mcs328
05-23-2005, 06:22 AM
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=794&e=1&u=/eo/20050523/en_movies_eo/16604
"Revenge" Is Sweet at Box Office
By Bridget Byrne Sun May 22, 9:53 PM ET
Holy Sith! Darth did some damage at the box office this weekend.
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Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith earned a Yoda-riffic $108.5 million from Friday to Sunday, according to preliminary studio figures.
But the boffo numbers didn't make for a new opening-weekend record. Spider Man is still the champ thanks to $114.8 million the comic flick swung in with in 2002, but if estimates hold, Sith will own the second-best three-day opening weekend of all time, edging out Shrek 2's $108 million last year.
With its record-smashing opening midnight Wednesday, the final Star Wars prequel has grossed $158.5 million, a new best for a four-day opening, and enough to beat any previous five-day haul.
Sith has set the standard for single-day total, with its $50 million opening day haul beating Shrek 2's previous mark of $44.8 million. It also as topped the two-day and first three-day charts, and grabbed the four-day record, beating out Matrix: Reloaded's $134.3 million.
Worldwide--excluding Korea and Japan--the gross was $303.2 million.
"That's also a record. An international record. A domestic record. And we also set the intergalactic record I believe. I can't find the old one but I know we set it," trumpeted Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Fox. "It's a real kick."
Sith averaged a rancor-sized $29,637 per its 3,661 theaters, tops among all releases this weekend. Snyder described the audience as "a very nice mix" between male (58 percent) and female (42 percent), old (52 percent over 25) and young (48 percent under 25), although the PG-13 rating and intense content probably kept really small kids away.
The film also was a force for online ticket brokers. Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com claim to have combined to sell an unprecedented 20-plus percent of the tickets for Sith showings.
"The reviews were terrific, the buzz is fabulous, people love the movie," Snyder said, noting that many came straight out of the theater to buy tickets to see it again at a future show. "I will say this, and I don't say this often: The picture deserves these kinds of reactions and accolades. It's about the movie. The movie is terrific...and it's a culmination of the whole saga and it's a great way to end it."
The previous highest three-day weekend for a Star Wars installment was $80 million for Episode II--Attack of the Clones in 2002, which opened on a Thursday. The first prequel, The Phantom Menace, opening on a Wednesday in 1999, earned $64.8 million its first weekend.
Back in 1983, before prequels and ultra-wide openings, Return of the Jedi, after a Wednesday debut had a $23 million opening from just 1,002 sites. In 1980, at a mere 126 theaters, the first sequel The Empire Strikes Back had a three-day week of $4.9 million after opening on a Wednesday. Taking the industry completely by surprise in 1977, the saga began with Star Wars (now known as Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope) at just 43 theaters. After a Wednesday opening, the original earned $1.5 million Friday to Sunday, racking up a hit-making $36,151 per screen. Factoring in its subsequent rereleases and 1997 update, the original film has become the top earner of them all, with $460.9 million domestically.
As for Sith, it accounted for 70 percent of the total weekend box office.
But there was a dark side to film's intergalactic numbers. With rival studios clearing off their release schedules to make room for Sith, there were no other major new releases and the overall receipts were down from the same period last year for the 13th weekend in a row. While business was up 65 percent from last weekend, it was down about 4 percent from last year, when Shrek 2 headlined with continued support from hits like Van Hesling and Mean Girls.
There is a new hope, though. With audience enthusiasm for the well reviewed Star Wars prequel generating excellent word of mouth, even from those who don't want to dress up like Wookiees and take their lightsabers to the midnight screenings, and bigger films in the offing. studios and exhibitors are predicting business will be back up soon.
"It's taken three months to create this slump," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It's going to take several weeks and many blockbusters to reverse this trend. Star Wars is certainly a great start-off point for that and shows that with the right movie people will line up around the block."
"One film cannot turn everything around overnight."
But one film can make the guys at Fox very happy, especially after the disappointment of the studio's expensive Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven, which has only grossed $41 million in three weeks.
The film picking up the most Sith crumbs was last week's number one, Monster-in-Law. The
Jennifer Lopez-
Jane Fonda catfight comedy dropped 38 percent to second with $14.3 million, bringing its two-week to $44.1 million.
Will Ferrell's Kicking & Screaming tumbled 48 percent, earning $10.5 million in third place for a two-week gross of $34 million.
Holding up well was Crash. The Los Angeles-based treatise on racism was only off 22 percent, moving up to fourth place with $5.5 million. The Lions Gate release, which has expanded to 1,905 theaters, has a three-week tally of $27.6 million.
Here's a rundown of the top 10 films based on Sunday studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations; final figures will be released Monday afternoon:
1. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, $108.5 million
2. Monster-in-Law, $14.3 million
3. Kicking & Screaming, $10.5 million
4. Crash, $5.5 million
5. Unleashed, $3.8 million
6. Kingdom of Heaven, $3.3 million
7. House of Wax, $3.1 million
8. The Interpreter, $2.8 million
9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, $2 million
10. Mindhunters, $909,049
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Glad it didn't beat out Spider-Man. Spider-Man defintely had better acting and a better story than SW:ROTS. What other movie do you think will come close? Another X-men, Spider-Man, LOTR or (lol) Star Trek movie?
