Indies brighten up b.o.
'Sunshine' among indie features brightening b.o.
SepT 5, 2006
This Labor Day weekend did indeed prove to be the dog days of summer for Hollywood's new releases, with no new film bowing to more than $13 million at the North American boxoffice. It was, however, quite fruitful for the indie marketplace. Fox Searchlight's "Little Miss Sunshine" was secure in the top five for the second consecutive weekend as it placed fourth, and Yari Film Group's "The Illusionist" climbed to the No. 5 slot with an estimated $8 million gross its third weekend in theaters.
Buena Vista Pictures' "The Invincible" took the top spot for the second consecutive week. The PG-rated football tale, starring Mark Wahlberg, had the advantage of being one of the few family films in the marketplace. It earned an estimated $15.2 million over the four-day period, and its cumulative tally now stands at $37.8 million.
In the No. 2 slot was Lionsgate Films' "Crank," starring action figure Jason Statham. The movie didn't quite equal the numbers that Statham's last feature, "Transporter 2," posted when it opened last Labor Day weekend, topping the charts with a four-day take of $20.1 million. "Crank," an R-rated adrenaline rush, did manage a respectable number, though. Bowing in 2,515 theaters, the film earned an estimated $13 million over the four-day frame. Directed by newcomers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the movie was made for less than $12 million. While its R rating might have put a bit of a damper on its returns, "Crank" should still turn a profit for Lionsgate.
Warner Bros. Pictures hoped to scare up audiences with "The Wicker Man," starring Nicolas Cage, but the movie didn't provide much of a jolt at the boxoffice. From indie director Neil LaBute, the remake of the 1973 U.K. cult classic grossed an estimated $11.7 million. A low-cost acquisition from Warners' production partner Alcon Entertainment -- and a service deal for the studio -- the PG-13 film was tracking for a gross in the mid-teen range, but the lower-than-expected draw shouldn't hurt the distributor's bottom line much.
The true bright spots for the session are the releases from indie outfits Searchlight and Yari. Word-of-mouth on "Sunshine" has traveled like wildfire, with the R-rated dysfunctional family roadtrip comedy reaping an additional $9.7 million. In its sixth weekend of release, the slow rollout, which has now gone national in 1,602 locations, has grossed an estimated $35.8 million, becoming the highest indie grosser of the summer.
Indie producer Bob Yari's PG-13 period drama "The Illusionist," which is being distributed through Freestyle Releasing, commanded the fifth spot at the boxoffice. Starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti, "Illusionist" has generated an estimated $12 million after three weeks in the marketplace. Opening to its widest reach yet in 971 theaters, the film boasted the highest per-theater average of the wide releases with $8,261.
"Being an entertaining film and starring two of the best actors of our generation helped 'The Illusionist' cross over," said David Dinerstein, distribution consultant for the Yari Film Group. Yari intends to expand next weekend into 1,200-1,400 playdates.
Sony Pictures bowed the one other new wide release, "Crossover," in 1,023 theaters and found itself in 13th place. The urban drama starring Anthony Mackie and Wesley Jonathan as best friends and basketball players earned an estimated $4.5 million. With a per-theater average of $4,399, the narrower release proved a prudent choice for the studio.
"Crossover," from writer-director Preston A. Whitmore II, probably took grosses away from the other urban-oriented film in release -- Universal Pictures' "Idlewild" -- which dropped to the 16th spot its second week in theaters. Starring the OutKast duo of Andre Benjamin and Antwan A. Patton, "Idlewild" took in an estimated $2.9 million as its per-theater average fell to $2,974 for its sophomore session. The film has now earned $9.9 million and is unlikely to expand beyond its 975 locations.
The boxoffice for the four-day holiday weekend eked out a slight 1% gain over last year's holiday frame. With the top 12 earning an estimated $98.7 million vs. last year's $96.7 million, 2006 won the battle based on the sheer number of new releases. Last year featured 20th Century Fox record-breaker "Transporter 2" with a $20 million bow, marking the highest-grossing Labor Day film of all time.
For the week ending Aug. 31, the overall grosses amounted to $148 million, up nearly 6% from the comparable week last year, which took in $139.7 million. For the year to date, the collective boxoffice stands at $6.41 billion, up 7% from last year's $5.99 billion. Admissions are up 5% from 2005 levels.
Among the holdovers, the movies with the strongest staying power were those luring in the widest range of audiences. The drops were figured comparing the last weekend's three days with the first three days of the holiday weekend. The results are a bit skewed in this weekend's favor, given that Sunday's moviegoing numbers look more like a typical Saturday because of the Labor Day holiday Monday.
Sony's PG-13 "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" dropped a solid 25% for a $7.7 million, four-day gross. As it stood in sixth place, its overall cume totaled an estimated $138.4 million.
Paramount Pictures' "Barnyard," holding on to an impressive 15% fall, took in an estimated $6.4 million. The Steve Oederkerk animated pic upped its status in the ranking, reaching the seventh spot and grossing an estimated $63.6 million after five weekends in release. In 10th place, Buena Vista's "Step Up" also fell off 25% for an additional $5.5 million. The PG-13 dance movie has now earned $58.4 million.
In limited release, a new version of "Lassie," directed by Charles Sturridge -- which Samuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions are releasing through IDP -- took in $340,000 in 170 theaters.
