Weekend Box Office (January 27 - 29, 2006)
by Gitesh Pandya
THIS WEEKEND Comedy comes crashing into theaters with the Fox sequel Big Momma's House 2 which invades more multiplexes than any other new release on Friday. Parents and children looking for some clean humor will have Universal's Nanny McPhee while those interested in military dramas will be offered Buena Vista's Annapolis. The see-saw month of January should end on a low note with a frame down sharply from a year ago.
Martin Lawrence returns with the sequel to his second most successful film in Big Momma's House 2 which Fox hopes will do what the first failed to, capture the number one spot. In this latest PG-13 installment, the bad boy jumps back into the fat suit to hunt down the man who killed his partner. The first Momma did wonders for Lawrence with its $25.7M bow on its way to a plump $117.6M. It was the best opening and overall gross for the comedian at the time and proved he could anchor a blockbuster all by himself. Unfortunately for him, he hasn't done it since. Clunkers like What's the Worst That Could Happen? and Black Knight went nowhere and last summer's Rebound brought him to a new low with its puny $5M opening.
When in doubt, and risk needs to be reduced, go do a sequel to a big hit! Hollywood's 2006 menu is jam packed with them and one sequel looks to bump another one from the top of the charts this weekend. But like Sandra Bullock's Miss Congeniality, Big Momma's House was a great idea for an undercover cop comedy, but not so amazing that it warrants a second installment. House 2 is not expected to reach the heights of its predecessor and even the opening could be smaller since the film does not look too funny. However, broad comedies have been missing from the marketplace lately with Jim Carrey picking up most of the business with Fun with Dick and Jane which moves into its sixth weekend. A lack of direct competition will certainly work in favor of Momma. Stepping into more than 3,000 theaters, Big Momma's House 2 could debut with about $18M this weekend.
Parents who haven't seen enough nannies on reality television can take a trip to their local theater for Emma Thompson who takes on the title role in the new family comedy Nanny McPhee. The PG-rated pic also stars Colin Firth and Angela Lansbury and has already grossed over $33M internationally. The family audience is the primary target for Universal which means that the animated hit Hoodwinked will make for some direct competition as the Weinstein toon has been displaying strong legs and good buzz. Most other current releases should not steal away too much biz though. If last year's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and The Chronicles of Narnia are any indication, Americans love watching young British kids get into all sorts of mischief. Nanny, of course, is a much simpler film with no built-in audience. But it could make for a nice live-action distraction for parents to take their kids to this weekend. The studio's marketing efforts have not been too loud and have been targeted squarely at the family audience as crossover to other groups is not too likely. Nanny McPhee busts into 1,995 theaters on Friday and could generate around $10M for the frame.
Two weeks after hitting the multiplexes in Tristan & Isolde, James Franco dons another type of uniform for the military drama Annapolis playing a stubborn enlistee at the U.S. Naval Academy looking to make some waves. Directed by Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow), the PG-13 film also stars Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, and Donnie Wahlberg. Teens and young adults of both genders are being counted on to sign up this weekend. Buena Vista hopes that the military angle will appeal to guys while gals will be drawn by the hunky cast members. Those with family in the armed forces might find Annapolis appealing. However, a large opening is not expected. The marketing push has not been too fierce and the studio is only putting the film out in a moderate national release. Setting sail in about 1,550 theaters, Annapolis could open with around $8M this weekend.
Magnolia Films shakes up the industry with the much-talked-about release of the indie flick Bubble which simultaneously opens in selected theaters, debuts on DVD, and airs on the television network HDnet. Moviegoers across the country can see the Steven Soderbergh-directed film in the manner they choose and industry watchers will be analyzing the financial performance carefully to see if the box office grosses get cannibalized, or if at the end of the day the low-budget film becomes a profitable venture when bundling up revenue from all streams. Bubble bows in 32 theaters on Friday.
Piper Perabo stars as a new bride looking for love on the side in the romantic comedy Imagine Me & You which Fox Searchlight opens on Friday in eight theaters. Meanwhile, Buena Vista unleashes its new Imax film Roving Mars in 27 large-format screens hoping for a long run with its latest science doc.
Last weekend's top film Underworld: Evolution should see a hefty drop in sales so a 55% fall would leave the vampire sequel with around $12M and a ten-day cume of $45M for Sony. The animated hit Hoodwinked has been a solid performer. A third weekend drop of 35% would give The Weinstein Co. about $6.5M and a cume of $37M.
A wide assortment of Oscar hopefuls will have one more weekend to sell themselves to audiences before Tuesday's announcement of official Academy Award nominations gives the industry the real list of top contenders. The marketplace is already flooded with players looking to find their piece of the pie. Last weekend saw a whopping 17 films gross at least $2M which was up significantly from the 11 from the same frame a year earlier.
Be sure to check back on Friday for the NEW weekly Oscar Spotlight column which features a one-on-one interview with John Singleton, producer of Hustle & Flow. Check in every Friday for a new interview that goes behind the scenes of some of the most acclaimed films up for Academy Award consideration.
For NEW reviews of Nanny McPhee and Imagine Me & You, plus DVD reviews of The Constant Gardener and Broken Flowers, visit The Chief Report.
LAST YEAR The odd couple comprising of Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning made it to number one as the thriller Hide and Seek opened impressively with $22M on its way to a solid $51.1M for Fox. Family comedy Are We There Yet? got bumped to second place but slipped a mere 12% in its sophomore frame to $16.3M. Just days after scoring seven Oscar nominations, Million Dollar Baby expanded nationally following a six-week limited run and placed third with $12.3M. Meet the Fockers kept holding up strong with $8M in its sixth weekend and Coach Carter rounded out the top five with $8M as well, in its third shot. The Lions Gate thriller Alone in the Dark was ignored by moviegoers opening outside the top ten with just $2.8M on its way to $5.1M.
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This column is updated three times each week: Thursday (upcoming weekend's summary), Sunday (post-weekend analysis with estimates), and Monday night (actuals). Data source: Exhibitor Relations and EDI. Opinions expressed in this column are those solely of the author.
Last Updated : January 26, 2006 at 10:00AM EST