HOW BIG A `MENACE'? `PHANTOM' NOT THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN.Byline: Dave McNary Daily News Staff Writer ``This technological terror is insignificant compared to the power of the Force.'' - Darth Vader Darth Vader fallen Jedi Knight has turned to evil. [Am. Cinema: Star Wars] See : Evil in ``Star Wars'' That 22-year-old line may turn out to be disturbingly accurate for Hollywood. As the frenzy over ``Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'' builds toward the May 19 opening at 12:01 a.m., studio executives are losing sleep over how they can sweet-talk moviegoers into settling for something besides George Lucas' tale of how Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker is the central character in the Star Wars franchise. became Darth Vader. Here's Hollywood's problem: Cary Tobaben, a Los Angeles-based writer and clerk in his early 40s, normally would see half a dozen movies during the summer. That's going to change markedly in the next few weeks. ``I will be spending my movie dollars to see `Phantom Menace' over and over,'' Tobaben said recently. ``If I see it more than six times, then I probably need to question my social priorities, but six is quite acceptable.'' Is he interested in any other movie? ``Maybe `The Matrix' or `Austin Powers II,' but with the price of tickets and gasoline, I have to be careful,'' Tobaben said. ``My gut feeling gut feeling Intuition, visceral sensation is that since I will probably cut back, I may have to settle for seeing `Phantom Menace' only five times and that'll be it.'' It's already clear the summer of '99 will be unlike any other. At this time a year ago, the betting was ``Godzilla,'' ``Armageddon'' and ``X-Files'' would be the top-grossing movies of the summer; they turned out to be ``Saving Private Ryan,'' ``Armageddon'' and ``Something About Mary,'' with combined U.S. grosses of $590 million. ``Phantom Menace'' probably will top that number by itself, and could go far past ``Titanic's'' $600.7 million record. As a result, the classic summer ``popcorn'' movie - big stars, big special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. , massive budget - is gone this year with two exceptions: ``Phantom Menace'' and Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) .' ``Wild Wild West,'' starring Will Smith. Instead, the key word for studios is ``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. .'' Lucas and Fox have decreed that only the biggest and best-equipped U.S. auditoriums, only 4,000 in all, can play ``Phantom Menace.'' That leaves 30,000 other screens to fill from late May through August. So, rather than trying to offer films that are everything to everyone, studios have selected films that reliably can deliver a niche audience. The best example: two Julia Roberts romantic comedies - Universal's ``Notting Hill'' with co-star co·star also co-star n. A starring actor or actress given equal status with another or others in a play or film. tr. & intr.v. co·starred, co·star·ring, co·stars To act or present as a costar. Hugh Grant and Paramount's ``Runaway Bride'' - that will open within nine weeks of each other. The summer also will see a trio from the ever-dependable horror genre: Sony's ``13th Floor,'' DreamWorks' ``The Haunting'' and Sony's ``Deep Blue Sea.'' And in a completely predictable move, Disney has staked out its usual slots in mid-June and late July for two promising family features: ``Tarzan'' and ``Inspector Gadget.'' ``I'm excited because we have a very good, somewhat eclectic schedule,'' said Robert Friedman, vice chairman of Paramount's motion picture group. ``I am concerned about `Star Wars,' but we're comfortable that our movies are different enough.'' Paramount, which finished a close second to Disney last year for the box-office title despite releasing fewer than a dozen movies, has four summer entries: the John Travolta thriller ``The General's Daughter''; ``South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut''; Roberts' ``Runaway Bride''; and ``The Wood,'' a coming-of-age story set in Inglewood. But much of how well everything performs comes back to ``Phantom Menace.'' ``A rising tide lifts all boats The aphorism "a rising tide lifts all boats" is associated with the idea that improvements in the general economy will benefit all participants in that economy, and that economic policy, particularly government economic policy, should therefore focus on the general macroeconomic ,'' said Kevin