Easter Weekend Box Office: A 'Scary' Easter!

[The Clown Prince]

This will be a shortened box office report this weekend with short cuts taken in what I normally do every week. I'm in a hurry so forgive the sloppy appearance of it...

After two weeks we have a new number one movie and that goes to the financially successful Scary Movie series with Scary Movie 4 which made $41 million in it's debut weekend. Scary Movie 4 didn't quite beat Scary Movie 3'sdebut and was also short of Anger Management's opening.

Dropping to second place was Ice Age: The Meltdown with another $20 million and a $147.1 million total.

The Benchwarmers falls one spot to third with $10 million and a $35.9 million total.

Disney's little advertised, little promoted CG film The Wild didn't even make $10 million as it opened with $9.5 million and a fourth place spot. Even though this was long in production before Madagascar, the problem was Madagascar was released first and because it resembled so much like it, The Wild came across as a knock off or copy cat (even though it's probably the other way around) and this hurt's it's box office performance. Disney knew it would do poorly and that's why they saved the advertising dollars for another movie.

And rounding out the top 5 is Take the Lead with $6.7 million and a $22.5 million total.

Opening next weekend are three new movies. First up is the video game adaption horror film Silent Hill (rated R) starring Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Kim Coates, Tanya Allen, and Jodelle Ferland.


Next is The Sentinel (rated PG-13) with Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, and Kim Basinger.


And finally we have American Dreamz (rated PG-13) with Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Marcia Gay Harden, Chris Klein, Jennifer Coolidge, Seth Meyers, John Cho, Judy Greer, Sam Golzari, and Willem Dafoe.


Here are your numbers...


1) Scary Movie 4- $41,020,000 ($41,020,000) NEW!
2) Ice Age: The Meltdown- $20,000,000 ($147,188,000)
3) The Benchwarmers- 10,000,000 ($35,980,000)
4) The Wild- $9,559,000 ($9,559,000) NEW!
5) Take the Lead- $6,700,000 ($22,517,000)
6) Inside Man- $6,292,000 ($75,285,000)
7) Lucky Number Slevin- $4,600,000 ($14,140,000)
8) Thank You for Smoking- $4,450,000 ($11,498,000)
9) Failure to Launch- $2,599,000 ($83,171,000)
10) V for Vendetta- $2,170,000 ($65,991,000)
11) ATL- $1,345,000 ($19,653,000)
12) Phat Girlz- $1,250,000 ($5,248,000)

The Clown Prince

[Lord Dalek]

Ok prediction time...

#1 American Dreamz
#2 Scary Movie 4
#3 Ice Age 2
#4 The Sentinel
#5 Silent Hill

Right on.

[Peter Paltridge]

What would have been truly scary was if The Wild had taken #1. I'd even prefer The Benchwarmers to that. If yet another "wacky animals in a crazy situation" CGI film succeeded, that would be all we'd get for 20 years.

I had high hopes for Silent Hill. I really did. The games are supposed to be the scariest games available, so why shouldn't the movie turn out as one of the scariest FILMS?
But it's not being advance-screened for critics, which is never good. Just because you're basing a film on a video game doesn't mean you HAVE to make it bad....

[Lord Dalek]

What would have been truly scary was if The Wild had taken #1. I'd even prefer The Benchwarmers to that. If yet another "wacky animals in a crazy situation" CGI film succeeded, that would be all we'd get for 20 years.

I had high hopes for Silent Hill. I really did. The games are supposed to be the scariest games available, so why shouldn't the movie turn out as one of the scariest FILMS?
But it's not being advance-screened for critics, which is never good. Just because you're basing a film on a video game doesn't mean you HAVE to make it bad....

Well that about makes it a surefire turkey. Disney did the same thing with The Wild (a first for them),

[tb4000]

Well, there are millions of fans of that game, so they may make up for any non-reviews. They'll go regardless.

[Hades]

Next weekend is all Silent Hill baby!! Unfortunately, nothing really big is coming out until X3, which is at the end of May, so who cares!

[Lord Dalek]

Next weekend is all Silent Hill baby!!

Prepare to be disappointed kiddo.

