Tuesday, 1 July 2008

Early Fireworks At Weekend Box Office

In what looked like a holiday weekend at the box office -- and there will be such a weekend beginning next Friday -- the two top films earned a combined $113.6 million and the top 12 movies pulled in $179.2 million, lifting the box office 22 percent over the same weekend a year ago, according to studio estimates. Topping the list was the Disney/Pixar animated film WALL-E, which took in about $62.5 million, making it the third-best opening for a Pixar film behind The Incredibles ($70.5 million) and Finding Nemo ($70.2 million). The film, the best-reviewed of the year, performed at the low end of analysts' predictions. However, the No. 2 film, Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, soared well above their predictions, earning $51.1 million (plus $33 million overseas). In addition, last week's top film, Warner Bros.' Get Smart slipped to third place with $20 million, while Paramount/DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda added another $11.7 million to its total. "The box office is incredibly robust right now," Media by Numbers chief Paul Dergarabedian told today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times. "Historically, films do well when times are tough, when going to the movies is an inexpensive way to forget about your troubles. This is a perfect example of that." One glaring failure on the list was Paramount's The Love Guru, which plunged 61 percent to just $5.4 million in its second week. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. WALL-E, $62.5 million; 2. Wanted, $51.1 million; 3. Get Smart, $20 million; 4. Kung Fu Panda, $11.7 million; 5. The Incredible Hulk, $9.2 million; 6. The Love Guru, $5.4 million; 7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $5 million; 8. The Happening, $3.9 million; 9. Sex and the City, $3.8 million; 10. You Don't Mess With the Zohan, $3.2 million.


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