STUDIO SPOTLIGHT Although there was no megablockbuster like Austin Powers : The Spy Who Shagged Me, 2000 saw a healthy 28% increase in ticket sales for New Line Cinema which grossed $396.1M for the year by gathering together a collection of modest hits. The first half of the year saw a number of profitable titles but the fall and winter saw its fortunes turn sour. Magnolia expanded in January but failed to find a large audience, however Ice Cube's Next Friday was red hot taking in $57.2M. Spring success came from durable titles like the teen chiller Final Destination and the sci-fi drama Frequency which grossed $53.3M and $45M respectively.

The summer saw the top spot debut of the Jennifer Lopez crime thriller The Cell which went on to collect $61.3M becoming the company's highest-grossing film of the year. The much-delayed Lost Souls was ignored and the expensive Adam Sandler vehicle Little Nicky lost millions and proved that fans will not go blindly into theaters whenever the comic star has a new picture. Dungeons & Dragons came and went in December while the military thriller Thirteen Days performed well in limited release ahead of its national expansion in the new year.