Weekend Box Office (July 2 - 6, 2003)
THIS WEEKEND In what should be a record weekend for movies with colons in their titles, three new high-profile releases targeting distinct audiences invade over 3,000 theaters each over the Fourth of July holiday frame looking to generate explosive box office fireworks. Once the world's biggest box office draw, Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to claim his crown with the sci-fi action sequel Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. MGM chooses instead to go after the female vote with its comedy sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde starring Reese Witherspoon while DreamWorks courts the family market with the animated adventure Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. All three hope to push aside last weekend's champ Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
Warner Bros. is back with its second man-versus-machine tentpole sequel of the summer with the launch of T3 which looks to give its Austrian-born star his first true domestic hit in over seven years. With director James Cameron and co-star Linda Hamilton abandoning ship, Schwarzenegger this time teams up with U-571 director Jonathan Mostow. Nick Stahl and Claire Danes also star as does newcomer Kristanna Loken as the villainous Terminatrix. In T3, Arnold once again plays a cyborg from the future who is sent back in time to protect the lives of the freedom fighters who will lead the human rebellion against the machine conquerers of the planet.
With T3, Schwarzenegger gives action and sci-fi fans the one film they most want to see him do. After action flicks like Collateral Damage and The 6th Day failed to go past $40M, Arnold needs to return to his signature role and give the public what it demands in order to save his career from ending up in the direct-to-video dumpster that yesterday's action heroes like Van Damme, Seagal, and even Stallone have found themselves in. The Terminator was a groundbreaking hit in 1984 and built a massive following through video and cable during the 1980s. Its 1991 sequel became the definition of a megablockbuster when it opened over the Fourth of July weekend with $52.3M over five days on its way to $204.8M domestically and a jaw-dropping $516M worldwide. But over the past dozen years, audiences have found new heroes to support and Arnold's importance in the Hollywood landscape has diminished.
Though not likely to be a favorite with critics, T3 delivers what it is meant to - continuous action from a battle between two relentless cyborgs wanting different fates for mankind. With the franchise nearing its twentieth anniversary, the new installment adds a refreshing wit which finds Arnold and the film poking fun at itself. Otherwise, the stunts and effects do not offer many new and amazing visuals the way the first two did. But this is common for third-parters. Fans who love maximum action and minimum dialogue from Arnold will find what they are looking for. And the idea of having Arnold fight a female Terminator is the best thing the writers could have done to keep the series from getting stale.
With a reported budget of more than $150M, T3 is a pricey gamble for the many companies involved including Intermedia Films and C2 Pictures, the new incarnation of the old Carolco Pictures. The R-rated film has lined up numerous promotional partners such as Toyota which shows off its Tundra truck in the film as well as its luxary division's Lexus convertible. With Cameron gone and Arnold aging, expectations are not sky-high for T3 which could work in its favor. Summer event pics like The Matrix Reloaded and The Hulk were surrounded by incredibly lofty creative expectations that were hard to reach. However, with Hulk and Charlie's Angels both performing below expectations, could summer moviegoers be getting sick of big-budget Hollywood action films already?
Warner Bros. got a headstart on the weekend by offering sneak previews in 2,600 theaters on Tuesday evening beginning at 8pm. Today, T3 rolls out in 3,355 theaters and will widen to 3,504 playdates on Friday. In what could be the biggest opening weekend of his career, Arnold Schawzenegger could capture about $45M over the Friday-to-Sunday frame and a muscular $73M over the entire long weekend.
Rising star Reese Witherspoon steps back into the familiar role of Elle Woods, and the new role of executive producer, with Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde. The sequel to the $96.4M-grossing hit from the summer of 2001 finds the perky valley girl turning Washington D.C. upside down fighting for animal rights. The PG-13 film is MGM's biggest hitter during the summer season and aims to bring back the same audience of teen girls and young women that drove Legally Blonde to a top spot $20.4M debut and last year's Sweet Home Alabama to a $35.6M bow.
