'Troy' makes boxoffice conquest
'Troy' blessed by boxoffice gods, takes first place
May 17, 2004
Warner Bros. Pictures' "Troy" marched through the gates of the North American boxoffice this weekend with an estimated $45.6 million to claim an easy victory in the top spot. In addition, the Brad Pitt starrer debuted internationally in 47 countries, where it pulled in an estimated $55 million, bringing the worldwide boxoffice for the epic Greek tale to $100.6 million.
The domestic debut for the Wolfgang Petersen-helmed epic saga -- while solid and in the area expected -- was not spectacular. Among R-rated nonsequels, "Troy" posted the second-highest opening on record behind Universal's "8 Mile" ($51.2 million) -- but though the latter had the advantage of being about an hour shorter, the former had 941 more theaters.
The sophomore session of Universal's "Van Helsing" was a bit scary, dropping 61% from its debut to take the second spot with an estimated $20.1 million.
Nevertheless, the Stephen Sommers-helmed monster-filled thrill ride has generated an estimated $84.5 million in 10 days. Including international grosses, which total about $95 million, the worldwide tally for "Van Helsing" is an estimated $179.5 million to date.
Paramount's "Mean Girls" occupied the third spot with an estimated $10.1 million, slipping a very nice 26% in its third weekend. The Lindsay Lohan-starring comedy has scored an estimated $55.3 million since its release.
The only other film debuting in wide release this weekend was Screen Gems' "Breakin' All the Rules," a low-budget comedy starring Jamie Foxx. Directed by Daniel Taplitz, "Rules" took in an estimated $5.3 million from 1,318 theaters, averaging a moderate $4,021 per theater.
Altogether, the weekend was disappointing when weighed against last year's comparable session. The total estimated boxoffice for the top 12 films was $100.5 million, down a steep 35% from a year earlier, when Warners' "The Matrix Reloaded" shattered the weekend with $91.8 million. The Hollywood Reporter projects the total for all films to be in the $105 million-$110 million area, down considerably from last year's $160.6 million.
It should be mentioned that last year, the "Reloaded" session was the one just before the start of the summer boxoffice season, which officially begins on the four-day Memorial Day weekend, when the midweek business begins to pick up considerably. The Memorial Day frame started May 23 last year, but this year, the holiday session begins a week later, on May 28.
On this weekend's field of battle, "Troy" had to fight on several fronts at the boxoffice, including a nearly three-hour running time, an R rating, mixed reviews -- though slightly more were positive -- and the NBA playoffs.
Perhaps the best comparison for the sword-and-sandals historical epic is DreamWorks' "Gladiator" ($34.8 million), which also carried an R rating, was of similar length, was released in May and was of a similar subject matter. And while prices have increased since the release of "Gladiator" in 2000, extrapolating from average ticket prices, "Troy" drew an estimated 7.23 million admissions, compared with 6.46 million for "Gladiator." The real test for "Troy" will be how it holds up in the weeks ahead.
The debut for "Troy," a film that cost a reported $150 million-$170 million, proved a personal best for Pitt and Petersen. In other comparisons, it was the biggest opening for the second weekend in May, a best for the month among R-rated nonsequels and the seventh-best overall among all R-rated films, including sequels.
"We think it's an excellent opening considering the running time and the R rating," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warners. "We knew we had a four-quadrant movie, but what's interesting is that the males came for the epic action and scope of the film and the females came for three main reasons: Brad, Orlando (Bloom) and Eric (Bana)."
In exits, "Troy" drew in males and females in equal numbers, while 30% were under 30 years of age, according to the distributor. "The exits were exceptionally strong for both males and females, which indicates a successful run at the boxoffice," Fellman added.
Internationally, "Troy" has yet to open in at least three big markets -- Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Regarding the opening of "Rules," which cost less than $10 million to make, "It opened within our expectations," Sony Pictures Releasing president Rory Bruer said. The PG-13-rated "Rules" scored 80% in the top two boxes and attracted a younger audience -- with 52% under 25 -- more female (with 62% comprising that gender) and 65% were black.
In the limited-release arena, United Artists' "Coffee and Cigarettes," a comic series of short vignettes from director Jim Jarmusch, was opened in five locales and grossed an estimated $102,000. The R-rated comedy drama averaged a sterling $20,400 per theater.
Televisa Cine's somewhat controversial "A Day Without a Mexican" debuted with an estimated $562,000 from 55 theaters. The Sergio Arau-directed comedy, about what happens when all the Latinos in the state of California disappear, averaged a stout $10,218 per theater.
Sony Classics' "Carandiru," from director Hector Babenco, debuted in six houses and grossed an estimated $18,000. The Brazilian drama, that country's official Academy Award entry for foreign-language film, averaged $3,000 per theater.
Lions Gate's "A Slipping Down Life" opened this weekend in five venues and took home an estimated $9,000. The R-rated drama from helmer Toni Kalem and starring Liv Tyler and Guy Pearce averaged a disappointing $1,800 per theater.
And in its second weekend at the boxoffice, Rialto's "Godzilla" stepped up to an estimated $48,000 from four locations, up two from its debut a week earlier. The original Japanese-language version film from 1954 averaged a striking $12,000 per theater and has amassed about $111,000 to date.
IDP's "Super Size Me," from Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films, moved up into the 12th slot with an estimated $734,500 in its sophomore frame from 113 theaters, 72 more than last weekend. The Morgan Spurlock-helmed documentary averaged a solid $6,500 per theater and has grossed about $1.5 million in 10 days.
The national boxoffice for the week ending May 13 was down nearly 27% from the comparable seven-day period a year ago ($147.8 million versus $201.6 million). As a result of lower grosses of late, the year-to-date increase has dropped to a 4% increase as compared with last year at this time ($2.84 billion versus $2.73 billion), while just five weeks ago it was up nearly 9%. Estimated admissions likewise have fallen, ahead of last year at this time by just 1%.
