Boxoffice lost in $12.2 mil 'Fog' machine
'Fog' rises to top of boxoffice with $12.2 mil debut
Oct 17, 2005
Sony's "The Fog" led the tepid charge at the boxoffice during a lackluster weekend, debuting in the top spot with an estimated $12.2 million while conjuring up a stronger-than-anticipated bump from Friday to Saturday. Tom Welling, Maggie Grace and Selma Blair star in the Revolution Studios production, a remake of John Carpenter's 1980 classic horror film, which carries a PG-13 rating and is directed by Rupert Wainwright.
DreamWorks' "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" held up exceptionally well on its sophomore frame, moving into the second spot with an estimated $11.7 million -- down just 27% from its debut a week earlier. The G-rated claymation comedy from Aardman Animation and DreamWorks Animation has generated an estimated $33.3 million so far.
Paramount's "Elizabethtown" was the front-runner heading into the weekend, but the Cameron Crowe-directed romantic comedy/drama finished third with an estimated $11 million. Hoping to capitalize on a potentially available female audience while males were being drawn to the Major League Baseball playoffs, the Orlando Bloom-Kirsten Dunst starrer opened near the low end of expectations but had the highest per-theater average of the top-ranked films this weekend.
New Line Cinema's "Domino" was the session's only other new wide release. The R-rated film from director Tony Scott failed to attract its target audience of young teens in sufficient numbers, as "Domino" made bail in the sixth slot with an estimated $4.7 million. Keira Knightley, Delroy Lindo and Mickey Rourke star in the action-thriller based on the story of model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey.
Buena Vista's "Flightplan" was circling the fourth spot with an estimated $6.5 million on its fourth weekend in theaters. The Jodie Foster starrer soon will become the highest-grossing release of the fall boxoffice season. With an estimated cume of $70.8 million, "Flightplan" should overtake Screen Gems' "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" in the next week to don that crown.
20th Century Fox's "In Her Shoes" placed fifth in its sophomore frame, trying on an estimated $6.1 million while slipping a moderate 39% from its opening. The Cameron Diaz-Toni Collette starrer, directed by Curtis Hanson, has garnered an estimated $20.1 million in 10 days.
On Sunday, Warner Bros. Pictures became the second distributor this year to gross more than $1 billion in domestic boxoffice, marking the fifth consecutive year it has reached that milestone -- no other distributor has grossed $1 billion five years in a row. In July, Fox blasted past $1 billion -- for the first time in that company's history -- in near-record time.
In the limited-release arena, Warner Independent Pictures' "Good Night, and Good Luck" continued to play strongly, generating an estimated $1.4 million from 68 houses, up 57 from its debut a week ago. The George Clooney-helmed picture averaged a stout $20,588 per theater and has grossed an estimated $2 million so far. The David Strathairn starrer expands Friday to about 200 theaters.
The relatively newly minted indie label, with 11 films under its distribution belt, surpassed $100 million in total boxoffice gross this weekend -- or in 15 months and three weeks. According to a WIP spokesperson, only Newmarket Films among all indie distributors current or defunct did it faster or with fewer films.
Sony Classics' "Capote" turned in a solid performance with an estimate of $387,428 from 30 sites on its third weekend in theaters. The Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer from director Bennett Miller averaged a hardy $12,914 per theater and has amassed $1.5 million to date.
IDP's "The Squid and the Whale" played nicely on its second weekend, taking in an estimated $300,054 from 27 houses, up 23 from a week earlier. Helmed by Noah Baumbach, the drama, acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Sony Pictures Entertainment, averaged a robust $11,113 per theater and has collected about $521,348 so far.
ThinkFilm's "Where the Truth Lies" picked up an estimated $36,105 from nine locales. The unrated thriller from director Atom Egoyan, starring Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth and Alison Lohman, averaged a subdued $4,012 per theater.
