kids who are at home in the middle of Nebraska who will be able to show their ability without being under the thumb of a limited vision or range. It used to be you could walk around Malibu and get your new talent. [Now] it's going to come from Harlem instead of Hollywood."
SLMG is searching for completed short films, feature films, documentaries and music videos.
Weekend Boxoffice
Terminator 3' Annihilates Competition
By DAVID GERMAIN
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" annihilated the competition, grossing $44 million in its first weekend and $72.5 million since opening Wednesday.
Reese Witherspoon's "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" debuted in second place with a $22.9 million weekend and $39.2 million since its Wednesday premiere.
The weekend's other new wide release, the animated "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas," bombed despite a voice cast that includes Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer. "Sinbad" opened in sixth place with $6.8 million for the weekend and $10 million since debuting Wednesday.
Despite the rush of high-profile new movies, Hollywood's box-office slump continued, with revenues down for the fourth straight weekend. The top 12 movies grossed $127 million, down 9 percent from the same period last year, which was the highest-grossing Fourth of July weekend ever.
Movie revenues are running about 5 percent behind last year's, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"I really don't know why. That's the million-dollar question, or hundred-million-dollar question," Dergarabedian said.
"Terminator 3" out-grossed the opening weekend of its 1991 predecessor, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," by about 40 percent. But factoring in higher admission prices since then, "Terminator 3" sold slightly fewer tickets.
Theaters are more crowded today with franchise flicks competing for the audience's attention, "so to be in the midst of a lot of competition and still improve on the previous film's numbers, we're pretty happy," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "Terminator 3."
"Legally Blonde 2," with Witherspoon's perky, stylish attorney on a lobbying mission in Washington, outdid the opening weekend of its 2001 predecessor by about $2.5 million.
In limited release, Francois Ozon's "Swimming Pool" opened strongly, taking in $286,000 in just 13 theaters. The film, which expands to more theaters Friday, stars Charlotte Rampling as a mystery writer whose prudishness is tested by the wanton ways of her publisher's daughter.
1. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," $44 million.
2. "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," $22.9 million.
3. "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," $14.2 million.
4. "Finding Nemo," $11 million.
5. "The Hulk," $8.2 million.
6. "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas," $6.8 million.
7. "28 Days Later," $6.1 million.
8. "The Italian Job," $4.3 million.
9. "Bruce Almighty," $4 million.
10. "2 Fast 2 Furious," $2.4 million.
News for 6/30/2003
DVD Buyers Love 'Eva,' 'Married'; Renters Bond-Ing
By Brett Sporich
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Universal Studios Home Video's "Deliver Us From Eva," starring James Todd Smith, aka LL Cool J, appears to have won the hearts of DVD consumers in its debut week, snagging the No. 1 spot on Nielsen VideoScan's First Alert DVD sales chart.
The romantic comedy came in at No. 9 on Video Store's weekly rental chart during the same frame, earning an estimated $5.77 million during its first five days on rental shelves, according to Video Store magazine research.
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment's "Just Married," starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy, came in a close second on VideoScan's initial DVD sales chart during its debut week ending June 22. The romantic comedy ranks second on Video Store magazine's weekly rental chart during the same frame, earning an estimated $10.72 million during its first five days on rental shelves.
"Die Another Day," starring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry, topped the weekly rental charts once again, earning an estimated $11.36 million for the week ending June 22, for a 19-day rental revenue cume of $41.1 million.
MGM Home Entertainment's latest James Bond release dipped two spots to No. 5 on the First Alert DVD sales chart during the same frame.
Paramount Home Entertainment's "Narc," starring Jason Patric and Ray Liotta, debuted at a strong No. 6 on VideoScan's initial DVD sales chart and at No. 8 on Video Store's weekly rental chart during the same frame. The actioner earned an estimated $6.43 million after five days on rental shelves.
Video Store magazine, a leading business-to-business weekly serving the home entertainment industry, compiles and analyzes VHS and DVD rental data through an interactive methodology using a multisource predictive model with data from a statistically significant national sample of video retailers.