"Revenge" Is Sweet at Box Office
By Bridget Byrne Sun May 22, 9:53 PM ET
Holy Sith! Darth did some damage at the box office this weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith earned a Yoda-riffic $108.5 million from Friday to Sunday, according to preliminary studio figures.
But the boffo numbers didn't make for a new opening-weekend record. Spider Man is still the champ thanks to $114.8 million the comic flick swung in with in 2002, but if estimates hold, Sith will own the second-best three-day opening weekend of all time, edging out Shrek 2's $108 million last year.
With its record-smashing opening midnight Wednesday, the final Star Wars prequel has grossed $158.5 million, a new best for a four-day opening, and enough to beat any previous five-day haul.
Sith has set the standard for single-day total, with its $50 million opening day haul beating Shrek 2's previous mark of $44.8 million. It also as topped the two-day and first three-day charts, and grabbed the four-day record, beating out Matrix: Reloaded's $134.3 million.
Worldwide--excluding Korea and Japan--the gross was $303.2 million.
"That's also a record. An international record. A domestic record. And we also set the intergalactic record I believe. I can't find the old one but I know we set it," trumpeted Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Fox. "It's a real kick."
Sith averaged a rancor-sized $29,637 per its 3,661 theaters, tops among all releases this weekend. Snyder described the audience as "a very nice mix" between male (58 percent) and female (42 percent), old (52 percent over 25) and young (48 percent under 25), although the PG-13 rating and intense content probably kept really small kids away.
The film also was a force for online ticket brokers. Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com claim to have combined to sell an unprecedented 20-plus percent of the tickets for Sith showings.
"The reviews were terrific, the buzz is fabulous, people love the movie," Snyder said, noting that many came straight out of the theater to buy tickets to see it again at a future show. "I will say this, and I don't say this often: The picture deserves these kinds of reactions and accolades. It's about the movie. The movie is terrific...and it's a culmination of the whole saga and it's a great way to end it."
The previous highest three-day weekend for a Star Wars installment was $80 million for Episode II--Attack of the Clones in 2002, which opened on a Thursday. The first prequel, The Phantom Menace, opening on a Wednesday in 1999, earned $64.8 million its first weekend.
Back in 1983, before prequels and ultra-wide openings, Return of the Jedi, after a Wednesday debut had a $23 million opening from just 1,002 sites. In 1980, at a mere 126 theaters, the first sequel The Empire Strikes Back had a three-day week of $4.9 million after opening on a Wednesday. Taking the industry completely by surprise in 1977, the saga began with Star Wars (now known as Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope) at just 43 theaters. After a Wednesday opening, the original earned $1.5 million Friday to Sunday, racking up a hit-making $36,151 per screen. Factoring in its subsequent rereleases and 1997 update, the original film has become the top earner of them all, with $460.9 million domestically.
As for Sith, it accounted for 70 percent of the total weekend box office.
But there was a dark side to film's intergalactic numbers. With rival studios clearing off their release schedules to make room for Sith, there were no other major new releases and the overall receipts were down from the same period last year for the 13th weekend in a row. While business was up 65 percent from last weekend, it was down about 4 percent from last year, when Shrek 2 headlined with continued support from hits like Van Hesling and Mean Girls.
There is a new hope, though. With audience enthusiasm for the well reviewed Star Wars prequel generating excellent word of mouth, even from those who don't want to dress up like Wookiees and take their lightsabers to the midnight screenings, and bigger films in the offing. studios and exhibitors are predicting business will be back up soon.
"It's taken three months to create this slump," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It's going to take several weeks and many blockbusters to reverse this trend. Star Wars is certainly a great start-off point for that and shows that with the right movie people will line up around the block."
"One film cannot turn everything around overnight."
But one film can make the guys at Fox very happy, especially after the disappointment of the studio's expensive Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven, which has only grossed $41 million in three weeks.
The film picking up the most Sith crumbs was last week's number one, Monster-in-Law. The
Jennifer Lopez-
Jane Fonda catfight comedy dropped 38 percent to second with $14.3 million, bringing its two-week to $44.1 million.
Will Ferrell's Kicking & Screaming tumbled 48 percent, earning $10.5 million in third place for a two-week gross of $34 million.
Holding up well was Crash. The Los Angeles-based treatise on racism was only off 22 percent, moving up to fourth place with $5.5 million. The Lions Gate release, which has expanded to 1,905 theaters, has a three-week tally of $27.6 million.
Here's a rundown of the top 10 films based on Sunday studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations; final figures will be released Monday afternoon:
1. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, $108.5 million
2. Monster-in-Law, $14.3 million
3. Kicking & Screaming, $10.5 million
4. Crash, $5.5 million
5. Unleashed, $3.8 million
6. Kingdom of Heaven, $3.3 million
7. House of Wax, $3.1 million
8. The Interpreter, $2.8 million
9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, $2 million
10. Mindhunters, $909,049
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Glad it didn't beat out Spider-Man. Spider-Man defintely had better acting and a better story than SW:ROTS. What other movie do you think will come close? Another X-men, Spider-Man, LOTR or (lol) Star Trek movie?