'SCOOBY-DOO' TOP DOG POOCH FETCHES STAGGERING $56.4 MILLION AT BOX OFFICE.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' ``Scooby-Doo'' recorded the largest June opening in movie history by grossing an estimated $56.4 million at the box office, an enormous figure that stunned most in the movie industry. The live-action adaptation of the cartoon classic overcame mostly poor reviews to connect with audiences of all ages. The film far exceeded the expectations of box office experts as well as those of Warner Bros., which confirmed Sunday that it plans to release a ``Scooby-Doo'' sequel in June 2004. ``We had a terrific audience composition based on 'Scooby' fans from ages 8 to 80,'' said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros. ``That included families, children, college age and grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl .'' Until Scooby became June's top dog, the month's highest opening had belonged to ``Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged shag 1 n. 1. A tangle or mass, especially of rough matted hair. 2. a. A coarse long nap, as on a woolen cloth. b. Cloth having such a nap. 3. A rug with a thick rough pile. Me'' which bowed with a gross of $54.9 million in June 1999. ``Scooby-Doo'' easily held off challenges from new wide releases ``The Bourne Bourne, town (1990 pop. 16,064), Barnstable co., SE Mass., crossed by Cape Cod Canal; settled 1627, inc. 1884. Bourne Bridge (1935), across the canal, made the town an entry point to Cape Cod and a resort and commercial center. Identity'' and ``Windtalkers'' and also bumped the season's blockbusters ``Spider-Man'' and ``Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones'' out of the top five for the first time. Still, Matt Damon's star turn as an action hero in Universal Pictures' ``Bourne'' made an impressive splash in the No. 2 slot grossing an estimated $27.5 million. ``This is a higher level of business than we expected in this very competitive environment,'' said Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal. ``But Matt Damon really shines in this film, and it screened very well. We had a feeling it was going to be successful.'' MGM's World War II drama ``Windtalkers'' opened in a distant third place with an estimated gross of $14.5 million. Starring Nicolas Cage and directed by John Woo For other uses, see . John Woo Yu-Sen (Chinese: 吳宇森; Pinyin: Wú Yǔsēn , the film received mostly positive reviews but was overshadowed by ``Scooby-Doo'' and ``Bourne.'' Its weak debut continues MGM's subpar sub·par adj. 1. Not measuring up to traditional standards of performance, value, or production. 2. Below par in a hole, round, or game of golf. year at the box office. ``Given the number of combat films that have come before it this year, I think it did pretty well, but I'm sure they were hoping for more,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Paramount Pictures' ``The Sum of All Fears'' finished just behind ``Windtalkers'' with a solid third-weekend gross of $13.5 million, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. studio estimates. The film, which stars Ben Affleck, had spent its first two weeks in the No. 1 spot and has grossed an impressive $84.5 million to date despite dropping to fourth place. Rounding out the top five was Warner Bros.' ``Divine Secrets of the Ya- Ya Sisterhood'' which added an estimated $9.8 million to its grosses during its second weekend in theaters. The film, featuring an ensemble cast An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows for flexibility for writers to focus on different led by Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her leading roles in a series of late 1990s and early 2000s thrillers, including Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy and High Crimes. and Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born December 7, 1932, as Edna Rae Gillooly in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. Personal Life Because her parents divorced when she was young, Ellen says she only remembers seeing her father one time when she , has a cumulative total of $34.9 million so far. The huge opening for ``Scooby-Doo'' marked the third largest bow for any film in 2002, behind only the $114.8 million opening for ``Spider-Man'' and the $80 million debut for ``Clones.'' ``Clones'' added another $9.2 million to its coffers to finish in sixth place. The film, distributed by 20th Century Fox and produced by Lucasfilm, has earned a blockbuster size $270.5 million during its five weeks of release and seems assured of passing the $300 million milestone this summer. ``Spider-Man'' finished in seventh place during its seventh week of release. Already the year's biggest hit and the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time, the Columbia Pictures release added $7.4 million to its total for a cumulative gross of $382.4 million edging it ever close to the rarely achieved milestone of $400 million. TOP MOVIES Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released today. 1. ``Scooby-Doo,'' $56.4 million. 2. ``The Bourne Identity,'' $27.5 million. 3. ``Windtalkers,'' $14.5 million. 4. ``The Sum of All Fears,'' $13.5 million. 5. ``Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is a novel written by Rebecca Wells. It is the sequel to Little Altars Everywhere. Unlike its predecessor, which is a series of short stories, Divine Secrets is a novel. ,'' $9.8 million. 6. ``Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,'' $9.2 million. 7. ``Spider-Man,'' $7.4 million. 8. ``Bad Company,'' $6.1 million. 9. ``Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,'' $5.5 million. 10. ``Undercover Brother,'' $4.6 million. CAPTION(S): box Box: TOP MOVIES (see text) |
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