Weekend Boxoffice
'Angels' Ascend to No. 1, 'Hulk' Tumbles
By DAVID GERMAIN
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - The angels have lost a little of their kick but they can still pulverize the opposition, even if he's big and green.
"Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" debuted with $38 million, off $2.1 million from the opening numbers the first movie put up in November 2000, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, "The Hulk," fell to second place, free-falling 70 percent from its $62.1 million opening. "The Hulk" took in $18.4 million to squeak past the $100 million mark after 10 days in theaters.
"Finding Nemo" held up well in third place with $13.9 million. With $253.9 million in the bank, the animated adventure is on track to pass "The Matrix Reloaded" as the year's top-grossing movie.
The British fright flick "28 Days Later" lacked the huge advertising blitz of "Charlie's Angels" and "The Hulk," but it managed to take fourth place with an unexpectedly strong $9.7 million while playing in barely a third as many theaters as the big-studio movies.
Overall Hollywood revenues fell for the third straight weekend. The top 12 movies grossed an estimated $111.3 million, off 15 percent from the same weekend last year.
Summer revenues are virtually even with last year's, but domestic grosses for all of 2003 are down 3.5 percent from 2002, when the industry took in a record $9.32 billion, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"There's a little malaise out there in the business," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released "The Hulk." "Hopefully, in the next few weeks it'll pop up again."
This week brings two eagerly awaited sequels, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" and "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," plus the animated family film "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas." All three open Wednesday to get a jump on the Fourth of July weekend.
Universal executives were disappointed with second-weekend numbers for "The Hulk," though the movie still will turn a profit, Rocco said.
Adapted from Marvel Comics' "The Incredible Hulk," the movie took a more dark and dramatic approach than other recent comic-book flicks. Reviews were mixed.
Sony, which released the "Charlie's Angels" movies, hopes strong weekday business will help the sequel catch up to the first movie, which had a total gross of $125.3 million, said studio vice chairman Jeff Blake.
The movie opened strongly in some overseas markets, including Japan, where its $6.2 million take was double that of the first one, Blake said.
Both "Angels" movies star Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu in an update of the 1970s TV detective series.
Factoring in higher admission prices since 2000, "Full Throttle" sold roughly a million fewer tickets domestically than the first "Charlie's Angels."
The new movie also played more widely than the original "Charlie's Angels." The first opened in 3,037 cinemas, averaging $13,213 a theater, while "Full Throttle" debuted in 3,459 theaters for a $10,986 average.
1. "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," $38 million.
2. "The Hulk," $18.4 million.
3. "Finding Nemo," $13.9 million.
4. "28 Days Later," $9.7 million.
5. "Bruce Almighty," $6.2 million.
6. "2 Fast 2 Furious," $5.7 million.
7. "The Italian Job," $5.4 million.
8. "Rugrats Go Wild," $3.5 million.
9. "Hollywood Homicide," $3 million.
10. "Alex & Emma," $2.7 million.
News for 6/25/2003
O Solo Mya: Singer Plays Herself on 'Passions'
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Singer/actress/dancer Mya will play herself on the Thursday, July 24 episode of the NBC soap opera "Passions."
Mya's episode will mark the start of the "Hot L.A. Passions" arc of the daytime drama. The storyline finds six core members of the "Passions" cast departing the tiny New England town of Harmony to come to Los Angeles. The visit includes a trip to an LA beach club where Mya (Mya Marie Harrison on her birth certificate) is performing. She'll do the track "My Love Is Like...Wo" off of her upcoming album "Moodring."
The singer, who also trained as a dancer under Savion Glover, most recently appeared on the big screen as Mona in the Oscar-winning "Chicago." Other acting credits include "In Too Deep" and spots on "Haunted" and "Sister, Sister" as well as a recent soft drink ad.
With Pink, Li'l Kim and Christina Aguilera, Mya recorded a cover of LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" that ended up being the breakout hit from the "Moulin Rouge!" soundtrack. She's also done tracks for "Bullworth" and Disney's "Atlantis."
