GLOBAL EFFECT BOX-OFFICE BOOST, BROADER RELEASE FOR HOLLYWOOD'S AWARD WINNERS.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer After ``Dreamgirls'' won the Golden Globe for Best Picture-Comedy or Musical on Monday night, producer Laurence Mark took the stage and quipped, ``We appreciate this honor, and I'm sure we'll be advertising it in about 10 seconds.'' His line got knowing laughs from the star-studded crowd inside the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. But he was only slightly exaggerating. Paramount Pictures said Tuesday that it would be expanding ``Dreamgirls'' into 250 more locations on Friday, raising its theater count to more than 2,000 for the first time since its release last month. ``With the Globes, you do get a lot of publicity -- especially when you win,'' said Jim Tharp, Paramount's head of distribution. Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com, believes ``Dreamgirls'' is now safely on its way to being a blockbuster. ``I think `Dreamgirls' is in a great position coming out of the Globes,'' he said. ``It has the most Golden Globes and three very notable ones. That will help widen the appeal of the film and allow it to secure even more screens and certainly send it over the $100 million mark in the weeks to come.'' In addition to the Best Picture win, cast members Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981) is an Academy Award-winning American actress and singer. She first gained notice as one of the finalists on the third season of the FOX television series American Idol. and 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. won awards in the Best Supporting categories, giving the movie three high-profile wins overall. ``All the films that got a lot of attention stand to benefit from their heightened Globe presence,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm Media By Numbers. ``I think `Dreamgirls' is going to bask in the afterglow afterglow small amounts of light emitted by a phosphor after the stimulating radiation has ceased. Seen in x-ray intensifying screens and fluoroscopic screens. of those Golden Globe wins.'' But Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. Brandon Gray started the site in August 1998 and claims to now receive over one million monthly visitors. , is more skeptical. ``The award shows are a bit overrated Overrated was a Horde World of Warcraft guild, based on the US Black Dragonflight Realm. On November 2 2006, the majority of the guild members were indefinitely banned from the game for use of (or directly benefiting from) a third-party "wall-hack", used to bypass content in that regard,'' Gray said. ``It's mostly what the studios do with marketing during this short time of awards which can give them a new reason to relaunch Relaunch can refer to several things:
Paramount has done a rather slow roll-out of ``Dreamgirls,'' opening in only a few theaters in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , 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 and San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden for two weeks before finally expanding on Christmas Day. Since musicals can be a hard sell, the idea was to create a strong buzz around the movie before going wider. But some have wondered if the studio has been too conservative in its roll-out and could have a far higher gross than the $65.2 million the movie has taken in to date. ``We're happy with it,'' Tharp insisted. ```Dreamgirls' just plays so well to full auditoriums, and part of the positive word of mouth has had to do with the auditoriums being full.'' Boost for `Babel' The night's other big winner was ``Babel Babel (bā`bəl) [Heb.,=confused], in the Bible, place where Noah's descendants (who spoke one language) tried to build a tower reaching up to heaven to make a name for themselves. ,'' which took home the trophy for Best Picture-Drama. The film, released by Paramount Vantage, is currently in just 173 theaters. But that number is expected to grow to at least 800 locations this weekend, the studio confirmed Tuesday. ``Babel'' has grossed just $21.4 million to date and its commercial prospects seem far less certain than those of ``Dreamgirls.'' ``For a film like `Babel,' this was really a key win in terms of its potential box office and they will turn right around and take advantage of the increased demand for their film by offering a better supply of the film,'' Dergarabedian said. There are also expansions planned this weekend for two films that won key Globes in the acting categories: Miramax's ``The Queen'' and Fox Searchlight's ``The Last King of Scotland.'' Oscar front-runner Helen Mirren won the Best Actress-Drama Globe as she continues to dominate the award season for her performance as Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, or Elizabeth, may refer to: Living people
Bohemia ``Scotland,'' for which Forest Whitaker won the Best Actor-Drama award, has barely been seen, grossing a mere $3.7 million to date. But it will expand from just four locations to more than 400 on Friday. greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com (818)713-3758 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) ``Dreamgirls'' stands to have a big boost at the box office after winning three major Golden Globe awards Monday night, including Best Picture-Comedy or Musical. Paramount Pictures (2 -- color) ``Babel,'' starring Cate Blanchett Catherine Élise Blanchett (born May 14, 1969), better known as Cate Blanchett, is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning Australian actress. She has also won various awards, most notably including two SAGs and two BAFTAs, making her one of a few actors who won all , above, will likely triple its number of releases in theaters after winning Best Picture-Drama at the Golden Globes. Paramount Vantage |
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