Weekend Box Office (January 20 - 22, 2006)

*** 2006 Golden Globe Winners ***

by Gitesh Pandya

THIS WEEKEND The vampire sequel Underworld: Evolution looks to dominate the frame with ease flying high above all other entries in the marketplace. Joining the party will be an assortment of films playing not so wide including the Colin Farrell historical drama The New World and the Amazon adventure End of the Spear. Plus, Brokeback Mountain will ride into hundreds of more theaters armed with the Golden Globe statues it won on Monday night aiming to reach a much wider audience.

In an uncontested bid for the number one spot, Sony unleashes its horror sequel Underworld: Evolution which finds Kate Beckinsale reprising her role as a vampire warrior doing battle with those pesky little werewolves. The star's husband Len Wiseman once again directs as he did with the first installment which bowed to an impressive $21.8M in September 2003 on its way to $52M domestically. With its R rating, Evolution will target older teens and young adults as well as horror fans who want more gloss and pizazz in their fright flicks than what Hostel provided.

As the only major new release, the battle-of-the-beasts sequel has clear sailing going into the marketplace. It should easily double its nearest competitor and might be the only film to hit double-digit millions. Other films expanding into national play or opening in a more limited pattern will play to different audience segments. Plus, since last weekend's trio of new films didn't really speak to the Underworld audience, their attention will be aimed squarely on this new vampire thriller. Marketing has been targeted and awareness is high with the core crowd. Attacking roughly 3,200 theaters, Underworld: Evolution might open with about $24M this weekend.

Colin Farrell hopes the bad taste Alexander left in the mouths of moviegoers has been washed away by now. After a low-profile year in 2005, the Irish bad boy returns to theaters in another historical epic playing 17th century settler John Smith in Terrence Malick's new romantic drama The New World. The PG-13 pic about Smith's love affair with the Native American lass Pocahontas has been met with mixed reviews. New Line has not been able to see the kind of response from critics to turn it into a major awards contender this winter. That puts World at a disadvantage since awards and nominations are what distributors need in January to sell a film like this. Plus with Brokeback winning big at the Globes and expanding this weekend, attention from upscale adult audiences will be with Ang Lee and his posse.

Malick's starpower is only potent with older adults. Teens and young adults hardly know the Days of Heaven director and won't be pulled in by his name. Farrell is a star to young people, but this is not the subject matter fans necessarily want to see him in - especially after Alexander. World opened in three theaters at the end of December to qualify for the Academy Awards and has grossed $200,000 from its limited engagement. This Friday it widens to about 800 sites and could see a weekend take of around $5M.

Amazon adventure swings into theaters with End of the Spear, a drama about a man who befriends an Ecuadorian village to learn about his father's death there. Directed by Jim Hanon, the PG-13 film boasts no starpower in front of, or behind the camera. Distributor Every Tribe Entertainment is taking a risk competing in the big leagues where box office success is hard to find these days. The missionary story is tapping into grassroots Christian marketing which is a smart move given the subject matter. But overall, it will be tough to battle bigger films with deeper pockets. Opening in over 1,100 theaters on Friday, Spear might launch with around $4M.

Losing in all four Golden Globe categories it was nominated in took some steam out of the run of Woody Allen's Match Point. On Friday, DreamWorks will expand the critically acclaimed drama from 312 to about 425 theaters knowing that the road ahead will be a rough one, especially if it fails to score a major Oscar nod. Also in limited release, Warner Independent Pictures opens the Albert Brooks pic Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World in 165 theaters in major markets across the country. The PG-13 film about a Hollywood comedian sent to India and Pakistan on a government mission to find out what makes Muslims laugh adds more theaters in February.

Disney's basketball drama Glory Road won the MLK frame winning the three-day portion decisively and ruling the four-day period by a hair. With little new competition plus strong word-of-mouth, the PG-rated film should hold up well in its second outing. However, the NFL conference championships could prove to be a distraction to sports fans this weekend. A drop to about $9M could result giving Glory $28M in ten days.

The animated film Hoodwinked also has no new foes gunning for its audience of parents and kids. A solid hold would leave the Weinstein Co. release with about $8.5M and a ten-day tally of $27M. Paramount's comedy Last Holiday has fared pretty well with audiences and adult women will not be driven away by a new vampire film. Queen Latifah could see a sophomore session of around $8M giving Holiday $26M after ten days.

After winning four Golden Globes, including statues for Best Picture - Drama and Best Director, Brokeback Mountain will nearly double its theater count on Friday jumping from 683 to 1,194 locations. Monday night's big win ignited audience interest and shot the Ang Lee film up to number one in the nation on Tuesday despite playing in fewer theaters than every other film in the top ten. More theaters and ad dollars should certainly lead to the acclaimed cowboy flick's biggest weekend gross to date. Last weekend, Brokeback captured $5.8M over three days for a $8,499 average. Now crowned the best picture of the year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Brokeback might gallop into the top five and gross roughly $8M. That would push the total to $42M and counting.

For reviews of Last Holiday and Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World visit The Chief Report.

Be sure to check back on Friday for the NEW weekly Oscar Spotlight column. This special seven-week series will feature one-on-one interviews with the producers and studio executives behind the most acclaimed films of the season. Check in every Friday for a new interview that goes behind the scenes of this year's big Oscar contenders.


LAST YEAR Ice Cube left behind the four-letter words for the family comedy Are We There Yet? and witnessed a solid number one debut with $18.6M. The Sony hit had legs and finished off with $82.3M becoming Cube's highest-grossing film ever. Holdovers rounded out the top five after a red hot MLK frame. Paramount slipped to second with Coach Carter which grossed $10.5M. Meet the Fockers followed in third with $9.7M for Universal. The studio's In Good Company and the Warner Bros. kidpic Racing Stripes rounded out the top five with $8M and $6.8M respectively. Opening poorly in sixth was the action film Assault on Precinct 13 with $6.5M on its way to $20M for Focus.

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Last Updated : January 19, 2006 at 12:30AM EST