UCLA Study Finds Television Still Emphasizes Whiter Shades of Pale
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - It's hard to imagine anybody who watches TV regularly being shocked by the results of a new UCLA study tracking diversity on primetimes television. The medium, it seems, is dominated by white male characters. What's disconcerting is the slow rate of improvement, particularly as it concerns representations of Latinos on the six major networks.
The study, entitled "Prime Time in Black and White: Not Much Is New for 2002," is based on content analysis of 234 episodes of 85 situation comedies and dramas airing on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN and The WB during three weeks in October and November.
The study found that out of 276 hours of character screen time, white characters occupied 224 hours. In a distant second, African-American characters logged 41 hours. Latino characters filled seven hours and Asian-Americans took four hours. Native Americans are nonexistent until Sherman Alexis gets around to developing a show.
"Despite our nation's growing diversity, white characters continue to dominate prime time, not only with the number of characters but also with the amount of time they appear on the television screen," says Darnell Hunt, the study's principal author, sociologist and director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA. "Latinos characters are significantly underrepresented in terms of screen time."
African-Americans and whites accounted for 90 percent of all primetime characters, though the two groups only make up 81 percent of the US population. The surplus comes at the expense of the country's largest minority group. Latinos make up 13 percent of the US population, but only 3 percent of people on television. While that number is up from last season, the Latino population explosion in the country as a whole is slow to filter through the cathode ray tubes.
The study found that 63 percent of white and African-American characters on television were men. Males made up 56 percent of all Latino characters, but only 47 percent of Asian-American characters.
The WB and NBC were the whitest networks, with 83 and 81 percent of their characters, while UPN, not surprisingly, was relatively the most diverse of the networks, with 31 percent African-American characters.
Hunt warns, though, that heavily concentrated "minority blocks" on different networks were also concerning and didn't necessarily reflect a move forward.
"This tendency is problematic," Hunt says. "Although it may unfortunately reflect the current reality of American race relations with startling clarity, it also works to reinforce that reality by splintering the diverse cultural forum of televised experiences that we might otherwise share across groups."
UPN Is All About 'Eve'
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - UPN is still attracted to "The Opposite Sex," but the network is dumping its new sitcom's rather generic name.
Instead, the series will be called "Eve," after its star, the hip-hop artist/actress who's making her first leap into primetime. She stars as a fashion designer who's trying to fit a little romance into her career-oriented life.
The name change will allow UPN to "better market and promote the new series, capitalizing on Eve's worldwide fan base," the network says.
"Eve" is joining UPN's Monday-night comedy block, which has been a bright spot in the network's lineup in the past year. It should have a decent chance to succeed airing between established shows "The Parkers" and "Girlfriends."
Ali Landry ("Spy TV"), Natalie Desselle ("For Your Love") and Jason George ("Platinum") also star.
Weekend Boxoffice
'Hulk' Transforms Into Box Office Champ
By DAVID GERMAIN
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - "The Hulk" was a monster at the box office in its debut weekend, with the comic-book adaptation taking in a June opening record of $62.6 million.
The action flick about a scientist turned into a raging green beast by a lab accident took over the top box-office spot from the animated fish tale "Finding Nemo," which slipped to second place with a weekend take of $20.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The weekend's other new wide releases opened quietly. Rob Reiner's romantic comedy "Alex & Emma," starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson, debuted at No. 7 with $6.2 million.
"From Justin to Kelly," a romance starring "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson and runner-up Justin Guarini, opened at No. 11 with only $2.9 million.
"The Hulk" had the highest gross ever for a June opening, surpassing the previous record of $54.9 million for "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." But taking today's higher admission prices into account, "Austin Powers" sold slightly more tickets in its opening weekend than "The Hulk."
"The Hulk," starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte, was directed by Ang Lee, best known for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Many critics credited Lee with bringing a deeper sense of brooding character to the movie than other comic-book adaptations have had.