Skislock, an entertainment consultant with Laguna Research Partners. ``You want the flagship movie to work out so the fleet can have fair sailing. This is going to be one of the greatest summers since 1977, when `Star Wars' created a very good feeling about going to the movies, and you had `Saturday Night Fever' and `Close Encounters of the Third Kind' do great business.'' Is there any chance that ``Phantom Menace'' won't deliver? Observers say no way. ``My gut feeling is that the word `huge' doesn't even describe how `Phantom Menace' is going to do,'' said Drew Devlin, an executive with Clark Film Buying in Buying in has several meanings. In the securities market it refers to a process by which the buyer of securities, whose seller fails to deliver the securities contracted for, can 'buy in' the securities from a third party with the defaulting seller to make good. Bozeman, Mont. ```Titanic' caught everyone by surprise, but this is a movie that people have been waiting for since `Return of the Jedi' in 1983.'' Devlin pointed out that 1997's re-release of ``Star Wars'' topped $140 million domestically after the original grossed $322 million. ``The reissue re·is·sue v. re·is·sued, re·is·su·ing, re·is·sues v.tr. To issue again, especially to make available again. v.intr. To come forth again. n. 1. primed the pump and whetted everyone's appetite,'' he said. ```Phantom Menace' will play throughout the summer, and it will be a great film, based on what we've seen from the trailers.'' Much of this summer's profit goes to Lucas, since he financed the $120 million movie, while Fox merely receives a 10 percent distribution fee. Lucas has issued one of the most conservative performance estimates at $400 million in domestic ticket sales. Robert Bucksbaum, whose Reel Source service advises theater chains on box-office prospects for upcoming films, believes it will take in $475 million. ``I'm one of the few who don't think it will beat `Titanic,' which had the perfect time frame,'' Bucksbaum explained. ```Titanic' had the advantage of opening when it was very competitive for the first few weeks, then it had the Academy Awards buzz, and then it won. It appealed to every single market; the only people who didn't go more than once were males over 45.'' Here's why Bucksbaum believes ``Titanic'' will keep the record: female moviegoers generally and older women specifically may have limited interest in ``Phantom Menace''; additionally, films playing during the past three Memorial Day weekends (``Godzilla,'' ``The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' and ``Mission: Impossible'') all saw huge drops in business during the following weeks. ``Don't get me wrong - $475 million is huge, but we think $600 million is too much to ask,'' Bucksbaum said. So, here's the bottom line for summer: There's ``Phantom Menace'' and then there's everything else. Last summer, nine movies reached $100 million domestically; that number could be as few as half a dozen this summer. Three of those - ``Wild Wild West,'' New Line's ``Austin Powers II'' and Disney's ``Tarzan'' - have outside shots at $200 million. The early favorite as this summer's No. 2 is ``Wild Wild West,'' based on Smith's string of hits - ``Independence Day,'' ``Men in Black'' and ``Enemy of the State'' - and eye-popping special effects. It doesn't hurt that the movie, based on the '60s television show, has the prime July 2 release date. But there have been rumors that the budget on the film has ballooned and new scenes have been shot recently. Some industry executives think No. 2 will go to ``Austin Powers II,'' thanks to the great buzz from its masterful trailer spoofing (1) Faking the sending address of a transmission in order to gain illegal entry into a secure system. See e-mail spoofing. (2) Creating fake responses or signals in order to keep a session active and prevent timeouts. ``Star Wars.'' And in recent months, ``Tarzan'' has picked up a lot of buzz after Disney took the unusual step of screening the film, even though some parts were not yet completed, to an appreciative crowd of theater owners at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. . ``We felt sharing `Tarzan' with the exhibitors at that point would set it up as a blockbuster,'' said Disney distribution executive Chuck Viane. ``And I think doing that has put it into a special category.'' Other projects with $100 million potential: Paramount's ``Runaway Bride This article is about meanings of Runaway bride. For other uses