The domestic debut for the Wolfgang Petersen-helmed epic saga -- while solid and in the area expected -- was not spectacular. Among R-rated nonsequels, "Troy" posted the second-highest opening on record behind Universal's "8 Mile" ($51.2 million) -- but though the latter had the advantage of being about an hour shorter, the former had 941 more theaters.
The sophomore session of Universal's "Van Helsing" was a bit scary, dropping 61% from its debut to take the second spot with an estimated $20.1 million.
Nevertheless, the Stephen Sommers-helmed monster-filled thrill ride has generated an estimated $84.5 million in 10 days. Including international grosses, which total about $95 million, the worldwide tally for "Van Helsing" is an estimated $179.5 million to date.
Paramount's "Mean Girls" occupied the third spot with an estimated $10.1 million, slipping a very nice 26% in its third weekend. The Lindsay Lohan-starring comedy has scored an estimated $55.3 million since its release.
The only other film debuting in wide release this weekend was Screen Gems' "Breakin' All the Rules," a low-budget comedy starring Jamie Foxx. Directed by Daniel Taplitz, "Rules" took in an estimated $5.3 million from 1,318 theaters, averaging a moderate $4,021 per theater.
Altogether, the weekend was disappointing when weighed against last year's comparable session. The total estimated boxoffice for the top 12 films was $100.5 million, down a steep 35% from a year earlier, when Warners' "The Matrix Reloaded" shattered the weekend with $91.8 million. The Hollywood Reporter projects the total for all films to be in the $105 million-$110 million area, down considerably from last year's $160.6 million.
It should be mentioned that last year, the "Reloaded" session was the one just before the start of the summer boxoffice season, which officially begins on the four-day Memorial Day weekend, when the midweek business begins to pick up considerably. The Memorial Day frame started May 23 last year, but this year, the holiday session begins a week later, on May 28.
On this weekend's field of battle, "Troy" had to fight on several fronts at the boxoffice, including a nearly three-hour running time, an R rating, mixed reviews -- though slightly more were positive -- and the NBA playoffs.
Perhaps the best comparison for the sword-and-sandals historical epic is DreamWorks' "Gladiator" ($34.8 million), which also carried an R rating, was of similar length, was released in May and was of a similar subject matter. And while prices have increased since the release of "Gladiator" in 2000, extrapolating from average ticket prices, "Troy" drew an estimated 7.23 million admissions, compared with 6.46 million for "Gladiator." The real test for "Troy" will be how it holds up in the weeks ahead.
The debut for "Troy," a film that cost a reported $150 million-$170 million, proved a personal best for Pitt and Petersen. In other comparisons, it was the biggest opening for the second weekend in May, a best for the month among R-rated nonsequels and the seventh-best overall among all R-rated films, including sequels.
"We think it's an excellent opening considering the running time and the R rating," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution at Warners. "We knew we had a four-quadrant movie, but what's interesting is that the males came for the epic action and scope of the film and the females came for three main reasons: Brad, Orlando (Bloom) and Eric (Bana)."
In exits, "Troy" drew in males and females in equal numbers, while 30% were under 30 years of age, according to the distributor. "The exits were exceptionally strong for both males and females, which indicates a successful run at the boxoffice," Fellman added.
Internationally, "Troy" has yet to open in at least three big markets -- Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Regarding the opening of "Rules," which cost less than $10 million to make, "It opened within our expectations," Sony Pictures Releasing president Rory Bruer said. The PG-13-rated "Rules" scored 80% in the top two boxes and attracted a younger audience -- with 52% under 25 -- more female (with 62% comprising that gender) and 65% were black.
In the limited-release arena, United Artists' "Coffee and Cigarettes," a comic series of short vignettes from director Jim Jarmusch, was opened in five locales and grossed an estimated $102,000. The R-rated comedy drama averaged a sterling $20,400 per theater.
Televisa Cine's somewhat controversial "A Day Without a Mexican" debuted with an estimated $562,000 from 55 theaters. The Sergio Arau-directed comedy, about what happens when all the Latinos in the state of California disappear, averaged a stout $10,218 per theater.
Sony Classics' "Carandiru," from director Hector Babenco, debuted in six houses and grossed an estimated $18,000. The Brazilian drama, that country's official Academy Award entry for foreign-language film, averaged $3,000 per theater.
Lions Gate's "A Slipping Down Life" opened this weekend in five venues and took home an estimated $9,000. The R-rated drama from helmer Toni Kalem and starring Liv Tyler and Guy Pearce averaged a disappointing $1,800 per theater.
And in its second weekend at the boxoffice, Rialto's "Godzilla" stepped up to an estimated $48,000 from four locations, up two from its debut a week earlier. The original Japanese-language version film from 1954 averaged a striking $12,000 per theater and has amassed about $111,000 to date.
IDP's "Super Size Me," from Roadside Attractions and Samuel Goldwyn Films, moved up into the 12th slot with an estimated $734,500 in its sophomore frame from 113 theaters, 72 more than last weekend. The Morgan Spurlock-helmed documentary averaged a solid $6,500 per theater and has grossed about $1.5 million in 10 days.
The national boxoffice for the week ending May 13 was down nearly 27% from the comparable seven-day period a year ago ($147.8 million versus $201.6 million). As a result of lower grosses of late, the year-to-date increase has dropped to a 4% increase as compared with last year at this time ($2.84 billion versus $2.73 billion), while just five weeks ago it was up nearly 9%. Estimated admissions likewise have fallen, ahead of last year at this time by just 1%.
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