[Hero Supreme]

Next weekend is all Silent Hill baby!! Unfortunately, nothing really big is coming out until X3, which is at the end of May, so who cares!

mi 3 will probably do decent business,

[DarthGonzo]

Hmmm...Doogle flops...The Wild does badly...

Do you think the Dreamworks guys are getting worried about "Over the Hedge" possibly underperforming?

[RD!]

Disney's little advertised, little promoted CG film The Wild didn't even make $10 million as it opened with $9.5 million and a fourth place spot. Even though this was long in production before Madagascar, the problem was Madagascar was released first and because it resembled so much like it, The Wild came across as a knock off or copy cat (even though it's probably the other way around) and this hurt's it's box office performance. Disney knew it would do poorly and that's why they saved the advertising dollars for another movie.

I don't know if I agree with this. This could have made money. But I mean this was more than just little advertised, I didn't even know the movie existed until that copycat movie thread.

Honestly I want to see it out of pure spite.

[Lord Dalek]

I don't know if I agree with this. This could have made money. But I mean this was more than just little advertised, I didn't even know the movie existed until that copycat movie thread.

Honestly I want to see it out of pure spite.

Regardless I still wouldn't do it, RT has it at 19%.

By comparison Madagascar receieved a slightly less miserable 55%.

[RD!]

Not surprising, the last Disney film I saw, Chicken Little was total trash. But that got me thinking... that got heavily promoted and it was pretty much a ripoff of Dreamwork's stupid modern-day fairytale shtick. It also made money, I think.

[Robin2099]

I had high hopes for Silent Hill. I really did. The games are supposed to be the scariest games available, so why shouldn't the movie turn out as one of the scariest FILMS?
But it's not being advance-screened for critics, which is never good. Just because you're basing a film on a video game doesn't mean you HAVE to make it bad....

I wouldn't be amazed if the main fact that it isn't being advanced screened for critics is simply the fact that it's based on a videogame, which by and large most critics tear up just based on that simple fact.

[Hades]

mi 3 will probably do decent business,

Please tell me you do not mean Mission Impossible 3. Because if so, I don't understand why they even bothered with a second one. Both movies were total crap, and I'm quite sure this one will be as well. First off, it has Tom Cruise, so you already know it is going to be terrible. Second, it is based off an average series. Kind of like Miami Vice, only worse. But whatever, I've gotta get going or I'll get fired for missing my flight. Catch you later.

[Hero Supreme]

Please tell me you do not mean Mission Impossible 3. Because if so, I don't understand why they even bothered with a second one. Both movies were total crap, and I'm quite sure this one will be as well. First off, it has Tom Cruise, so you already know it is going to be terrible. Second, it is based off an average series. Kind of like Miami Vice, only worse. But whatever, I've gotta get going or I'll get fired for missing my flight. Catch you later.

say what you want about the mision impossible franchise, its made big money. and even though MI 2 was bad, it was #1 worldwide in 2000. its been long enough for peole to forget how lame it was, and tom cruise didnt seem to hurt war of the worlds last year. you may not be in line for missionimpossible 3, but plenty of people will be.

[Lord Dalek]

I wouldn't be amazed if the main fact that it isn't being advanced screened for critics is simply the fact that it's based on a videogame, which by and large most critics tear up just based on that simple fact.

They've prescreened every other videogame movie (including House of the Dead). The only reason why they wouldn't is that it's a rotten movie and they don't want the publicity, which is in itself an oxymoron since you are generating a lot of negative publicity by not showing it.

Also Mission: Impossible + "average series" = you never watched it.

[Baltofan]

For next week:

#1 Scary Movie 4
#2 Ice Age: The Meltdown
#3 The Wild
#4 Silent Hill
#5 American Dreamz

[peacebyanymeans]

Big movies start coming out at the begining of May.

MI:III
The DaVinci Code
X3

Well, there nicely spread apart... Though MI:III doesn't interest me.

[Silly McGooses]

45% up from last year's Easter. Things are looking good for the box office this year so far.

[Classic Speedy]

Also Mission: Impossible + "average series" = you never watched it.

Plus, "A Few Good Men" was great and Tom Cruise was in that.

About "The Wild": Every time I've seen commercials for the movie, it's the exact same one, and it includes a crotch gag. Even if the actual movie is decent, the commercials haven't exactly enticed me to see it.