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Written by Knight Ridder
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Wednesday, 03 May 2006 |
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LOS ANGELES — If this week’s most asked cinematic question was “Are mainstream audiences ready for a movie about 9-11?” the answer provided by theatergoers was an unqualified “Kind of.” Viewers, it turns out, were more ready for a Sept. 11 film than for uplifting movies about spelling bees or gymnastics, but less ready than they were for another wacky Robin Williams comedy.
For the three-day period ending Sunday, Williams’ “RV,” from director Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”), took in an estimated $16.4 million to lead the domestic box office. Playing in a whopping 3,639 theaters, the Sony comedy averaged a so-so $4,507 per screen.
That per-screen-average was actually far lower than the take for Universal’s “United 93,” which was playing in only 1,795 theaters and brought in $6,462 per screen. The $11.6 million overall weekend for the Sept. 11 drama was wildly impressive for a film with an impossibly dark subject matter and a no-name cast.
On the other hand, the opening was below what some in the industry had predicted or hoped for. After earning some of the best reviews of the year, the true impact of “United 93” will be seen in weeks to come.
If nothing else, “United 93” appears to have held off the premiere of “Stick It.” The girls gymnastics movie, which co-stars Jeff Bridges, may not have gotten strong reviews, but it took in $11.26 million for third place. Playing in only 2,038 theaters, its per-screen average of $5,523 was also better than the figures for “RV.”
While those three openers had encouraging first frames, things were less rosy for Lionsgate’s “Akeelah and the Bee.” The combination of critical raves and relentless Starbucks promotion couldn’t carry the drama — which co-stars Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett — any higher than No. 8 with a $6.25 million weekend. Playing in 2,195 theaters, “Akeelah” only averaged $2,847 per screen.
Overall, the Top 12 films at the box office delivered $90.65 million into studio coffers. Those numbers were down nearly 9.6 percent from last weekend, but up a strong 12 percent from the same weekend last year. | Only registered users can write comments.
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