'Transporter 2' tops $20 million
'Transporter 2' shifts into gear with $20 million
SepT 6, 2005
Ending a downbeat summer boxoffice season on an unexpectedly upbeat note, 20th Century Fox's action-powered "Transporter 2" drove Labor Day weekend returns above those of the previous year by a solid 16%.
Although distributors reported losing playdates throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in areas still contending with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, nationwide, audiences were apparently in the mood for escapism as they climbed aboard "Transporter 2" while continuing to support Universal Pictures' "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which stepped down to second place after two weekends in the top slot. At the same time, more sophisticated moviegoers sought out Focus Features' "The Constant Gardener," a suspense thriller, which registered a strong third-place showing.
Two other national openings, however, barely caused a ripple. Miramax Films' "Underclassman" enrolled just $3.1 million for the four days. And Warner Bros. Pictures' "A Sound of Thunder" didn't make a sound with just $1.15 million.
With an opening four-day gross of $20.25 million, Louis Leterrier's "Transporter 2," starring Jason Statham as a driver and bodyguard protecting the young son (Hunter Clary) of the U.S. anti-drug czar, easily outdistanced the opening of its predecessor, "The Transporter," which opened to a three-day figure of $9.1 million in October 2002. The sequel, produced by Europa Corp.'s Luc Besson and Steve Chasman and written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, came close to matching the $25.3 million the first film collected during its entire domestic run.
In the process, "Transporter 2" also bested the previous Labor Day weekend opening record, held by United Artists' "Jeepers Creepers 2," which took in $18.4 million when it bowed in 2003.
Of Statham's pedal-to-the-metal character of Frank Martin, who has developed a following on home video since the first film was released, Bert Livingston, Fox senior vp and general sales manager, West, said, "Obviously, people like the character -- the guy's got a kind of cool -- and they loved the movie. Especially now, with all the tragedy that was going on, I think people were looking for escapism for an hour and a half. Hopefully, this will become a franchise."
Livingston reported that the audience for the movie, which launched in 3,303 locations, was 59% male, while 52% of its audience was under the age of 25.
Fernando Meirelles' "The Constant Gardener," the Jeffrey Caine-penned adaptation of the John Le Carre novel, can't be dismissed as escapism -- the movie stars Ralph Fiennes as a man whose wife (Rachel Weisz) is murdered in Kenya. But, reported Focus distribution chief Jack Foley, "it played extremely well to the sophisticated adult audience right across the country. The smarter the market, the better the number. It's pretty rewarding to see that America is looking for an alternative."
The film, which opened Wednesday, picked up $10.9 million over the four-day weekend to bring its cumulative six-day total to $12.7 million.
Positioning the film as the first entry in the more sober-minded fall movie season, Focus contained its release to 1,346 theaters and expects to maintain that level of distribution in hopes of nurturing a long run that will play into the fall.
The Miramax clearance sale, which is emptying the company's shelves of its titles as company founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein prepare to sever their ties Sept. 30, offered the action comedy "Underclassman" in 1,132 locations. But the movie, directed by Marcos Siega and starring Nick Cannon ("Drumline") as a cop who goes undercover in high school, couldn't crack the top 10, ranking 11th with its $3.1 million tally.
Similarly, Warners also was fulfilling a contractual obligation with its release, in just 816 theaters, of Franchise Pictures' "A Sound of Thunder." The time-traveling sci-fi flick, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley, opened to just $1.16 million for 17th.
Warners had better news to report from its "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which took in an additional $2.3 million over the holiday, crossing the $200 million mark on Saturday to reach a cumulative gross of $201.3 million. Following "Batman Begins" ($203 million), it becomes the studio's second $200 million this year, and with "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" set for release in November, Warners is on track to claim an unprecedented three $200 million grosses in a single calendar year.
Meanwhile, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" continued to score. For the Friday-Sunday portion of the holiday, it fell just 19.5% from the previous weekend. Its four-day haul of $16.6 million represented a 1.7% increase over the previous weekend, with its cumulative gross now standing at $71.9 million. Surpassing "Cinderella Man" ($61.5 million), it is now Universal's top summer grosser.
Rounding out the top five, DreamWorks' airborne thriller "Red Eye" dropped to fourth from third last week. Its four-day gross of $9.3 million represented a 9.6% decline from the previous weekend, bringing its cumulative purse to $45.4 million.
Dimension Films' "The Brothers Grimm" tumbled from second position last weekend to fifth this frame. Its four-day gross of $7.9 million was a 47.5% drop from the previous weekend, and its cume stands at $27.6 million.
The top 12 movies took in $96.5 million, up 16% from last year's Labor Day weekend, when the top 12 earned $83.3 million and "Hero" was the No. 1 film with $11.5 million, followed by "Without a Paddle" at $9 million.
