`SHREK' SEES GREEN GROW.Byline: Greg GREG Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River (US National Park Service) Hernandez Staff Writer Breaking a slew of box office records wasn't was·n't Contraction of was not. wasn't was not wasn't be enough for ``Shrek 2.'' DreamWorks Studios said Monday that the animated sensation exceeded its weekend projections by a full $4 million, pushing its three-day haul up to a remarkable $108 million. The studio had estimated weekend ticket sales of $104.3 million, still the second-biggest opening weekend for any movie ever. It is behind only the record $114.8 million earned by ``Spider-Man'' in 2002. ``This was handled perfectly,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. ``They went a little conservative, which is a smart thing. The fact that it came out even higher is just gravy.'' DreamWorks had pushed up the release date of ``Shrek 2'' by two days to allow it to open on Wednesday and accumulate Accumulate Broker/analyst recommendation that could mean slightly different things depending on the broker/analyst. In general, it means to increase the number of shares of a particular security over the near term, but not to liquidate other parts of the portfolio to buy a security a five-day gross of $128.9 million. The higher final gross pushed the film's per screen average to nearly $26,000 per location, a remarkable feat given that ``Shrek 2'' bowed in a record 4,163 locations. No movie had ever surpassed the 4,000-theater figure before and there was some question as to whether any film could justify such an unprecedented wide release. ``It's obvious the demand met the supply of theaters,'' Dergarabedian said. ``Going into a lot of theaters and moving the release date up two days was genius. It allowed this film to build up a head of steam going into the weekend.'' On Saturday, ``Shrek 2'' grossed a record-shattering $44.3 million, the highest single day ever. It surpassed the $43.6 million earned by ``Spider- Man'' on its first Saturday two years ago. Meanwhile, ``Troy'' is a distant second-place domestically with $24.1 million but is tearing tear·ing n. Epiphora. up the competition internationally. The Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . epic opened in several countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, and Italy for a worldwide weekend gross of $51 million in 58 foreign markets. ``It's a timeless timeless, adj infinite, enduring, endless. story, and we always thought it would have tremendous appeal,'' said Veronika Kwan-Rubinek, head of international distribution at Warner Bros. ``It actually exceeded our expectations in most markets and we are absolutely thrilled thrill v. thrilled, thrill·ing, thrills v.tr. 1. To cause to feel a sudden intense sensation; excite greatly. 2. To give great pleasure to; delight. See Synonyms at enrapture. with the results.'' To date, ``Troy'' has grossed $86.1 million domestically and $146.9 million internationally. With $231 million in the till overall, it has surpassed the film's hefty heft·y adj. heft·i·er, heft·i·est 1. Of considerable weight; heavy. 2. Rugged and powerful. See Synonyms at heavy. 3. production and marketing budgets, which combined to amount to more than $200 million. Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com |
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