COMEDY, TRAGEDY ATTRACTING AUDIENCE `WTC' JUST GOT MORE REAL.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer Before Paramount Pictures could even celebrate the solid first-day grosses for its movie ``World Trade Center'' Thursday morning, news of a terrorist plot to blow up passenger airplanes was already dominating the airwaves airwaves Noun, pl Informal radio waves used in radio and television broadcasting . The twist has many wondering how this might affect the opening weekend box office performance of the Oliver Stone-directed drama about two Port Authority officers who became trapped in the rubble of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001. ``I think what it does is make the movie more relevant and will resonate res·o·nate v. res·o·nat·ed, res·o·nat·ing, res·o·nates v.intr. 1. To exhibit or produce resonance or resonant effects. 2. with audiences in a profound way given these recent events,'' observed Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. ``But to me, this is not a movie that was released to make big bucks anyway; it's about getting an important story told.'' ``WTC'' earned $4.4 million on Wednesday, its first day in theaters. That is beyond expectations and finished only slightly behind current number one movie ``Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby,'' which earned $4.5 million. ``The school of thought is that any publicity is good publicity,'' said box office analyst Robert Bucksbaum, president of Reel Source Inc. ``Everyone is reflecting on what happened on Sept. 11 now more than they did last week because of (Thursday's) events.'' The movie stars Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena as the trapped officers and Maria Bello Maria Elana Bello (born April 18, 1967) is a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. Biography Early life Bello was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania to an Italian American father and a Polish American mother. and Maggie Gyllenhaal Maggie Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress. She is the older sister of Jake Gyllenhaal and the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner. as their wives. Gitesh Pandya, president of BoxOfficeGuru.com, said ``WTC'' has been a tricky Adrian Thaws (born January 27, 1968), better known as Tricky, is an English rapper and musician important in the trip hop and British music scene (despite loathing the "trip hop" tag). He is noted for a whispering lyrical style that is half-rapped, half-sung. sell from the beginning. ``I think there certainly will be a segment of the population that will not see this movie because they will think it's too soon for them even five years later,'' said Pandya, a New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. resident. ``I know some people just will not see it. But overall, there's still solid interest from outside the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of area where people are not as involved in the tragedy.'' The studio itself on Thursday was not sure how the real-life events would impact its movie about real-life events. A spokesperson said its expectations all along have been modest with a three-day total in the teens acceptable. Still, Paramount, a unit of Viacom, would like another hit film this summer. The studio reported this week a third-quarter profit of $6.4 million -- a significant turnaround Turnaround A situation where a company that has had poor performance for an extended period of time experiences a positive reversal. Notes: A speculator may profit from a turnaround if he or she accurately anticipates the improvement of a poorly performing company. from a $20 million loss during the same quarter 12 months earlier. The earnings were boosted by the box office performance of its animated ``Over the Hedge'' release and, to a lesser degree, of ``Mission Impossible III'' and ``Nacho Libre.'' Pandya believes ``WTC'' will draw primarily older viewers although Paramount has made a concerted effort to market the movie to a younger demographic. ``Certainly for the five-day period of Wednesday through Sunday Sunday: see Sabbath; week. , it should earn more than $20 million and possibly end up in the mid-$20 million range,'' he said. ``The competition for adults in August is pretty weak so this movie will have that audience all to itself.'' greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com (818)713-3758 |
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