The waters will be crowded this weekend for Blonde 2 as it will have to share the young female audience with another big sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. The story and packaging will make sure that male turnout will be minimal, especially with T3 playing in neighboring auditoriums. At a slender 94 minutes, Blonde 2 is brisk enough to allow for ample showtimes per day. MGM's marketing has been intense and focused on its core audience, but trailers and commercials project a feel identical to the first leaving many fans wondering if they will be getting anything new or fresh in this second installment.
Reviews are mixed at best for the film which brings Luke Wilson's third appearance at theaters in as many weeks after Alex & Emma and the Angels sequel. Opening equally wide as the cybernetic organism, Legally Blonde 2 hits 3,355 theaters and could open with $23M over the weekend and $36M during the Wednesday-to-Sunday span.
For family audiences over the long holiday weekend, DreamWorks unleashes its animated adventure film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. The PG-rated film features the voices of big-name Hollywood talent like Brad Pitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Catherine Zeta-Jones and represents the studio's only major release of the summer season. With all bets riding on this entry, it's no surprise that DreamWorks has been upping the marketing hype on Sinbad which hopes to prove that Disney is not the only player in the lucrative family field.
The cast is the film's biggest asset and television spots wisely include footage of the actual stars recording their dialogue so kids and parents feel as if they are truly getting some starpower for their ticket dollars. Action-adventure films can often be tough sells in the animation world. Disney's Atlantis was one of the studio's worst-performing summer toons with $84M and last November's Treasure Planet crashed and burned with just $38.2M. Also, traditionally-animated pictures routinely get overshadowed by their computer-animated brothers which get all the audiences these days. The July 2 slotting aimed to give ample room between Sinbad and Finding Nemo which launched on May 30, but the little fish flick is still a major force at the box office occupying the number three slot last weekend.
Still, Sinbad has much to offer the family audience which will be looking for entertainment this long weekend. An appealing cast, heavy marketing, and the presence of only one other kidpic should lead to a solid turnout. But the PG rating may give parents with small tots second thoughts and the excessive male appeal might lead young girls into taking another swim with Nemo. Opening in 3,086 theaters, Sinbad could make off with around $18M over the Friday-to-Sunday span and about $28M over five days.
The reigning box office queens of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle should face tough competition this weekend with action fans lining up for Arnold and young females giving their votes to Reese. A 50% decline could be in order for the Sony sequel which might gross $19M over the weekend and boost its ten-day cume to $75M.
After its horrendous 70% drop last weekend, The Hulk looks to stabilize a bit this holiday weekend. The Universal pic may drop 55% to $8.5M and lift its 17-day total to $118M. The Disney/Pixar smash Finding Nemo stands to surpass The Matrix Reloaded this weekend to become the year's highest-grossing blockbuster. Family audiences, even those who have already seen Nemo, will have extra leisure time and should help generate another strong frame. Look for a 30% dip to $10M resulting in a robust cume of $274M making it also the top-grossing pic ever for Pixar.
Moviegoers looking for something new and fresh gave Fox Searchlight's virus thriller 28 Days Later a solid launch last weekend and the distributor will add more playdates bringing the theater total from 1,260 to more than 1,400. T3 will provide stiff competition but a 40% decline to $6M could result giving 28 Days Later $21M in ten days.
Take this week's Reader Survey on upcoming Marvel Comics sequels. For a review of T3 visit The Chief Report.
LAST YEAR With the Fourth of July falling on a Thursday, movies got a headstart by bowing on Wednesday. Leading the frame were Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black 2 which opened to $52.1M over three days and $87.2M over five days - roughly equal to the first film's opening over the same holiday frame in 1997. The Sony release found its way to $190.4M domestically and $425M worldwide. Studio stablemate Mr. Deeds took a 51% fall to second place with $18.4M and was followed by the inseparable duo of Lilo & Stitch and Minority Report which grossed $12.6M each in their third weekends. Fox opened the kid comedy Like Mike in fifth with $12.2M over three days and $19M over the five-day session. The Warner Bros. toon The Powerpuff Girls opened poorly in ninth with $3.6M with $6.1M over five days. Final grosses were $51.4M and $11.4M respectively.
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