of the word Runaway, see Runaway. A runaway bride is a bride who runs away from the wedding chapel, usually shortly before the ceremony, often due to so-called cold feet. ,'' with Roberts and Richard Gere. ``People remember the chemistry from `Pretty Woman,''' said Bucksbaum. ``It's the prototypical date-crowd movie.'' Sony's ``Big Daddy,'' starring Adam Sandler, which opens June 25. Sandler's last two films grossed $240 million combined. Universal's high school sex comedy ``American Pie,'' which Bucksbaum sees as a ``Porky's for the '90s.'' Warner Bros.' much-anticipated ``Eyes Wide Shut,'' starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in director Stanley Kubrick's last movie before he died. Universal's ``The Mummy,'' opening Friday. The trailer, highly reminiscent of the ``Indiana Jones'' films, has gotten strong response. Paramount's ``The General's Daughter,'' due June 11, with Travolta as a military investigator. ``It's a lot like `Patriot Games,''' said Paramount's Friedman. ``We think this will appeal to all audiences.'' Even though each carries an indefinable ``buzz'' of being a potential hit, some will likely fall far short. At this time last year, Universal's ``BASEketball'' was touted as the summer's sleeper, but it bombed with a $7 million gross. The real sleeper hit This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since October 2007. was ``There's Something About Mary,'' the 40th-highest domestic grosser ever at $176.5 million. Several longshots have emerged for this summer. Most carry limited expectations, however, since they will have to post exceptional grosses early in order to hang around for more than a few weeks. Theater owners, who have dug deep into their pockets to add 5,000 screens during the past four years, are dropping disappointing performers more quickly than ever in favor of new product. ``I wouldn't count any summer film out because not everyone is a `Star Wars' fan,'' Devlin said. ``The good thing is that the summer is starting early with films like `Entrapment' and `The Mummy.' Studios are stretching out the schedule, which is what exhibitors want, rather than putting the big guns up against each other.'' If the studios can stretch the summer box office beyond the traditional Memorial Day-to-Labor Day peak, theaters no doubt will be extremely pleased. After all, those 16 weeks generated records of $2.58 billion and 550 million tickets sold last summer. Even if ``Phantom Menace'' vaporizes ``Titanic's'' record and grosses $800 million, that's still going to be only a third of the total box office. Richard Fay, president of AMC (Advanced Mezzanine Card) See AdvancedTCA. Film Marketing, said strong momentum in recent weeks by ``The Matrix,'' ``Life'' and ``Entrapment'' is an excellent precursor. ``We've got the audiences coming back,'' he said, ``and I think we'll have a record-breaking summer. `Star Wars' is going get people back in the habit of seeing movies and talking about them.'' We know what you'll see this summer ... STRATOSPHERE stratosphere (străt`əsfēr), second lowest layer of the earth's atmosphere. The level from which it extends outward varies with latitude; it begins c.5 1-2 mi (9 km) above the poles, c.6 or 7 mi (c. ($500 million plus) `STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE' Studio: 20th Century Fox Opens: May 19 Cost: $120 million Buzz: Phenomenal The first in a trilogy of prequels to the original ``Star Wars'' starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson “Samuel Jackson” redirects here. For the senator from Indiana, see Samuel D. Jackson. Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning actor. . People are already lined up to see it - 'nough said. BLOCKBUSTER ($150-$200 million) `AUSTIN POWERS II: 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' Studio: New Line Cinema Opens: June 11 Cost: $34 million Buzz: Shag-a-delic Mike Myers Mike Myers may refer to:
`TARZAN' Studio: Disney Opens: June 18 Cost: $100 million Buzz: Positive Disney provides an excellent reason for kids to get out of the hot sun and into the cool theater this summer with this animated version of the Tarzan legend. It is expected to attract more boys than ``Mulan'' and, with a soundtrack by Phil Collins (not to mention all those tie-in toys Disney will without a doubt provide), it should be a hit. `WILD WILD WEST' Studio: Warner Bros. Opens: July 2 Cost: $105-$160 million Buzz: May be in trouble Will Smith and Kevin Kline star as government agents pursuing villain Kenneth Branagh, but even with Smith's unbroken record of summer blockbusters, this movie might not break even. Rumors are that theater owners disliked the trailer and reshoots are causing the budget to skyrocket. HIT ($80-$150 million) `THE GENERAL'S DAUGHTER' Studio: Paramount Opens: June 11 Cost: $60 million to $70 million Buzz: Mixed John Travolta is a military investigator who's been called in to look into the murder of a famous general's daughter and discovers a sordid sor·did adj. 1. Filthy or dirty; foul. 2. Depressingly squalid; wretched: sordid shantytowns. 3. secret. Theater owners liked the trailer, but will this drama break Travolta's recent losing streak? `BIG DADDY' Studio: Sony Opens: June 25 Cost: $30 million Buzz: Hit It takes a village idiot to raise a child in this comedy starring Adam Sandler as a man who adopts a 5-year-old boy to prove to his girlfriend that he is responsible. After the success of ``Waterboy'' and ``The Wedding Singer,'' Sandler is one of Hollywood's hottest actors and ``Big Daddy'' should rake in rake in Verb Informal to acquire (money) in large amounts Verb 1. rake in - earn large sums of money; "Since she accepted the new position, she has been raking it in" shovel in some big money. `AMERICAN PIE' Studio: Universal Opens: July 9 Cost: $11 million Buzz: Positive A coming-of-age comedy in the tradition of ``Porky's'' about four high-school seniors who make a pact to lose their virginity Virginity See also Chastity, Purity. Agnes, St. patron saint of virgins. [Christian Hagiog.: Brewer Dictionary, 16] Atala Indian maiden learns too late she can be released from her vow to remain a virgin. [Fr. Lit. by prom night. Teens and preteens will love it - Universal claims that test audiences are doubling over with laughter at the raunchy raun·chy adj. raun·chi·er, raun·chi·est Slang 1. a. Obscene, lewd, or vulgar: "[He] humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was . `EYES WIDE SHUT' Studio: Warner Bros. Opens: July 16 Cost: $65 million Buzz: Mystery This last film of Stanley Kubrick Noun 1. Stanley Kubrick - United States filmmaker (born in 1928) Kubrick before his death in March will probably be the most controversial film of the summer. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play married psychologists who get kinky kink·y adj. kink·i·er, kink·i·est 1. Tightly twisted or curled: kinky hair. 2. with each other and a couple of patients. `RUNAWAY BRIDE' Studio: Paramount Opens: July 30 Cost: $60 million Buzz: Possible hit Julia Roberts, Richard Roberts, Richard (born April 22, 1789, Carreghova, Montgomeryshire, Wales—died March 16, 1864, Manchester, Eng.) British inventor. He was an uneducated Welsh quarryman before he took a position with Henry Maudslay and then established his own machine-tool factory. Gere and director Garry Marshall are reunited "Reunited" was a #1 hit in the United States in 1979 by the Washington, D.C.-based group Peaches & Herb. Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 5 1979 Succeeded by "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer for the first time since 1990's ``Pretty Woman.'' The story isn't a sequel, but it should draw a large audience of young women who, of course, will drag their boyfriends and husbands along. `THE HAUNTING' Studio: DreamWorks Opens: July 23 Cost: $65 million Buzz: Has potential Liam Neeson is a doctor who enlists three subjects for a sleep-disorder study, but neglects to mention that the study takes place in a haunted house A haunted house is defined as building that is believed to be a center for supernatural occurrences or paranormal phenomena.[1] A haunted house may contain ghosts, poltergeists, or even malevolent entities. . This film has the signature special effects of ``Twister'' and ``Speed'' director Jan de Bont, but in a summer filled with eight horror movies, it may have a hard time standing out. (POSSIBLE BREAKTHROUGH) ($50-$80 million) `NOTTING HILL' Studio: Universal Opens: May 28 Cost: $42 million Buzz: Has potential Hugh Grant is a London bookstore owner and Julia Roberts is a popular movie star who walks into his store and falls in love with him. Roberts is always a big draw, but ``The Phantom Menace'' could overshadow o·ver·shad·ow tr.v. o·ver·shad·owed, o·ver·shad·ow·ing, o·ver·shad·ows 1. To cast a shadow over; darken or obscure. 