For all films in release, The Hollywood Reporter estimates a collective gross in the mid- to high-$120 million range. Last year, the collective total for the frame was $114.5 million.
Although distributors reported losing playdates throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in areas still contending with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, nationwide, audiences were apparently in the mood for escapism as they climbed aboard "Transporter 2" while continuing to support Universal Pictures' "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which stepped down to second place after two weekends in the top slot. At the same time, more sophisticated moviegoers sought out Focus Features' "The Constant Gardener," a suspense thriller, which registered a strong third-place showing.
Two other national openings, however, barely caused a ripple. Miramax Films' "Underclassman" enrolled just $3.1 million for the four days. And Warner Bros. Pictures' "A Sound of Thunder" didn't make a sound with just $1.15 million.
With an opening four-day gross of $20.25 million, Louis Leterrier's "Transporter 2," starring Jason Statham as a driver and bodyguard protecting the young son (Hunter Clary) of the U.S. anti-drug czar, easily outdistanced the opening of its predecessor, "The Transporter," which opened to a three-day figure of $9.1 million in October 2002. The sequel, produced by Europa Corp.'s Luc Besson and Steve Chasman and written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, came close to matching the $25.3 million the first film collected during its entire domestic run.
In the process, "Transporter 2" also bested the previous Labor Day weekend opening record, held by United Artists' "Jeepers Creepers 2," which took in $18.4 million when it bowed in 2003.
Of Statham's pedal-to-the-metal character of Frank Martin, who has developed a following on home video since the first film was released, Bert Livingston, Fox senior vp and general sales manager, West, said, "Obviously, people like the character -- the guy's got a kind of cool -- and they loved the movie. Especially now, with all the tragedy that was going on, I think people were looking for escapism for an hour and a half. Hopefully, this will become a franchise."
Livingston reported that the audience for the movie, which launched in 3,303 locations, was 59% male, while 52% of its audience was under the age of 25.
Fernando Meirelles' "The Constant Gardener," the Jeffrey Caine-penned adaptation of the John Le Carre novel, can't be dismissed as escapism -- the movie stars Ralph Fiennes as a man whose wife (Rachel Weisz) is murdered in Kenya. But, reported Focus distribution chief Jack Foley, "it played extremely well to the sophisticated adult audience right across the country. The smarter the market, the better the number. It's pretty rewarding to see that America is looking for an alternative."
The film, which opened Wednesday, picked up $10.9 million over the four-day weekend to bring its cumulative six-day total to $12.7 million.
Positioning the film as the first entry in the more sober-minded fall movie season, Focus contained its release to 1,346 theaters and expects to maintain that level of distribution in hopes of nurturing a long run that will play into the fall.
The Miramax clearance sale, which is emptying the company's shelves of its titles as company founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein prepare to sever their ties Sept. 30, offered the action comedy "Underclassman" in 1,132 locations. But the movie, directed by Marcos Siega and starring Nick Cannon ("Drumline") as a cop who goes undercover in high school, couldn't crack the top 10, ranking 11th with its $3.1 million tally.
Similarly, Warners also was fulfilling a contractual obligation with its release, in just 816 theaters, of Franchise Pictures' "A Sound of Thunder." The time-traveling sci-fi flick, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley, opened to just $1.16 million for 17th.
Warners had better news to report from its "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which took in an additional $2.3 million over the holiday, crossing the $200 million mark on Saturday to reach a cumulative gross of $201.3 million. Following "Batman Begins" ($203 million), it becomes the studio's second $200 million this year, and with "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" set for release in November, Warners is on track to claim an unprecedented three $200 million grosses in a single calendar year.
Meanwhile, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" continued to score. For the Friday-Sunday portion of the holiday, it fell just 19.5% from the previous weekend. Its four-day haul of $16.6 million represented a 1.7% increase over the previous weekend, with its cumulative gross now standing at $71.9 million. Surpassing "Cinderella Man" ($61.5 million), it is now Universal's top summer grosser.
Rounding out the top five, DreamWorks' airborne thriller "Red Eye" dropped to fourth from third last week. Its four-day gross of $9.3 million represented a 9.6% decline from the previous weekend, bringing its cumulative purse to $45.4 million.
Dimension Films' "The Brothers Grimm" tumbled from second position last weekend to fifth this frame. Its four-day gross of $7.9 million was a 47.5% drop from the previous weekend, and its cume stands at $27.6 million.
The top 12 movies took in $96.5 million, up 16% from last year's Labor Day weekend, when the top 12 earned $83.3 million and "Hero" was the No. 1 film with $11.5 million, followed by "Without a Paddle" at $9 million.
For all films in release, The Hollywood Reporter estimates a collective gross in the mid- to high-$120 million range. Last year, the collective total for the frame was $114.5 million.
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