BB Entertainment's "Innocent Voices," a film from director Luis Mandoki set in the world of children being pressed into military service, opened in 64 locales. The drama, based on a true story, grossed an estimated $157,600 and averaged $2,463 per theater.
Regarding the weekend's top performer, "The Fog," Sony Pictures Releasing president Rory Bruer said: "We were really happy to see it get a nice 23% bump on Saturday night. It played not only as a horror film but a date film as well, which bodes well for strong play through the Halloween season."
"Fog" drew a young audience, with 61% younger than 25, and was split fairly evenly between males and females. Bruer gave much of the credit for the No. 1 showing to the cast and the film's well-known bloodline. The reported budget for the film was about $18 million.
"Elizabethtown" found its females -- a sizable 75% of the audience was of that gender -- but not in the numbers hoped for. Age-wise. it was fairly broad, with a 50/50 split in the over- and under-25 demographics. "It was within the window of what we were looking for and in line with the performance of the market overall," Paramount president of distribution Wayne Lewellen said.
Looking at the weeks ahead, Lewellen said: "Historically, Cameron Crowe movies have played to very high multiples of their opening weekend. And the soundtrack is very popular, all of which should bode well for the film in the future." "Elizabethtown" cost around $40 million to make.
The second weekends of Universal's "Two for the Money," Screen Gems' "The Gospel" and Lions Gate's "Waiting..." were lukewarm at best, sustaining near-50% drops from their debuts a week ago. "Money" was seventh with an estimated $4.6 million, taking the total for the Morgan Creek production to about $16.5 million; "Gospel" was 10th with an estimated $3.2 million, advancing the cume to about $12.2 million; and "Waiting..." placed 11th with an estimated $2.9 million, raising the total to about $11.6 million.
The estimated boxoffice total for the top 12 films this weekend was $72.3 million, down 18% from the comparable weekend last year. The Hollywood Reporter projects the total for all films this weekend to be in the low- to mid-$80 million range, down from last year's $97.3 million.
For the week ending Oct. 13, the national boxoffice was statistically tied with the comparable seven-day period in 2004 ($144.2 million vs. $143.9 million). For the year-to-date, the boxoffice is down 6% ($6.83 billion vs. $7.30 billion). Estimated admissions for the year-to-date are tracking 9% less than last year at this time.
DreamWorks' "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" held up exceptionally well on its sophomore frame, moving into the second spot with an estimated $11.7 million -- down just 27% from its debut a week earlier. The G-rated claymation comedy from Aardman Animation and DreamWorks Animation has generated an estimated $33.3 million so far.
Paramount's "Elizabethtown" was the front-runner heading into the weekend, but the Cameron Crowe-directed romantic comedy/drama finished third with an estimated $11 million. Hoping to capitalize on a potentially available female audience while males were being drawn to the Major League Baseball playoffs, the Orlando Bloom-Kirsten Dunst starrer opened near the low end of expectations but had the highest per-theater average of the top-ranked films this weekend.
New Line Cinema's "Domino" was the session's only other new wide release. The R-rated film from director Tony Scott failed to attract its target audience of young teens in sufficient numbers, as "Domino" made bail in the sixth slot with an estimated $4.7 million. Keira Knightley, Delroy Lindo and Mickey Rourke star in the action-thriller based on the story of model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey.
Buena Vista's "Flightplan" was circling the fourth spot with an estimated $6.5 million on its fourth weekend in theaters. The Jodie Foster starrer soon will become the highest-grossing release of the fall boxoffice season. With an estimated cume of $70.8 million, "Flightplan" should overtake Screen Gems' "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" in the next week to don that crown.
20th Century Fox's "In Her Shoes" placed fifth in its sophomore frame, trying on an estimated $6.1 million while slipping a moderate 39% from its opening. The Cameron Diaz-Toni Collette starrer, directed by Curtis Hanson, has garnered an estimated $20.1 million in 10 days.
