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Daily News
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Passion Makes It a Hatrick
For the third straight weekend, Newmarket Films' The Passion of the Christ
remains at the top of the heap.
Monday, March 15, 2004
By Mark Umbach
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Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ completed a holy triad this weekend
by taking the number one North American box office spot for the third straight
weekend. With another $31.7 million from the weekend, down 40% compared to last
weekend, the 19-day cume for the Newmarket Films-released The Passion
has risen to $264 million - making it currently the 23rd highest-grossing movie
of all time.
At the end of next weekend, Passion will most likely surpass Warner
Bros.' The Matrix Reloaded as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all
time. Reloaded had picked up $281.5 million during its theatrical run.
With its repeat performance at number one, The Passion also joins The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as only the second film in a year
to spend three consecutive weekends at number one. Back in March 2003 Buena
Vista's Bringing Down the House spent three weekends in the number one
slot.
The Passion has also become the highest-grossing independent title of
all-time. Prior to the weekend, the IFC comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding
($241.4 million) had held that title.
Of the two new wide releases of the weekend, the Johnny Depp-starring Secret
Window from Sony Pictures fared better with a number two finish. Based on
a Stephen King short story, the thriller, which David Koepp both adapted and
directed, came up with an estimated $19 million, placing it just where pre-release
estimates had figured.
Now in its second weekend, the Warner Bros. comedy Starsky & Hutch
squeezed into third place. The film dropped off 43% compared to its bow last
weekend and added another $16 million to its totals. After ten days in release,
the Ben Stiller/Owen Wilson buddy cop comedy, based on the popular 1970's TV
series, has scored about $51.5 million.
Buena Vista's Hidalgo, starring Viggo Mortenson, raced to the fourth
position during its sophomore frame with an estimated $11.7 million in receipts.
Down only 38% compared with last weekend, the Joe Johnston-directed drama has
racked up $35.5 million after ten days in release.
The weekend's other new entry, MGM's Agent Cody Banks: Destination London,
bowed in a disappointing fifth place with an $8 million opening. The family
film stars Frankie Muniz in his second adventure as a young spy. Anthony Anderson
and Hannah Spearritt co-star in the Kevin Allen-directed project.
Sony's 50 First Dates finished the weekend in the sixth spot with $5.3
million and became the distrib's first film released this year, and the
year's second, to cross the $100 million mark as it has made its way to $106.6
million thus far. Following Dates was the Ashley Judd/Samuel L. Jackson
thriller Twisted, which finished the weekend with $3.1 million in seventh
place.
Eighth place went to the teen comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,
which reigned over $2.4 million this weekend. The year's big Oscar winner, New
Line Cinema's The Return of the King, came across the finish line in
ninth place with $2.1 million.
Warner Bros. opened the thriller Spartan in a mid-size 832 theaters
and watched as the bow of the Val Kilmer starrer took a tenth place finish with
a disappointing $2 million. The film, written and directed by David Mamet, centers
on the investigation surrounding the kidnapping of a political figure.
Also racing into theaters this weekend was Warner Bros.' NASCAR: The Imax
Experience. During its first outing, the film brought in $1.5 million from
68 venues, marking the biggest opening ever for an Imax original. The film averaged
$22,059 per theater.
On the limited side, the Danish dramedy Wilbur (Wants to Kill Himself)
from ThinkFilm played on two screens in New York, and with an average of $7,619,
brought in $15,238. Sony Pictures Classics welcomed the drama Broken Wings
into five theaters in Los Angeles and New York. The Hebrew-language film grossed
$27,679, or $5,536 per theater.
| SPC's Good bye, Lenin! continued to play strong in 16 venues, 10 more
than last weekend, with $122,258 worth of business from the weekend. The film
averaged $7,641 per theater and has grossed $296,217 to date. IFC Films' documentary
Touching the Void played in an additional 22 theaters, for a total 137,
and climbed its way to an estimated $333,000, or $2,430 per site, for a $2.6
million cume.
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United Artists' Golden Globe-winning Afghanistan drama Osama was in 12
more theaters and grossed $105,000, or $3,894 per venue, for a $646,000 cume.
Passion will have to fight off three new wide releases if it hopes to
hold on to the number one spot for the fourth straight weekend. Focus Features
unveils the Jim Carrey starrer Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,
Universal unspools the horror remake Dawn of the Dead and Warner Bros.
bows the Angelina Jolie/Ethan Hawke suspenser Taking Lives.
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