'HARRY' SHORT OF MAKING HISTORY.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' missed becoming the fastest movie to cross the $100 million mark in ticket sales but the Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . adventure-fantasy was poised to tie that movie industry record Tuesday. In its first four days of release, ``Harry Potter'' earned an astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, $96.9 million in theaters, adding $6.6 million in ticket sales Monday. It has already broken numerous box office records and by making at least $100 million in five days, the movie would equal the 1999 record set by ``Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace.'' ``Harry Potter'' could also go on to anchor a historic Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally one of the strongest moviegoing holidays of the year. The number to beat is the record $245 million set last year, led by ``Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas,'' ``Unbreakable'' and other films. That same weekend, a three-day record of $171.1 million was also set. ``That's an enormous figure from last year, but I think we have a shot at breaking it,'' said Dan Marks, executive vice president of ACNielson EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) The electronic communication of business transactions, such as orders, confirmations and invoices, between organizations. Third parties provide EDI services that enable organizations with different equipment to connect. , which tracks the industry's box office. ``History has shown that pictures which open ahead of the (Thanksgiving) period either sustain themselves or have a chance of going up,'' Marks said. ``We expect to see some good things.'' Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com, believes ``Harry Potter'' could make as much as $70 million in its second week as it continues to show on a record 8,200 screens with multiple bookings at megaplexes around the country. ``I think 'Harry Potter' will have a very small decline and should lead us to a record Thanksgiving box office weekend,'' Pandya said. ``It has good word of mouth and a built-in audience.'' Based on the first of s series of books written by British author J.K. Rowling, ``Harry Potter'' has, in less than a week, already proved itself to be the movie event of the season. The film has loomed so large that rival studios have mostly stayed clear of its path so far. But some counterscheduling is beginning to take place with several films being released today that are aimed at teen and adult audiences. They include: the adventure-drama ``Spy Games,'' starring Robert Redford Noun 1. Robert Redford - United States actor and filmmaker who starred with Paul Newman in several films (born in 1936) Charles Robert Redford, Redford and Brad Pitt; the Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence[1] (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor. comedy ``Black Knight''; the Edward Burns
snowboarding Sport of sliding downhill over snow on a snowboard, a wide ski ridden in a surfing position. Derived from surfing and influenced also by skateboarding as well as skiing, snowboarding began to burgeon comedy-drama ``Out Cold.'' Major releases on tap next month include the highly-anticipated ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Ali'' starring Will Smith, the Tom Cruise film ``Vanilla vanilla, a plant of the genus Vanilla of the family Orchidaceae (orchid family). Vines of hot, damp climates, most are indigenous to Central and South America, especially Mexico, but are now cultivated in other tropical regions. Sky'' and ``Ocean's 11'' with an all-star cast led by Julia Roberts, George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (May 6, 1961) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter who gained fame as the lead doctor in the long-running television drama, ER and Pitt. Meanwhile, Disney's ``Monster's, Inc.'' has continued to perform strong, making $22.7 million in its third week for a total gross of $156.3 million so far. ``I do like that there is something for every main demographic group,'' Marks said. ``I think there's room for all of them.'' |
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