LAST YEAR'S BOX OFFICE WAS BOFFO.Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer Hollywood bounced back in 2006 as movie ticket sales hit $9.4 billion -- the second-highest single-year gross in domestic box office history, 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. final numbers released Tuesday. Bolstered by a stellar New Year's weekend at megaplexes, the year's ticket revenue just missed the record $9.45 billion the industry took in during 2004. This represents a dramatic turnaround from 2005 when overall grosses were a disappointing $8.96 billion and had the studios -- almost all of which had suffered through one or two mega-bombs -- grappling for answers. ``This tells us that when the quality is there, the audience is there too,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm Media By Numbers. ``Last year, it was all gloom and doom gloom and doom n. A deeply pessimistic outlook or feeling. gloom  -and-doom and the perception of the industry was very negative. There was so much talk about the end of the theatrical moviegoing experience.'' Overall, domestic revenue was up 5 percent over a year ago. But the even better news is that after three consecutive years of declining attendance, actual ticket sales rose by 3 percent. ``2006 is the beginning of a revival in cinema-going and 2007 looks even stronger,'' said John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners. The Ben Stiller comedy ``Night At The Museum'' had a stunning second-week total of $37.9 million (not counting the more than $12 million earned New Year's Day New Year's Day, among ancient peoples the first day of the year frequently corresponded to the vernal or autumnal equinox, or to the summer or winter solstice. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated among Christians usually on Mar. 25. ) for $127.3 million in just 11 days. Crossing the $100 million mark on New Year's Day was Will Smith's ``The Pursuit of Happyness,'' which along with ``Museum'' provided the biggest year-end boosts of any films in wide release. The current third-place film, ``Dreamgirls,'' is still in fewer than 900 theaters but has grossed $41.3 million since Dec. 25. Aside from ``Museum'' and ``Happyness,'' other fourth-quarter hits that have performed handsomely are the new James Bond entry, ``Casino Royale'' ($154.9 million), and the animated ``Happy Feet'' ($178 million). But the heavy lifting in 2006 came from the year's five top-grossing films: ``Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest'' ($423.2 million), ``Cars'' ($244 million), ``The Da Vinci da Vinci Surgery A surgical robot for performing certain surgeries–eg, mitral valve repair and laparoscopic procedures–eg, cholecystectomy and gastric ulcer repair. See Laparoscopic surgery, Robotics, Surgical robot. Code'' ($217.5 million), ``Superman Superman invincible scourge of crime. [Comics: Horn, 642–643] See : Crime Fighting Superman superhero under guise of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter. Returns'' ($200 million) and ``Ice Age: The Meltdown'' ($195.3 million). Also crossing the $100 million mark were: ``Over the Hedge,'' ``Click,'' ``Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby,'' ``The Devil Wears Prada,'' ``Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,'' and ``The Departed.'' During 2005, weekend box office business suffered through a much- publicized pub·li·cize tr.v. pub·li·cized, pub·li·ciz·ing, pub·li·ciz·es To give publicity to. Adj. 1. publicized - made known; especially made widely known publicised record 19-week slump, falling behind 2004 numbers week after week. This led to widespread talk that elaborate home-theater systems and advanced film-distribution technologies were an ominous sign of the beginning of the end of the theatrical-distribution business. But even then, Fithian was unfazed un·fazed adj. Not fazed or disturbed. . ``We know that in the short term, our business is cyclical cyclical Of or relating to a variable, such as housing starts, car sales, or the price of a certain stock, that is subject to regular or irregular up-and-down movements. and driven primarily by the quality of movies,'' he said. ``Long term, it's about good movies and a good cinematic experience. The long-term trends are very positive.'' greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3758 Top 5 grossing films of 2006 ``Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,'' $423.2 million ``Cars,'' $244 million ``The Da Vinci Code,'' $217.5 million ``Superman Returns,'' $200 million ``Ice Age: The Meltdown meltdown Occurrence in which a huge amount of thermal energy and radiation is released as a result of an uncontrolled chain reaction in a nuclear power reactor. The chain reaction that occurs in the reactor's core must be carefully regulated by control rods, which absorb ,'' $195.3 million CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) no caption (``Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'') Box: Top 5 grossing films of 2006 (see text) |
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