5 articles from 2001
Bridget Throws Weight Around
17 April 2001
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Bridget Jones's Diary, an adult-oriented romantic comedy, finished ahead of the teen flicks Joe Dirt and Josie and the Pussycats last week despite the fact that it played in half the number of theaters. (Miramax is planning to vastly expand the number of screens next weekend.) The British-produced film opened in third place behind Spy Kids and Along Came a Spider to nab $10.7 million. (It opened in first place in the U.K. and Canada.) Dirt debuted in fourth place with $8 million, while Josie tanked with only $4.6 million. A fourth new entry, the low-budget urban family film Kingdom Come, performed strongly, earning $7.6 million for sixth place. Discussing the poor showing of Josie, which many analysts had expected to top the box office, Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian told the Los Angeles Times: "I think part of the audience was just siphoned off by Spy Kids." The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Spy Kids, Miramax/Dimension, $12,501,512, ($68,325,957); 2. Along Came a Spider, Paramount, $11,527,443, ($33,901,508); 3. Bridget Jones's Diary, Miramax, $10,733,933, (New); 4. Joe Dirt, Sony, $8,016,008, ($10,718,014, Opened 4/11); 5. Blow, New Line, $8,013,188, ($25,913,942); 6. Kingdom Come, Fox Searchlight, $7,562,284, ($9,714,715, Opened 4/11); 7. Josie and the Pussycats, Universal, $4,562,455, ($6,574,660, Opened 4/11); 8. Pokémon 3, Warner Bros., $2,707,680, ($12,953,396); 9. Enemy at the Gates, Paramount, $2,665,252, ($43,237,128); 10. Someone Like You, 20th Century Fox, $2,602,960, ($22,278,530).
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Teen Flicks Are Easter Turkeys
16 April 2001
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Miramax's fantasy comedy Spy Kids held off challenges from teen-oriented Joe Dirt and Josie and the Pussycats to maintain the top spot at the domestic box office over the Easter weekend with an estimated $12.8 million in ticket sales. It has now earned $68.6 million over three weeks. The result surprised many analysts who had predicted that Josie, despite mostly negative reviews, would take over the lead this weekend. In fact, it opened in seventh place with just $5.2 million. The biggest surprise was the third-place finish of the U.K.-produced film Bridget Jones's Diary, which earned $10.8 million on only 1,611 screens for an average of $6,713 per screen (versus $4,036 for the top-earner Spy Kids). The black family drama Kingdom Come also performed well, opening in sixth place with $7.5 million on just 1,111 screens, or an average of $6,760 per screen. In an interview with the Associated Press, Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian said that the distributors of Bridget Jones's Diary and Kingdom Come "knew they had films with more of a niche appeal, and they didn't blow these films out into 2,500-plus theaters. The demand was right in line with the supply." The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Spy Kids, $12.8 million; 2. Along Came a Spider, $11.3 million; 3. Bridget Jones's Diary, $10.8 million; 4. Joe Dirt, $8.2 million; 5. Blow, $8.0 million; 6. Kingdom Come, $7.5 million; 7. Josie and the Pussycats, $5.2 million; 8. Pokemon 3: The Movie, $2.7 million; 9. Someone Like You, $2.58 million; 10. Heartbreakers, $2.55 million.
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Theater Chain Says No Refunds For Potter Fans
13 April 2001
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The General cinema movie chain has posted signs in its theaters this weekend notifying customers: "If you buy a ticket for the Pokémon movie with the intention of just watching the Harry Potter trailer, we will not refund your money." Today's (Friday) Los Angeles Times commented that the move reflects a long-standing policy of the movie chain related to the screening of trailers in which there is high interest. In several instances in the past, the screening of such trailers has reportedly boosted the box office take of otherwise lackluster performers, but this is the first time a chain has indicated that some customers buy tickets to see the trailers, then exit and demand a refund.
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Spider Sneaks Up On Kids
10 April 2001
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The new Morgan Freeman thriller Along Came a Spider was unable to scare up enough attention to unseat the family film Spy Kids from the top spot at the box office over the weekend, but it came close. Spider grossed $16.7 million, just $367, 000 less than Spy Kids. New Line's Blow, starring Johnny Depp as a cocaine kingpin, opened in third place with $12.4 million, while Warner's third Pokémon movie opened in fourth place with $8.2 million. The top 12 films grossed $81.8 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend a year ago. The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Spy Kids, Miramax/Dimension, $17, 079, 114, ($48, 257, 162); 2. Along Came a Spider, Paramount, $16, 712, 407, (New); 3. Blow, New Line, $12, 443, 461, (New); 4. Pokémon 3, Warner Bros., $8, 240, 752, (New); 5. Someone Like You, 20th Century Fox, $5, 347, 702, ($17, 776, 720); 6. Heartbreakers, MGM, $5, 009, 640, ($29, 979, 511); 7. Enemy at the Gates, Paramount, $3, 353, 741, ($39, 214, 411); 8. The Brothers, Sony, $3, 006, 620, ($22, 488, 990); 9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Sony Classics, $2, 820, 308, ($117, 525, 155); 10. Tomcats, Sony, $2, 811, 509, ($10, 953, 131).
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Spider Can't Scare Spy Kids Away
9 April 2001
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The simply told Spy Kids, going up against the intricately woven thriller Along Came a Spider, captured the top spot at the box office over the weekend with an estimated $17.8 million. Spider debuted in second place with about $17.1 million. In an interview with Bloomberg News, entertainment analyst Art Rockwell commented, "For Spy Kids to perform so strongly in its second weekend indicates just how strong a picture it is. ... It obviously hit a target beyond just the kids." Two other new films opened near the top of the list: Blow, with $12.5 million, and Pokémon 3, with $9.2 million, earned the third- and fourth-place positions respectively. But another premiering movie, Disney's Just Visiting, failed even to make the top-ten as it took in only $2 million. Last week's No. 2 film, Someone Like You, starring Ashley Judd, plunged to fifth place with $5.5 million. For the second consecutive weekend, the box office was up over the same weekend a year ago, with the top 12 movies earning about $84.5 million. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Spy Kids, $17.8 million; 2. Along Came a Spider, $17.1 million; 3. Blow, $12.5 million; 4. Pokémon 3: The Movie, $9.2 million; 5. Someone Like You, $5.5 million; 6. Heartbreakers, $5.1 million; 7. Enemy at the Gates, $3.5 million; 8. The Brothers, $3 million; 9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, $2.99 million; 10. Tomcats, $2.9 million.
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5 articles from 2001
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