Weekend Box Office (February 24 - 26, 2006)

by Gitesh Pandya

THIS WEEKEND 52 weeks ago, Tyler Perry raised eyebrows with the number one opening of his comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman which knocked Will Smith's blockbuster hit Hitch from the top spot. Now, the popular filmmaker is back in drag playing the southern matriarch in Madea's Family Reunion. Blair Underwood, Lynn Whitfield, and Cicely Tyson co-star in the PG-13 film. Diary bowed to an impressive $21.9M from only 1,483 theaters for a rock solid $14,771 average. The audience was heavily African American and Madea's should be similar. Lionsgate is now giving Perry nearly 50% more screens on opening weekend and is hoping that the director's audience has broadened over the past year.

Family reunion comedies often do well so the subject matter is marketable in Madea. Excitement does not seem to be as high as for Diary a year ago which was based on a stage play better known to the target audience. The promotional push has been very targeted and a strong average is sure to result. Competition should not be much of a factor. Date Movie will pull away a tiny portion of Madea's audience and Big Momma's House 2 is moving into its fifth frame and will not be a major force. Gathering in about 2,100 theaters on Friday, Madea's Family Reunion could top the charts this weekend with around $19M.

Following the success of its hit toon Hoodwinked, The Weinstein Company looks to expand its presence in the animated world with the comedy Doogal. The G-rated pic about a dog who embarks on a quest with his pals to save the world aims to reach a very young audience. Older kids might take a pass. So far this year, almost every kidpic has generated strong results at the box office as family films and horror titles have been taking turns occupying the top spot on the charts. Last weekend's three big kids movies Eight Below, The Pink Panther, and Curious George grossed a combined $61M over the long holiday frame. That will make for some tough competition for Doogal which follows Hoodwinked which opened to $12.4M over three days from 2,394 theaters last month. Doogal should debut lighter with its launch in 2,150 locations. A weekend take of about $9M could result.

Paul Walker, currently ruling the box office in Disney's Eight Below, returns with his second film in as many weeks with the mob thriller Running Scared. The New Line release carries an R rating and will play to a male action audience. However, Walker does not provide too much starpower. Sure he just hit number one last week, but audiences came out more because of the Disney brand and for some fun family entertainment. The actor's other low-profile action titles like Joy Ride and Into the Blue have opened with $7M and change. Results could be similar this time around. Plus, New Line is not putting too big of a marketing and distribution push behind the film so expectations are modest. Opening in about 1,500 locations, Running Scared might collect about $7M this weekend.

In limited release, Miramax opens the South African crime drama Tsotsi which is currently up for an Academy Award in the foreign language category. The story of a young hoodlum who must care for the baby found in the car he stole will platform in six theaters and expand in the weeks ahead. Tsotsi has already won rave reviews and major awards at high profile film festivals.

Disney is coming off of a big holiday opening for its adventure tale Eight Below. The Friday-to-Sunday portion might drop 30% to around $14M this weekend giving the Paul Walker film $43M in ten days. The Pink Panther might see a larger 40% fall to about $10M leaving Sony with $59M after 17 days. Fox's Date Movie could see the largest drop among the top holdovers. A 50% tumble would put the spoof flick at roughly $9.5M for a ten-day cume of $34M.

Be sure to read the Oscar Spotlight column which features a one-on-one interview with Steven Friedlander, distribution president for Warner Independent Pictures which earned eight Academy Award nominations for three of its films - Good Night, and Good Luck, March of the Penguins, and Paradise Now.

For a NEW review of Tsotsi visit The Chief Report. Check the Oscar Nominee chart which tracks the box office of all nominees with updates throughout awards season.


LAST YEAR Tyler Perry shocked the film industry with his number one debut for Diary of a Mad Black Woman which grossed $21.9M on its way to $50.4M. After two weeks on top, Will Smith's Hitch settled for second with $20.4M followed by the Keanu Reeves thriller Constantine which tumbled down to $12M in its sophomore frame. Opening in fourth was the Miramax horror entry Cursed with $9.6M while the comedy Man of the House bowed in fifth with $8.9M. Final grosses reached $19.3M and $19.2M, respectively.

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Last Updated : February 23, 2006 at 12:30AM EST