2. To make insignificant by comparison; dominate. this romantic comedy from the writer and director of ``Four Weddings and a Funeral.'' `INSTINCT' Studio: Disney Opens: June 4 Cost: $50 million Buzz: Mixed Anthony Hopkins Noun 1. Anthony Hopkins - Welsh film actor (born in 1937) Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Anthony Philip Hopkins, Hopkins is a brilliant primatologist being held in a prison for the criminally insane and Cuba Gooding Jr. is his psychologist in this ``Silence of the Lambs''-style thriller. It should be good but could get swamped by the competition for grown-up grown-up adj. 1. Of, characteristic of, or intended for adults: grown-up movies; a grown-up discussion. 2. audiences. `SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT' Studio: Paramount Opens: June 18 Cost: 10 million plus Buzz: May be passe pas·sé adj. 1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date. 2. Past the prime; faded or aged. [French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see The irreverent residents of Comedy Central's ``South Park'' couldn't be confined to cable forever. This film will attract its core TV fans (16- to 34-year-old males), but may have trouble seducing se·duce tr.v. se·duced, se·duc·ing, se·duc·es 1. To lead away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct. See Synonyms at lure. 2. To induce to engage in sex. 3. a. a larger audience. `BOWFINGER' Studio: Universal Opens: July 23 Cost: $44 million Buzz: Funny Steve Martin Noun 1. Steve Martin - United States actor and comedian (born in 1945) Martin (who also wrote the script) stars as a desperate film producer determined to land Hollywood's hottest action star (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. ) for his next movie. Those who have seen it say some scenes are downright hilarious. `INSPECTOR GADGET' Studio: Disney Opens: July 23 Cost: $85 million Buzz: Has potential Matthew Broderick plays the dense but surprisingly successful crime stopper in this big-screen version of the popular kiddie kid·die or kid·dy n. pl. kid·dies Slang A small child. kiddie Noun Informal a child cartoon. Younger kids will flock to it, but it may have trouble attracting kids over 12 who tend to gravitate grav·i·tate intr.v. grav·i·tat·ed, grav·i·tat·ing, grav·i·tates 1. To move in response to the force of gravity. 2. To move downward. 3. toward teen movies instead. `TEACHING MRS MRS - Modifiable Representation System. An integration of logic programming into Lisp. ["A Modifiable Representation System", M. Genesereth et al, HPP 80-22, CS Dept Stanford U 1980]. . TINGLE' Studio: Miramax Opens: Aug. 20 Cost: $10 million Buzz: Mixed ``Dawson's Creek's'' Katie Holmes Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes [1] [2] (born December 18 1978) is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. stars in this dark comedy about high school students plotting to kill a hated teacher (Helen Mirren.) But it might be a hard sell in the wake of the school shootings in Colorado. `BLAIR WITCH PROJECT' Studio: Artisan Opens: July 16 Cost: $600,000 Buzz: Great Pseudo Similar to; made up to appear like something else. See pseudo compiler, pseudo language and pseudonymous. (jargon) pseudo - /soo'doh/ (Usenet) Pseudonym. 1. An electronic-mail or Usenet persona adopted by a human for amusement value or as a means of avoiding negative documentary about student filmmakers who hike into the forest to make a documentary about a witch and are killed off one by one. It was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and college kids who have seen the advance screening loved it. - Sharon Cotal, Dave McNary Last summer's heat Domestic box office set a record last summer with $2.58 billion and nine movies topping $100 million MOVIE STUDIO DOMESTIC GROSS ``Saving Private Ryan'' DreamWorks $214.3 million ``Armageddon'' Disney $201.5 million ``There's Something About Mary'' Fox $176.5 million ``Dr. Dolittle'' Fox $144.2 million ``Deep Impact'' Paramount $140.4 million ``Godzilla'' Sony $136.1 million ``Lethal Weapon 4'' Warners $129.7 million ``The Truman Show'' Paramount $126.5 million ``Mulan'' Disney $120.6 million CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, 2 Boxes Photo: (1--Cover--Color) GET OUT OF THE WAY! As `Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' blasts into theaters, the rest of summer's films pray for survival (2) no caption (`WILD WILD WEST') (3) no caption (`BIG DADDY') (4) no caption (`BOWFINGER') Box: (1) We know what you'll see this summer ... (See text) (2) Last summer's heat (See text) |
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