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5 articles from 2004

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'Shrek' Ogre-Whelms!

25 May 2004 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Final weekend box-office figures for DreamWorks' Shrek 2 so surpassed anything that analysts had imagined that they seemed like a fairy tale in their own right. The animated film ended up with $108 million, almost twice what analysts had forecast and even $3.7 million more than the studio had estimated on Sunday. The results rank as the second-biggest opening of all time, behind only 2002's Spider-Man, which earned $114.8 million in its debut.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Shrek 2, DreamWorks, $108,037,878, 1 Wk. $128,983,060 (From Wednesday); 2. Troy, Warner Bros., $23,925,330, 2 Wks. ($85,960,779); 3. Van Helsing, Universal, $10,561,655, 3 Wks. ($100,526,335); 4. Mean Girls, Paramount, $6,907,627, 4 Wks. ($64,706,896); 5. Man on Fire, 20th Century Fox, $3,680,522, 5 Wks. ($69,461,524); 6. Breakin' All the Rules, Screen Gems, $2, 845, 368, 2 Wks. ($9,053,501); 7. 13 Going On 30, Sony, $2,512,234, 5 Wks. ($52,080,216); 8. New York Minute, Warner Bros., $1,302,152, 3 Wks. ($12,622,044); 9. Kill Bill: Volume 2, Miramax, $1,078,811, 6 Wks. ($62,711,658); 10. Super Size Me, Roadside, $973,644, 3 Wks. ($2,941,708). »

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'Shrek 2' Becomes Summer's Film-To-Beat

24 May 2004 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Astonishing even the most optimistic box-office analysts and studio execs, DreamWorks' Shrek 2 opened with an estimated $104.3 million over the weekend, the biggest debut in history for an animated film and the second biggest debut for any film -- behind only Spider-Man's $114.8 million in 2002. Even after a stronger-than-expected Wednesday premiere of $11.8 million, most analysts had predicted that the film would bow with about $60 million for the three-day weekend. (It took in an additional $10.1 million on Thursday.) The out-of-the-gate success of the film represented a boon for DreamWorks, whose track record for producing hit films has been notoriously disappointing. Especially encouraging were exit polls that indicated that more than 70 percent of the audience planned to see it again. Shrek 2 knocked Warner Bros.' Troy into second place. The Brad Pitt starrer dropped about 50 percent from last weekend to take in $23.8 million and bring its total to $85 million. The film reportedly cost about $200 million to produce. Universal's Van Helsing also saw a 50 percent drop in its third week as it brought in $10.1 million, to cross the $100-million mark.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Shrek 2, $98 million; 2. Troy, $23.8 million; 3. Van Helsing, $10.1 million; 4. Mean Girls, $6.9 million; 5. Man on Fire, $3.5 million; 6. Breakin' All the Rules, $2.8 million; 7. 13 Going on 30; $2.5 million; 8. New York Minute, $1.1 million; 9. Kill Bill Vol. 2, $1.0 million; 10. Super Size Me, $1.0 million. »

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Analysts Assess 'Troy' Weight

