'SAHARA' ACTOR TAKES PROMO TREK TO THE HEARTLAND.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

Some people were a bit incredulous when Matthew McConaughey embarked on a six-week, 8,612-mile cross-country trek to promote the action-adventure film ``Sahara.''

For much of February and March, the actor was on the nation's highways behind the wheel of a Ford pickup, pulling an Airstream trailer painted to resemble a giant movie billboard on wheels.

As the star and a producer of the film, McConaughey is having the last laugh, after ``Sahara'' exceeded modest industry expectations to open No. 1 at the box office with a first-weekend gross of $18 million.

The Paramount Pictures release bumped last week's champ, ``Sin City,'' to second place and relegated the new romantic comedy ``Fever Pitch'' to a third-place bow. McConaughey's grass-roots campaign is believed to have been a contributing factor in the film's popularity in some parts of the country.

``The last time I can recall a star doing anything like that is when Paul Hogan did it for the original 'Crocodile Dundee,''' said Wayne Lewellen, Paramount's president of distribution. ``This seems to have had more of an impact than normal.''

The film, based on Clive Cussler's novels about the treasure-hunting adventures of Dirk Pitt, starred McConaughey as Pitt and co-starred Penelope Cruz and Steve Zahn. Opening weekend audiences were split evenly between males and females, while 64 percent of the audience was 25 years and up, older than the young males who usually dominate the moviegoing audience.

``I'm sure the publicity helped, especially with McConaughey touring the country, particularly middle America,'' said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo. ``The promotions do raise awareness of the picture, but, bottom line, if a movie is not appealing in its own right, it's not going to be a hit.''

With a production budget of around $130 million, ``Sahara'' will need all the ticket sales it can get in order to break even. While Paramount is distributing the movie, it was financed by Bristol Bay, a part of the Anschutz Film Group.

Despite McConaughey's movie-star looks, his box office record has been spotty. His most recent hit, ``How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,'' grossed more than $100 million domestic, as did the John Grisham racial drama ``A Time to Kill,'' which made him a star. But ``EDtv,'' ``Reign of Fire'' and ``The Newton Boys'' have been box office disappointments.

McConaughey's road trip provided the actor with plenty of anecdotes for a recent round of talk show appearances plugging the movie. He said many drivers who passed him on various highways would notice what he called the ``Saharastream'' and do a double-take once they realized the film's leading man was behind the wheel.

``It's like selling a movie from the inside out, is what it is,'' McConaughey wrote in a blog he kept for MTV.com during his journey (www.mtv.com).

``You can do all that press back in Los Angeles and New York. ... You don't get the particular and peculiar and cool questions that I've been getting, whether it's the attendant at the gas station or whether it's the neighbor at the RV park or it's someone that walks down and hands you a hot dog off the grill - everyone from people from 2 to 88 years old.''

His trip included stops at many smaller markets in the country, where he stayed in RV parks and mingled with locals.

``He was here two nights,'' said Providence Iddings, an employee at the Dakota Ridge RV Park in Golden Eagle, Colo. ``One of the TV stations announced he was at the park, and we started getting all these calls asking, 'Is he there?' 'Can we come over?' We said yes, and he was very friendly and down-to-earth, signing autographs and giving out T-shirts.''

``Sahara'' did more above-average business in the Southeast region of the country, average in Los Angeles, and below average in the Northeast and well as in Northern California.

``The picture was particularly strong in the smaller markets throughout the country,'' Lewellen said. ``I think the theme of the film and the look of the picture lent itself to those markets. Any time you can get a film to perform from the middle of the country out, it's a good sign for holding power.''

``Sahara'' was a dominant No. 1 film in Kansas City, where the actor had attended a screening of the film at AMC Barrywoods 24 less than a month ago and was greeted by several hundred people, AMC spokeswoman Pam Blase said Monday.

``Matthew joked with our theater managing director, Bill Crutcher, that he expected to see some strong grosses from Barrywoods,'' Blase said. ``And sure enough, it was No. 1 at the box office opening weekend.''

Greg Hernandez, [phone]

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) McConaughey jokes and signs autographs for members of the Air Force's 5th Combat Communications Squadron at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.

(2) Matthew McConaughey sits waiting to shoot a promotional segment during his cross-country trip to promote ``Sahara.''