Distributor Universal Studios said the opening-weekend audience was evenly split between people under and over 25, as the movie drew the young action-flick crowd as well as adults who remember the comic book and "Incredible Hulk" TV series.
Despite the June record, revenue for "The Hulk" came in well below that of last month's Marvel Comics adaptation, "X2: X-Men United," which grossed $85.6 million in its opening weekend.
"The Hulk" did exceed the numbers for the first "X-Men" movie, which opened with $54.5 million.
"The Hulk" continues a string of comic-book successes. Last year, "Spider-Man" opened with a record $114.8 million debut weekend, while other hits include "Daredevil" and the "Blade" movies. Coming next year are a "Spider-Man" sequel and "The Punisher," also based on Marvel comics.
"The comic-book genre seems to be one of the most consistent performers," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "Audiences are pretty satisfied with what they're seeing, and they keep going back. I don't know if that'll last forever, but it emboldens the creative types at studios to keep making these."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "The Hulk," $62.6 million.
2. "Finding Nemo," $20.5 million.
3. "2 Fast 2 Furious," $10.3 million.
4. "Bruce Almighty," $10 million.
5. "The Italian Job," $7.2 million.
6. "Rugrats Go Wild," $6.7 million.
7. "Alex & Emma," $6.2 million.
8. "Hollywood Homicide," $5.8 million.
9. "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd," $4.3 million.
10. "The Matrix Reloaded," $4.05 million.
News for 6/19/2003
Weekend Boxoffice
"Nemo" Resurfaces on Top
By Bridget Byrne
Moviegoers weren't dumb or dumberer: They chose the cute little fish over the pair of dimwits, as well as a batch of 'toon tykes and a brace of bumbling cops.
Finding Nemo swam back into the top slot with $28.3 million at the weekend box office. Three new movies--the kiddie 'toon Rugrats Go Wild!, Harrison Ford's police buddy dramedy Hollywood Homicide and the brain-dead comedy prequel Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd--tanked.
Nemo, the Disney-Pixar animated tale about the feisty clown fish, now in its third week, is the first film to jump back into first place after losing the top slot since the James Bond flick Die Another Day accomplished that feat late last year. Nemo has now netted a monster $191.5 million with no end in sight.
The drag-race drama sequel 2 Fast and 2 Furious, which bumped the deep-sea 'toon from the top last weekend, hit the box-office equivalent of an oil slick, skidding down 62 percent to second place with $18.7 million. Jim Carrey's deity comedy Bruce Almighty remained in third place in its fourth week with $14.2 million.
That left the trio of new wide-release entries to battle for the leftovers.
The family crowd, in love with Nemo and his worried dad (no doubt particularly on Father's Day) didn't have much time for Rugrats Go Wild!. The PG-rated Paramount release, which teams the Pickles clan with the Wild Thornberrys family and that darn dog Spike in a desert island adventure, was marooned in fourth place with $11.6 million. That was less than half the $27.3 million debut of Rugrats the Movie in 1998 and the $22.7 million taken in by Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, which debuted behind Carrey's super hit Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000.
Hardly anyone was hooked by Hollywood Homicide, yet another take on the veteran-rookie cop pairing, this go-round partnering old timer Ford with wannabe hottie Josh Hartnett. Virtually dead on arrival, the PG-13 Sony release bagged only $11.1 million in fifth place.
Audiences played it smart and ducked the critically slammed Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, an effort to fool people that the high-school morons played by Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen will mature into the adult morons played by Jeff Daniels and Carrey in the knucklehead 1994 hit Dumb and Dumber. The PG-13 New Line release stumbled into sixth with just $10.8 million. However, to be fair, its $4,157 average at 2,608 sites was a smidgen higher than Hollywood Homicide's $3,913 at 2,840 sites, Rugrats Go Wild's $3,800 at 3,041 locations and even Bruce Almighty's $4,095 at 3,477 screens (72 fewer than last weekend).