18 May 2004 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Brad Pitt's muscles may have been a primary attraction of Troy, based on Homer's The Iliad, but the box office for the movie appeared to have all the strength of a different Homer -- Homer Simpson. The Warner Bros. film took in $46.9 million, ordinarily a fair sum -- except for a movie costing nearly $200 million to produce. (The New York Post's "Page Six" column quoted unnamed insiders as saying that the film actually cost $220 million and cited one unnamed "movie maven" as blaming director Wolfgang Petersen for the huge expenditure and saying that former studio chief Lorenzo di Bonaventura warned top Warner execs about Petersen's "budget appetite.") Studio executives could only hope that the film would perform the way several other historical epics have in the past, producing solid business for weeks to come. Meanwhile, Universal's Van Helsing performed exactly the way cheap horror flicks often do -- dropping more than 60 percent in its second week. Only Van Helsing was no cheap flick -- costing some $160 million to make. Its $20.7-million weekend take brings its two-week gross to $85.1 million. Paramount's Mean Girls, meanwhile, remained a stand-out success, as it took in $10.2 million to bring its total to $55.4 million. It cost just $17 million to produce.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Troy, Warner Bros. $46,865,412, (New); 2. Van Helsing, Universal, $20,727,515, 2 Wks. ($85,095,305); 3. Mean Girls, Paramount, $10,182,766, 3 Wks. ($55,400,970); 4. Man on Fire, 20th Century Fox, $5,101,128, 4 Wks. ($64,169,492); 5. Breakin' All the Rules, Screen Gems, $5,088,577, (New); 6. 13 Going on 30, Sony, $4,107,023, 4 Wks. ($48,522,282); 7. New York Minute, Warner Bros. $10,783,723, 2 Wks. ($3,814,307); 8. Laws of Attraction, New Line, $2,009,380, 3 Wks. ($15,301,189); 9. Kill Bill: Volume 2, Miramax, $1,628,802, 5 Wks. ($60,836,074); 10. Envy, DreamWorks, $1,042,949, 3 Wks. ($11,899,458). »

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'Troy' Story at the Box Office

17 May 2004 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

As expected, Troy, starring Brad Pitt, muscled its way to the top of the box office over the weekend, but analysts debated whether it would have enough strength to continue to attract enough business in the weeks ahead to justify its nearly $200 million budget. The film earned an estimated $45.6 million (and an additional $54.8 million overseas), putting it ahead of the similarly themed Gladiator, which earned $34.8 million in its opening in 2000. Such epic productions, analysts pointed out, usually exhibit much staying power. Gladiator earned $187.6 million domestically in its initial domestic run. By contrast, horror films ordinarily show little strength after their opening, and last week's winner Van Helsing proved to be no exception as it plummeted 60 percent to $20.1 million, to bring its total to $84.5 million. The big surprise may have been the strong performance of Lindsay Lohan's Mean Girls, which saw only a 26 percent drop in its third week as it earned $10.1 million. The only other new film to open wide over the weekend was the Jamie Foxx comedy Breakin' All the Rules, which earned only $5.3 million to finish fourth. Ticket sales for the top 12 films totaled $100.2 million, 35 percent below the year-ago figure.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Troy, $45.6 million; 2. Van Helsing, $20.1 million; 3. Mean Girls, $10.1 million; 4. Breakin' All the Rules, $5.3 million; 5. Man on Fire, $5.2 million; 6. 13 Going on 30, $4.2 million; 7. New York Minute, $3.7 million; 8. Laws of Attraction, $2 million; 9. Kill Bill -- Vol. 2, $1.6 million; 10. Godsend, $1 million. »

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Movie Reviews: 'Breakin' All the Rules'

14 May 2004 | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

Going up against Troy this weekend is the low-budget Breakin' All the Rules, starring Jamie Foxx. By and large it's getting more enthusiastic reviews than the $200-million epic. Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times gives the film three stars (he gave Troy two) and concludes that it "is not a comic masterpiece, but it's entertaining and efficient, and provides a showcase for its stars. It's on the level of a good sitcom." Bob Townsend writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Breakin' All the Rules is a funny movie. Ha-ha funny sometimes, but more frequently amusing in a good-natured, make-you-smile way." Elizabeth Weitzman comments in the New York Daily News: "You won't remember much in the morning, but it's an easy way to pass the time until something better comes along." Foxx is receiving particularly good notices. Stephen Holden in the New York Times says that "the actor's deft touch lends the flighty story of mistaken identities and romantic mix-ups among mostly African-American characters in Los Angeles the kind of saucy bounce that Cary Grant lent to similar roles six decades ago." Karen Heller comments in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "The cast, headed by the divine Jamie Foxx, is better than the material." Likewise Glenn Whipp comments in the Los Angeles Daily News: "Foxx's likable presence and the natural chemistry he has with co-star Gabrielle Union save the film from being completely unwatchable, but earnest fans of the actors are likely to be the only ones mildly satisfied by this tepid comic offering." »

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5 articles from 2004

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