'Scooby'-dough: $31 million
'Scooby Doo' has boxoffice bite of $30.7 million
March 29, 2004
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery, Inc. gang swung into action once again in theaters, and in the process the sequel rang up an estimated $30.7 million to easily capture the top spot. Warner Bros. Pictures' CG-animated/live-action "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" opened in 3,312 theaters with the fifth-biggest debut ever in March.
Scooby was able to cut through a crowded marketplace that had a total of four new wide releases hitting theaters as well as several stout holdovers in play. Most of the weekend's new arrivals debuted at the high end of what was anticipated. The weekend boxoffice marked a fifth consecutive up frame.
Buena Vista's "The Ladykillers," from filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Tom Hanks, opened in the second spot with an estimated $13 million from a moderate 1,583 theaters, averaging a strong $8,212 per venue. The debut for the comedy, a remake of the 1955 film, was the biggest ever for the Coen brothers, topping the $12.5 million garnered by Universal's "Intolerable Cruelty."
The long-running "The Passion of the Christ" from Newmarket Films slipped into the third slot with an estimated $12.5 million, down a moderate 36% in its fifth weekend. The blockbuster has picked up an inspired $315 million to date and is expected to play strongly-- and perhaps get a significant boost -- during the upcoming Easter holidays.
"Passion" was playing in 14 markets in Latin America -- having debuted in five this weekend -- and was No. 1 in every market, grossing a robust $8.8 million. 20th Century Fox is distributing "Passion" in Latin America and Asia and has reaped an estimated $25.1 million so far.
Last weekend's boxoffice champ, Universal's "Dawn of the Dead," was not quite as lively in its sophomore frame as the horror film dipped a steep 61% with an estimated $10.3 million to land in the fourth spot. The R-rated zombie-fest has collected an estimated $43.9 million in 10 days.
Miramax's "Jersey Girl," starring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler and helmed and written by Kevin Smith, reaped an estimated $8.3 million from 1,520 theaters to place fifth. The PG-13 comedy-drama about a single father finding happiness again after a tragedy, arrived on the high side of expectations.
Fox Searchlight's "Never Die Alone" was the session's only other wide release, but the opening was disappointing. The R-rated thriller, starring DMX, David Arquette and directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, debuted with an estimated $3.1 million and was ranked 11th.
Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was tied for the eighth slot with two holdovers: Buena Vista's "Hidalgo" and Sony's "Secret Window," with each reporting an estimated $5.4 million. "Sunshine" was down a modest 34% in its second weekend, taking its cume to around $16.7 million.
Aside from owning the top-grossing film this weekend, Warners had three pictures place in the top 12. The combined gross of those three films, which include "Taking Lives" and "Starsky & Hutch," comprised a significant 42% of the top 12 boxoffice. In addition, when "NASCAR: The Imax Experience" is included, Warners had films in 9,070 theaters, which is close to 33% of the North American total.
"We're very, very pleased with ('Scooby's') opening, which was higher than we expected," said an upbeat Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution. "There is no doubt 'Scooby' remains an international icon, loved by families around the world." Fellman commented that the PG film attracted a huge family audience and was the best opening ever in March for the distributor.
Fellman also noted that "Scooby" should play well during the next few weeks as more students get off from school for spring break and Easter.
Second place "Ladykillers" buoyed executives at Disney. "We're extremely happy with the result of the opening," Buena Vista Pictures Distribution president Chuck Viane said. "It's great to see Tom Hanks and Marlon Wayans expand the potential for a Coen brothers comedy."
Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands said that the distributor didn't want to open "Jersey Girl" in a saturation run its first weekend out. "We wanted to establish the film in the marketplace and then navigate through the competitive waters over the next couple of weeks," he said, adding that "Girl" scored well in exit polls.
"The boxoffice exceeded our expectations, so we're off to a good start," said Sands, who added that 70% of the audience was female and Affleck was the film's biggest draw. The distributor adds around 350 theaters this coming weekend and another 350 or more the weekend after that.
Sony's upcoming "Hellboy," from Revolution Studios, is looking for a hot opening next weekend. Rory Bruer, president of Sony Pictures Releasing, said that the distributor originally planned to sneak the film on two screens, one in New York and one in Los Angeles, but that demand was so great the film ended up on seven screens, with nearly every seat sold. "We're feeling the heat from 'Hellboy,' " Bruer said. "Hellboy" is a fantasy-adventure based on the Dark Horse comic book and stars Ron Perlman and was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.
In the world of limited releases, Lions Gate's "Dogville" debuted in nine locales and grossed an estimated $90,000. The drama, about a woman on the run from gangsters, stars Nicole Kidman and was helmed by Lars von Trier in high-definition digital video. The per-theater average was a solid $10,000 and the film moves into the top 10 markets April 9.
IDP's "Mayor of Sunset Strip," from First Look and Goldwyn Films, grossed an estimated $25,200 from seven sites, averaging $3,600 per theater. Focus Features' "Ned Kelly" debuted in 22 houses and picked up $42,700, averaging a dismal $1,941 per theater.
The total estimated boxoffice for the top 12 films was $109.4 million -- up a sturdy 26% from the comparable period a year earlier. The Hollywood Reporter forecasts the total for all films to be in the mid- to high-$120 million range, up significantly from last year's $103.7 million.
