Weekend Box Office (October 14 - 16, 2005)

by Sujit Chawla

THIS WEEKEND With Halloween just around the corner, moviegoers made the horror remake The Fog the number one choice this weekend, as the box office continued its lackluster year.  Fellow freshman Elizabethtown and Domino met with mixed results, while last week's champ Wallace & Gromit, had a strong hold.

Clouding up the top of the box office was The Fog, a remake of the John Carpenter classic from 1979.  Starring Tom Welling (TV's Smallville) and Maggie Grace (TV's Lost), the PG-13 film scared up $11.8M this weekend, according to final studio figures, for a per theater average of a not-so-spectacular $3,955.  Earlier this year, similar genre films opened much stronger with Boogeyman taking in $19M, The Ring 2 opening with $35.1M, and another remake, The Amityville Horror, opening to $23.5M.  The Fog hit its target audience with 61% of the crowd being under 25, although Yahoo! users gave the movie a poor C+ grade.

Second place belonged to the loveable team of Wallace & Gromit which dropped a small 28%, the best hold in the top ten.  Taking in another $11.5M this weekend, the DreamWorks toon has a total cume of $33.1M.  With some of the best reviews of any movie in theaters, a Halloween-esque theme and no other kid pics due out this month, look for the film to stay strong and eventually end up in the neighborhood of  $75-80M, if not higher.

Debuting in third place this weekend was the Cameron Crowe-directed Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst.  The Paramount romantic comedy brought in $10.6M for a per theater average of $4,219, the best in the top ten.  Critics, normally fans of Crowe, skewered the film even before a final cut was released, forcing the filmmaker to fight an upwards battle against negative press.  Filmgoers were somewhat nicer, with Yahoo! users giving the film a B grade.

In fourth place was the Jodie Foster-led Flightplan, which fell 40% this weekend to $6.5M, bringing its cume to a very solid $70.8M.  In fifth place was In Her Shoes, which took in $6.1M this weekend.  Off 39%, the Cameron Diaz starrer has a cume of $20.1M and looks to end its run with around $40-45M. Down 46% from last weekend, the football betting drama Two For the Money took in $4.7M, bringing its cume to $16.6M.  Look for the film to end its run with a disappointing $30-35M, with a video release timed to hit the Super Bowl.

Arriving in seventh place this weekend was Keira Knightley's bounty hunter pic, Domino.  Inspired by the true story of model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey, who died earlier this year, the New Line film opened with $4.7M for a per theater average of just $2,101.  Critics weren't fans of the film and filmgoers gave the movie a B- rating, so look for Domino at your local video store soon.

In eighth place was the well-received A History of Violence, which fell a small 29% from last weekend, shooting up $3.6M and raising its cume to $22.4M. Rounding out the top ten were Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, which scared up another $3.6M this weekend, bringing its cume to a solid $47.8M, and The Gospel, which fell 59% from last weekend's strong debut.  The film took in $3.1M this weekend, raising its total to $12.1M.

Outside of the top ten, the George Clooney-directed Good Night, and Good Luck stayed strong taking in $1.2M from only 68 screens, for a sparkling average of $18,305.  Total stands at $1.9M. Look for the film to expand into over 200 theaters next weekend.

The top ten grossed $66.1M, which was off 23% from last year when Shark Tale led the box office with $22M, and down 34% from 2003 when the Texas Chainsaw Massacre blasted on to screens with $28M.

Compared to projections, The Fog, Elizabethtown and Domino all came in a few ticks under Gitesh's predictions.

For reviews of Nine Lives, Good Night, and Good Luck, and A History of Violence visit The Chief Report. Also, read the NEW review of the Law & Order SVU - The Second Year DVD set.

Be sure to check back on Thursday for a complete summary, including projections, for next weekend when Doom, Dreamer, North Country and Stay all open nationwide.

Marketplace: Shop for videos, DVDs, music, books, and posters at discounted prices using search engines

# Title Oct 14 - 16 Oct 7 - 9 % Chg. Theaters Weeks AVG Cumulative Distributor
1 The Fog $ 11,752,917 2,972 1 $ 3,955 $ 11,752,917 Sony
2 Wallace and Gromit 11,527,216 16,025,987 -28.1 3,656 2 3,153 33,107,497 DreamWorks
3 Elizabethtown 10,618,711 2,517 1 4,219 10,618,711 Paramount
4 Flightplan 6,492,315 10,764,440 -39.7 3,111 4 2,087 70,783,611 Buena Vista
5 In Her Shoes 6,105,949 10,017,575 -39.0 2,840 2 2,150 20,056,003 Fox
6 Two For The Money 4,686,110 8,703,240 -46.2 2,397 2 1,955 16,595,490 Universal
7 Domino 4,670,120 2,223 1 2,101 4,670,120 New Line
8 A History of Violence 3,600,474 5,067,000 -28.9 1,348 4 2,671 22,364,443 New Line
9 Corpse Bride 3,577,465 6,511,336 -45.1 2,525 5 1,417 47,769,285 Warner Bros.
10 The Gospel 3,118,704 7,523,571 -58.5 983 2 3,173 12,091,852 Sony
11 Waiting 2,991,569 6,021,106 -50.3 1,652 2 1,811 11,675,561 Lions Gate
12 Serenity 2,443,870 5,352,090 -54.3 1,709 3 1,430 22,306,230 Universal
13 The Greatest Game Ever Played 2,196,956 3,905,532 -43.7 1,725 3 1,274 12,341,200 Buena Vista
14 Into the Blue 1,740,776 4,830,342 -64.0 1,903 3 915 17,243,920 Sony
15 Just Like Heaven 1,499,811 3,453,588 -56.6 1,468 5 1,022 46,274,251 DreamWorks
16 Good Night, and Good Luck 1,244,707 421,446 195.3 68 2 18,305 1,854,797 Warner Independent
17 The 40-Year-Old Virgin 1,025,870 1,867,805 -45.1 725 9 1,415 106,038,403 Universal
18 The Exorcism of Emily Rose 955,509 2,442,028 -60.9 1,040 6 919 73,827,336 Sony
19 Proof 925,061 1,482,316 -37.6 494 5 1,873 5,826,617 Miramax
20 Roll Bounce 780,359 1,742,119 -55.2 547 4 1,427 16,355,420 Fox Searchlight
Top 5 $ 46,497,108 $ 53,034,813 -12.3
Top 10 66,149,981 80,816,687 -18.1
Top 20 81,954,469 98,154,420 -16.5
Top 20 vs. 2004 81,954,469 92,635,796 -11.5

Last Updated : October 17, 2005 at 6:30PM EDT