Fox bowed Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" on 130 theaters for a dismal per-screen average of $1,231. The film starring Luke Wilson grossed $160,000 for the weekend.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics opened "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" on five screens for an average of $7,532 for the four-day period. The film grossed $37,659 for the holiday weekend.
And IFC bowed Kirby Dick's unrated documentary "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" in two theaters, where it commanded a strong $41,000.
Buena Vista Pictures' "The Invincible" took the top spot for the second consecutive week. The PG-rated football tale, starring Mark Wahlberg, had the advantage of being one of the few family films in the marketplace. It earned an estimated $15.2 million over the four-day period, and its cumulative tally now stands at $37.8 million.
In the No. 2 slot was Lionsgate Films' "Crank," starring action figure Jason Statham. The movie didn't quite equal the numbers that Statham's last feature, "Transporter 2," posted when it opened last Labor Day weekend, topping the charts with a four-day take of $20.1 million. "Crank," an R-rated adrenaline rush, did manage a respectable number, though. Bowing in 2,515 theaters, the film earned an estimated $13 million over the four-day frame. Directed by newcomers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the movie was made for less than $12 million. While its R rating might have put a bit of a damper on its returns, "Crank" should still turn a profit for Lionsgate.
Warner Bros. Pictures hoped to scare up audiences with "The Wicker Man," starring Nicolas Cage, but the movie didn't provide much of a jolt at the boxoffice. From indie director Neil LaBute, the remake of the 1973 U.K. cult classic grossed an estimated $11.7 million. A low-cost acquisition from Warners' production partner Alcon Entertainment -- and a service deal for the studio -- the PG-13 film was tracking for a gross in the mid-teen range, but the lower-than-expected draw shouldn't hurt the distributor's bottom line much.
The true bright spots for the session are the releases from indie outfits Searchlight and Yari. Word-of-mouth on "Sunshine" has traveled like wildfire, with the R-rated dysfunctional family roadtrip comedy reaping an additional $9.7 million. In its sixth weekend of release, the slow rollout, which has now gone national in 1,602 locations, has grossed an estimated $35.8 million, becoming the highest indie grosser of the summer.
Indie producer Bob Yari's PG-13 period drama "The Illusionist," which is being distributed through Freestyle Releasing, commanded the fifth spot at the boxoffice. Starring Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti, "Illusionist" has generated an estimated $12 million after three weeks in the marketplace. Opening to its widest reach yet in 971 theaters, the film boasted the highest per-theater average of the wide releases with $8,261.
"Being an entertaining film and starring two of the best actors of our generation helped 'The Illusionist' cross over," said David Dinerstein, distribution consultant for the Yari Film Group. Yari intends to expand next weekend into 1,200-1,400 playdates.
Sony Pictures bowed the one other new wide release, "Crossover," in 1,023 theaters and found itself in 13th place. The urban drama starring Anthony Mackie and Wesley Jonathan as best friends and basketball players earned an estimated $4.5 million. With a per-theater average of $4,399, the narrower release proved a prudent choice for the studio.
"Crossover," from writer-director Preston A. Whitmore II, probably took grosses away from the other urban-oriented film in release -- Universal Pictures' "Idlewild" -- which dropped to the 16th spot its second week in theaters. Starring the OutKast duo of Andre Benjamin and Antwan A. Patton, "Idlewild" took in an estimated $2.9 million as its per-theater average fell to $2,974 for its sophomore session. The film has now earned $9.9 million and is unlikely to expand beyond its 975 locations.
The boxoffice for the four-day holiday weekend eked out a slight 1% gain over last year's holiday frame. With the top 12 earning an estimated $98.7 million vs. last year's $96.7 million, 2006 won the battle based on the sheer number of new releases. Last year featured 20th Century Fox record-breaker "Transporter 2" with a $20 million bow, marking the highest-grossing Labor Day film of all time.
For the week ending Aug. 31, the overall grosses amounted to $148 million, up nearly 6% from the comparable week last year, which took in $139.7 million. For the year to date, the collective boxoffice stands at $6.41 billion, up 7% from last year's $5.99 billion. Admissions are up 5% from 2005 levels.
Among the holdovers, the movies with the strongest staying power were those luring in the widest range of audiences. The drops were figured comparing the last weekend's three days with the first three days of the holiday weekend. The results are a bit skewed in this weekend's favor, given that Sunday's moviegoing numbers look more like a typical Saturday because of the Labor Day holiday Monday.
Sony's PG-13 "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" dropped a solid 25% for a $7.7 million, four-day gross. As it stood in sixth place, its overall cume totaled an estimated $138.4 million.
Paramount Pictures' "Barnyard," holding on to an impressive 15% fall, took in an estimated $6.4 million. The Steve Oederkerk animated pic upped its status in the ranking, reaching the seventh spot and grossing an estimated $63.6 million after five weekends in release. In 10th place, Buena Vista's "Step Up" also fell off 25% for an additional $5.5 million. The PG-13 dance movie has now earned $58.4 million.
In limited release, a new version of "Lassie," directed by Charles Sturridge -- which Samuel Goldwyn Films and Roadside Attractions are releasing through IDP -- took in $340,000 in 170 theaters.
Fox bowed Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" on 130 theaters for a dismal per-screen average of $1,231. The film starring Luke Wilson grossed $160,000 for the weekend.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics opened "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" on five screens for an average of $7,532 for the four-day period. The film grossed $37,659 for the holiday weekend.
And IFC bowed Kirby Dick's unrated documentary "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" in two theaters, where it commanded a strong $41,000.
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