'THE MATRIX'S' POWER VERY REAL SEQUEL GENERATES $93.3 MILLION WEEKEND.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer ``The Matrix Reloaded'' scored the second-highest opening weekend of any film in history as the cyber (1) From "cybernetics," it is a prefix attached to everyday words to add a computer, electronic or online connotation. The term is similar to "virtual," but the latter is used more frequently. See virtual. epic took in a spectacular $93.3 million during its Friday through Sunday showings, 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 released Sunday. The total surpassed the $90.2 million earned by ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' when it bowed in December 2001, but fell short of the record $114.8 million debut of ``Spider-Man'' a year ago. ``Reloaded'' still has plenty of records to itself: the highest four-day total of any movie ever ($135.8 million); the most successful debut of an R-rated movie ever; and the biggest opening for a Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . release in the studio's history. The highly anticipated sequel to 1999's ``The Matrix'' is already dwarfing In horticulture dwarfing is considered a desirable characteristic in modern orchards, where genetic dwarfs may be selected and propagated, or more often, scions are grafted on to dwarfing rootstocks. its predecessor's box-office numbers. Grosses from its first four days have already exceeded what the original film made during its first five weeks. The first film went on to gross $171.4 million and has become a home video favorite. ``I think the success of the DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. has broadened the fan base of the movie to make it a cultural phenomenon,'' said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. president of distribution. ``People really love the movie. Some are into the story, others into the visuals. It crosses over all borders.'' ``Reloaded'' bowed on a record 8,517 screens on its official opening Thursday. It had thousands of sold-out ``sneak preview'' showings Wednesday night for a combined $42.5 million in ticket sales. While the film starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III[1] (born July 30 1961) is an American Academy Award-nominated, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actor of screen and stage, as well as playwright, director, and producer. failed to match the ``Spider-Man'' opening, it is poised to surpass the first-week record of $151.6 million set by ``Spider-Man'' by Tuesday. The R-rating for ``Reloaded'' was initially thought to hurt its chances of achieving box-office immortality immortality, attribute of deathlessness ascribed to the soul in many religions and philosophies. Forthright belief in immortality of the body is rare. Immortality of the soul is a cardinal tenet of Islam and is held generally in Judaism, although it is not an , since the previous highest-opening for any R-rated film was the $58 million earned by ``Hannibal'' in 2001. But audiences, according to the studio, were filled with families. ``Despite the R-rating, this film was able to become a mainstream blockbuster,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. ``There's been no precedent for an R-rated film opening this wide in the summer, so we really didn't know what kind of effect it was going to have. Obviously, it didn't hurt the movie.'' While ``Reloaded'' was expected to dominate the weekend, what wasn't expected was the staying power of ``Daddy Day Care.'' The Sony Pictures Entertainment release starring Eddie Murphy Edward "Eddie" Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an Academy Award nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and comedian. He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, and has worked as a stand-up comedian. ended up being ideal counterprogramming In broadcasting, counterprogramming is the practice of offering programs to attract an audience from another station airing a major event. Television The main events counterprogrammed are the Super Bowl and the Oscars. as it climbed past last week's box-office champ ``X2: X-Men United'' to remain in second place with an estimated gross of $19.2 million. ``Positioned between the two monsters 'The Matrix Reloaded' and 'X2,' we always felt the film could find its way through, and it certainly has,'' said Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony. ``People really like this movie. It's a solid, warm family film.'' The audience for ``Daddy'' dropped a modest 30 percent in its second week, giving the film a cumulative gross of $51.4 million to date. ``X2'' saw its audience drop by 57 percent in its third week in theaters, not surprising with the saturation of ``Reloaded.'' The 20th Century Fox release earned $17.1 million and has so far grossed a stellar $174 million. Fox's stab at counterprogramming with the week's other new release, ``Down With Love,'' resulted in a fourth-place finish for the Renee Zellweger/Ewan McGregor romantic comedy. The film grossed $7.6 million, which Fox Distribution President Bruce Snyder Bruce Snyder (born March 14, 1940 in Santa Monica, California) was the head football coach of Utah State University from 1976 to 1982. He was the head football coach of the University of California from 1987 to 1991. said was ``a pretty good start for a female-driven movie.'' Overall, movie-going soared above last weekend by 52.3 percent and nearly kept pace with the same weekend a year ago. TOP 10 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 Monday. 1. ``The Matrix Reloaded,'' $93.3 million. 2. ``Daddy Day Care,'' $19.2 million. 3. ``X2: X-Men United,'' $17.1 million. 4. ``Down With Love.'' $7.6 million. 5. ``The Lizzie McGuire
Lizzie McGuire is a Disney Channel Original Series that aired on the Disney Channel from 2001 to 2004. Its target demographic was preteens and adolescents. Movie,'' $4.5 million. 6. ``Anger Management,'' $3.6 million. 7. ``Identity,'' $3.4 million. 8. ``Holes,'' $3 million. 9. ``A Mighty Wind,'' $1.7 million. 10. ``Bend It Like Beckham,'' $1.5 million CAPTION(S): box Box: TOP 10 (see text) |
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