BOX OFFICE SLUMP NOW A RECORD.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer Box office history was made Sunday, but not the kind the movie industry likes to trumpet on marquees or in newspaper ads. For an unprecedented 18th consecutive week, weekend ticket sales trailed 2004 totals as top-grossing ``Batman Begins'' and new releases ``Bewitched be·witch tr.v. be·witched, be·witch·ing, be·witch·es 1. To place under one's power by or as if by magic; cast a spell over. 2. To captivate completely; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. ,'' ``Herbie: Fully Loaded,'' and ``Land of the Dead'' failed to stop a slump that now has year-to-date attendance down by nearly 10 percent. ``We have to break this slump,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. ``Then we have to come back from an attendance deficit so that, at the end of the year, we don't end up with movie attendance being down for the third year in a row.'' The previous record was set 20 years ago when Hollywood suffered through 17 straight down weekends. The top 12 movies this weekend grossed an estimated $116.5 million, down 15.8 percent from the same weekend a year ago. Despite the gloomy box office picture overall, there were some bright spots, including a solid sophomore weekend for Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' ``Batman Begins,'' which took in an additional $26.8 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. ``We're thrilled that we hit No. 1 two weeks in a row,'' said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' executive vice president and general sales manager sales manager n → gerente m/f de ventas sales manager n → directeur commercial sales manager sale n → of domestic distribution. ``It shows that the audience likes it and that word of mouth is strong.'' The revival of the Batman franchise, starring Christian Bale and directed by Christopher Nolan, has a domestic gross of $121.7 million to date. Opening in second place was the comedy ``Bewitched,'' starring Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell John William "Will" Ferrell (born July 16, 1967[1]) is an Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated American comedian, impressionist, writer and actor who first established himself as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, . The remake re·make tr.v. re·made , re·mak·ing, re·makes To make again or anew. n. 1. The act of remaking. 2. Something in remade form, especially a new version of an earlier movie or song. of the TV classic took in an estimated $20.2 million in its debut weekend. The picture, which was released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, had ticket sales that were in line with industry predictions. ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith,'' starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, continued to perform strongly with a third-place finish Noun 1. third-place finish - a finish in third place (as in a race) finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the winner is the team with the . The 20th Century Fox release took in an estimated $16.7 million and has earned $125.4 million after three weeks in theaters. The G-rated Disney comedy ``Herbie: Fully Loaded'' starring Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan (born July 2 1986) is an American actress and pop music singer. Lohan started in show business as a child fashion model for magazine advertisement and television commercials. drove into fourth place, grossing an estimated $12.7 million over the weekend. The family film was released on Wednesday and has a five-day total of $17.8 million. Disney executives were encouraged by the 19 percent jump in ticket sales ``Herbie'' enjoyed from Friday to Saturday. ``We believe this is a huge trend,'' said Chuck Viane, president of Disney's Buena Vista Distribution
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. is the motion picture and television feature distribution company owned by The Walt Disney Company. . ``This is word of mouth coming into play in the marketplace. We believe that you will now see very, very consistent midweek business running right into the July 4 holiday.'' Rounding out the top 5 was the new zombie A computer that has been covertly taken over in order to perform some nefarious task. It is estimated that millions of PCs around the world have been compromised and, under the control of a third party, routinely transmit messages unbeknownst to the user. film ``Land of the Dead,'' directed by George A. Romero, co-writer and director of the original 1968 ``Night of the Living Dead.'' The film, released by Universal Pictures, grossed an estimated $10.2 million. ``It met expectations,'' said Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of distribution. ``It was a very modestly budgeted film, and we believe there is going to be continued This article is about the Elton John box set. For the plot device commonly featuring the phrase "To be continued", see Cliffhanger. To Be Continued life.'' Although ``Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith'' fell out of the top four for the first time, the film added an estimated $6.2 million to its impressive domestic total, which has now reached $358.6 million. This was enough to move ``Sith'' into 10th place on the list of all-time blockbusters. With Hollywood's box office slump threatening to head into its fifth month, there are high expectations for ``War of the Worlds,'' starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg Noun 1. Steven Spielberg - United States filmmaker (born in 1947) Spielberg . The remake of the H.G. Wells story opens Wednesday. While ``Worlds'' should attract big crowds, its opening weekend grosses will be compared to those of ``Spider-Man 2,'' which bowed the same week a year ago and grossed $88.1 million Friday through Sunday. ``It's going to be another tough week,'' Dergarabedian said. Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com 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. ``Batman Begins,'' $26.8 million. 2. ``Bewitched,'' $20.2 million. 3. ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith,'' $16.75 million. 4. ``Herbie: Fully Loaded,'' $12.75 million. 5. ``George Romero's Land of the Dead,'' $10.2 million. 6. ``Madagascar,'' $7.3 million. 7. ``Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith,'' $6.25 million. 8. ``The Longest Yard,'' $5.5 million. 9. ``The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D,'' $3.4 million. 10. ``Cinderella Man,'' $3.3 million. CAPTION(S): box Box: TOP MOVIES (see text) |
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