For the week ending March 25, the national boxoffice was up a solid 14% from the comparable seven-day period in 2003 ($163.1 vs. $143.2 million). The year-to-date total is up a noteworthy 5% from last year at this time ($1.78 billion vs. $1.70 billion). And estimated admissions for the year-to-date have moved to a 3% advantage over the corresponding period last year.
Scooby was able to cut through a crowded marketplace that had a total of four new wide releases hitting theaters as well as several stout holdovers in play. Most of the weekend's new arrivals debuted at the high end of what was anticipated. The weekend boxoffice marked a fifth consecutive up frame.
Buena Vista's "The Ladykillers," from filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Tom Hanks, opened in the second spot with an estimated $13 million from a moderate 1,583 theaters, averaging a strong $8,212 per venue. The debut for the comedy, a remake of the 1955 film, was the biggest ever for the Coen brothers, topping the $12.5 million garnered by Universal's "Intolerable Cruelty."
The long-running "The Passion of the Christ" from Newmarket Films slipped into the third slot with an estimated $12.5 million, down a moderate 36% in its fifth weekend. The blockbuster has picked up an inspired $315 million to date and is expected to play strongly-- and perhaps get a significant boost -- during the upcoming Easter holidays.
"Passion" was playing in 14 markets in Latin America -- having debuted in five this weekend -- and was No. 1 in every market, grossing a robust $8.8 million. 20th Century Fox is distributing "Passion" in Latin America and Asia and has reaped an estimated $25.1 million so far.
Last weekend's boxoffice champ, Universal's "Dawn of the Dead," was not quite as lively in its sophomore frame as the horror film dipped a steep 61% with an estimated $10.3 million to land in the fourth spot. The R-rated zombie-fest has collected an estimated $43.9 million in 10 days.
Miramax's "Jersey Girl," starring Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler and helmed and written by Kevin Smith, reaped an estimated $8.3 million from 1,520 theaters to place fifth. The PG-13 comedy-drama about a single father finding happiness again after a tragedy, arrived on the high side of expectations.
Fox Searchlight's "Never Die Alone" was the session's only other wide release, but the opening was disappointing. The R-rated thriller, starring DMX, David Arquette and directed by Ernest R. Dickerson, debuted with an estimated $3.1 million and was ranked 11th.
Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was tied for the eighth slot with two holdovers: Buena Vista's "Hidalgo" and Sony's "Secret Window," with each reporting an estimated $5.4 million. "Sunshine" was down a modest 34% in its second weekend, taking its cume to around $16.7 million.
Aside from owning the top-grossing film this weekend, Warners had three pictures place in the top 12. The combined gross of those three films, which include "Taking Lives" and "Starsky & Hutch," comprised a significant 42% of the top 12 boxoffice. In addition, when "NASCAR: The Imax Experience" is included, Warners had films in 9,070 theaters, which is close to 33% of the North American total.
"We're very, very pleased with ('Scooby's') opening, which was higher than we expected," said an upbeat Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution. "There is no doubt 'Scooby' remains an international icon, loved by families around the world." Fellman commented that the PG film attracted a huge family audience and was the best opening ever in March for the distributor.
Fellman also noted that "Scooby" should play well during the next few weeks as more students get off from school for spring break and Easter.
Second place "Ladykillers" buoyed executives at Disney. "We're extremely happy with the result of the opening," Buena Vista Pictures Distribution president Chuck Viane said. "It's great to see Tom Hanks and Marlon Wayans expand the potential for a Coen brothers comedy."
Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands said that the distributor didn't want to open "Jersey Girl" in a saturation run its first weekend out. "We wanted to establish the film in the marketplace and then navigate through the competitive waters over the next couple of weeks," he said, adding that "Girl" scored well in exit polls.
"The boxoffice exceeded our expectations, so we're off to a good start," said Sands, who added that 70% of the audience was female and Affleck was the film's biggest draw. The distributor adds around 350 theaters this coming weekend and another 350 or more the weekend after that.
Sony's upcoming "Hellboy," from Revolution Studios, is looking for a hot opening next weekend. Rory Bruer, president of Sony Pictures Releasing, said that the distributor originally planned to sneak the film on two screens, one in New York and one in Los Angeles, but that demand was so great the film ended up on seven screens, with nearly every seat sold. "We're feeling the heat from 'Hellboy,' " Bruer said. "Hellboy" is a fantasy-adventure based on the Dark Horse comic book and stars Ron Perlman and was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.
In the world of limited releases, Lions Gate's "Dogville" debuted in nine locales and grossed an estimated $90,000. The drama, about a woman on the run from gangsters, stars Nicole Kidman and was helmed by Lars von Trier in high-definition digital video. The per-theater average was a solid $10,000 and the film moves into the top 10 markets April 9.
IDP's "Mayor of Sunset Strip," from First Look and Goldwyn Films, grossed an estimated $25,200 from seven sites, averaging $3,600 per theater. Focus Features' "Ned Kelly" debuted in 22 houses and picked up $42,700, averaging a dismal $1,941 per theater.
The total estimated boxoffice for the top 12 films was $109.4 million -- up a sturdy 26% from the comparable period a year earlier. The Hollywood Reporter forecasts the total for all films to be in the mid- to high-$120 million range, up significantly from last year's $103.7 million.
For the week ending March 25, the national boxoffice was up a solid 14% from the comparable seven-day period in 2003 ($163.1 vs. $143.2 million). The year-to-date total is up a noteworthy 5% from last year at this time ($1.78 billion vs. $1.70 billion). And estimated admissions for the year-to-date have moved to a 3% advantage over the corresponding period last year.
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