On Sunday, Warner Bros. Pictures became the second distributor this year to gross more than $1 billion in domestic boxoffice, marking the fifth consecutive year it has reached that milestone -- no other distributor has grossed $1 billion five years in a row. In July, Fox blasted past $1 billion -- for the first time in that company's history -- in near-record time.
In the limited-release arena, Warner Independent Pictures' "Good Night, and Good Luck" continued to play strongly, generating an estimated $1.4 million from 68 houses, up 57 from its debut a week ago. The George Clooney-helmed picture averaged a stout $20,588 per theater and has grossed an estimated $2 million so far. The David Strathairn starrer expands Friday to about 200 theaters.
The relatively newly minted indie label, with 11 films under its distribution belt, surpassed $100 million in total boxoffice gross this weekend -- or in 15 months and three weeks. According to a WIP spokesperson, only Newmarket Films among all indie distributors current or defunct did it faster or with fewer films.
Sony Classics' "Capote" turned in a solid performance with an estimate of $387,428 from 30 sites on its third weekend in theaters. The Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer from director Bennett Miller averaged a hardy $12,914 per theater and has amassed $1.5 million to date.
IDP's "The Squid and the Whale" played nicely on its second weekend, taking in an estimated $300,054 from 27 houses, up 23 from a week earlier. Helmed by Noah Baumbach, the drama, acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Sony Pictures Entertainment, averaged a robust $11,113 per theater and has collected about $521,348 so far.
ThinkFilm's "Where the Truth Lies" picked up an estimated $36,105 from nine locales. The unrated thriller from director Atom Egoyan, starring Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth and Alison Lohman, averaged a subdued $4,012 per theater.
BB Entertainment's "Innocent Voices," a film from director Luis Mandoki set in the world of children being pressed into military service, opened in 64 locales. The drama, based on a true story, grossed an estimated $157,600 and averaged $2,463 per theater.
Regarding the weekend's top performer, "The Fog," Sony Pictures Releasing president Rory Bruer said: "We were really happy to see it get a nice 23% bump on Saturday night. It played not only as a horror film but a date film as well, which bodes well for strong play through the Halloween season."
"Fog" drew a young audience, with 61% younger than 25, and was split fairly evenly between males and females. Bruer gave much of the credit for the No. 1 showing to the cast and the film's well-known bloodline. The reported budget for the film was about $18 million.
"Elizabethtown" found its females -- a sizable 75% of the audience was of that gender -- but not in the numbers hoped for. Age-wise. it was fairly broad, with a 50/50 split in the over- and under-25 demographics. "It was within the window of what we were looking for and in line with the performance of the market overall," Paramount president of distribution Wayne Lewellen said.
Looking at the weeks ahead, Lewellen said: "Historically, Cameron Crowe movies have played to very high multiples of their opening weekend. And the soundtrack is very popular, all of which should bode well for the film in the future." "Elizabethtown" cost around $40 million to make.
The second weekends of Universal's "Two for the Money," Screen Gems' "The Gospel" and Lions Gate's "Waiting..." were lukewarm at best, sustaining near-50% drops from their debuts a week ago. "Money" was seventh with an estimated $4.6 million, taking the total for the Morgan Creek production to about $16.5 million; "Gospel" was 10th with an estimated $3.2 million, advancing the cume to about $12.2 million; and "Waiting..." placed 11th with an estimated $2.9 million, raising the total to about $11.6 million.
The estimated boxoffice total for the top 12 films this weekend was $72.3 million, down 18% from the comparable weekend last year. The Hollywood Reporter projects the total for all films this weekend to be in the low- to mid-$80 million range, down from last year's $97.3 million.
For the week ending Oct. 13, the national boxoffice was statistically tied with the comparable seven-day period in 2004 ($144.2 million vs. $143.9 million). For the year-to-date, the boxoffice is down 6% ($6.83 billion vs. $7.30 billion). Estimated admissions for the year-to-date are tracking 9% less than last year at this time.
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