In contrast, despite its huge freefall, 2 Fast and 2 Furious still averaged $5,465 at 3,418 locations (10 more than last weekend), and Finding Nemo rode the wave of enthusiasm to $8,287 per 3,425 sites (34 more theaters than last week).
In limited release, Jet Lag, a romantic import starring Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno flew high, earning $20,454 at just two sites.
The turnstile tally-meisters at Exhibitor Relations report that from Friday to Saturday the top 12 movies grossed $116.2 million, a drop of 26 percent from last weekend and 25 percent from this time last year, when Scooby-Doo scooped up a big opening $54.1 million.
Here's a complete rundown of the top 10 based final studio tallies Monday:
1. Finding Nemo, $28.3 million
2. 2 Fast 2 Furious, $18.7 million
3. Bruce Almighty, $14.2 million
4. Rugrats Go Wild!, $11.6 million
5. Hollywood Homicide, $11.1 million
6. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, $10.8 million
7. The Italian Job, $9.6 million
8. The Matrix Reloaded, $5.7 million
9. Daddy Day Care, $2.2 million
10. X2: X-Men United, $1.7 million
News for 6/12/2003
Chi McBride Joins Terminal
From The Hollywood Reporter
"Boston Public" star Chi McBride, currently in front of cameras in the Will Smith starrer "I, Robot" for 20th Century Fox, has closed a deal to join Steven Spielberg's "Terminal" opposite Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones for DreamWorks Pictures. Shooting is scheduled to start in September in Los Angeles. "Terminal" sees Hanks topline as a Balkan immigrant in the United States who makes an airport transit lounge his home after he learns that the borders of his war-torn nation have been blurred, voiding his passport and leaving him without a country. Making friends among the airport employees, including a baggage handler (McBride), he falls in love with a flight attendant (Zeta-Jones), which prompts his escape a year later. Bernie Mac had been negotiating for the role, but that deal fell apart and McBride stepped in.
Producing "Terminal" -- from a script by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson -- are DreamWorks co-heads Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald along with Spielberg. Executive producers include Andrew Niccol and former DreamWorks production executive Jason Hoffs. Studio executive Adam Goodman is overseeing the project. McBride is repped by UTA and manager Sam Maydew at Pop Art Management. His other feature credits include "Cradle 2 the Grave," "Undercover Brother" and "Narc." (Chris Gardner)
Singleton Scores Big Hit With '2 Fast'
LOS ANGELES - Acclaimed director John Singleton's foray into what he calls "popcorn stuff" has proven a hit with moviegoers.
"2 Fast 2 Furious," Singleton's take on the sequel to the 2001 hit "The Fast and the Furious," raced to the top of the box office and earned $50.5 million in its first weekend.
The film marks a departure for the director, who at 24 received a best director Oscar nomination for 1991's "Boyz N the Hood." He followed it up with dramatic fare such as "Poetic Justice," "Higher Learning," "Rosewood" and most recently "Baby Boy."
"In the beginning of my career all I wanted to do was be taken seriously as a filmmaker, so I chose to develop projects that would have some social relevance, that would be really hard-hitting emotionally," Singleton told reporters. "And so I think I had the crutch of becoming thought of as too serious. So I said, I went to film school because I love movies. I'm going to flip it on everybody and just do some popcorn stuff."
The flip started with 2000's "Shaft," a next-generation take on the 1970s classic with Samuel L. Jackson in the starring role.
"I'm in a really good place. You know, it's like nobody can say that I'm selling out because I'm doing $100 million movies now. Because I've done really small serious movies, I've done big serious movies like 'Rosewood' and had various degrees of success doing so. I don't want anybody to ever say that he only does this type of movie," Singleton said.
With "2 Fast 2 Furious," Singleton educated himself on car culture to come up with the most fantastic vehicles. The director said he and his crew wanted to make sure that the cars featured in the movie would resonate with young moviegoers.
"We went to a couple of auto shows to find out what cars the kids are really interested in seeing and made a list of them," Singleton told reporters. "We talked to kids and said, 'If you had all the money to trick out any one of these cars what would you do?'"
