Posted on 12/10/2006 12:10:55 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson's bloody epic "Apocalypto" debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie, proving the filmmaker still can deliver a winner despite his drunken-driving arrest and anti-Semitic rant last summer.
"Apocalypto," a Disney release set in the Mayan civilization and told in an obscure Mayan language, opened with $14.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It was a modest haul compared to the $83.8 million opening weekend of Gibson's last movie, the 2004 religious blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which went on to do $370 million domestically.
But "Apocalypto" overcame the baggage of Gibson's personal troubles as well as its difficult subject matter, which features a no-name cast in a hyper-violent tale that includes beheadings and images of hearts ripped from people's chests.
"The movie obviously succeeds on its own level. I think people probably are a bit on the surprised side around town that it's No. 1," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "Two months ago, nobody would have bet on that."
Sony's romance "The Holiday" debuted at No. 2 with $13.5 million. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law in the story of American and British women who swap homes for the holidays and find love in the process.
The Warner Bros. thriller "Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, opened at No. 5 with $8.5 million. Set against Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s, the film follows a mercenary pursuing a rare diamond.
Also from Warner Bros., the holiday comedy "Unaccompanied Minors," about a group of kids run amok while stranded at an airport Christmas Eve, premiered at No. 6 with $6.2 million.
The Warner Bros. animated hit "Happy Feet" and Sony's James Bond adventure "Casino Royale," which had been the top-two movies for three-straight weekends, slipped to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.
"Happy Feet" took in $12.7 million, raising its total to $137.7 million. "Casino Royale" grossed $8.8 million, lifting its total to $128.9 million.
The overall box office fell sharply, with the top-12 movies grossing $86.8 million, down 25 percent from the same weekend last year, when the blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" opened with $65.6 million.
Disney reported that Gibson's "Apocalypto" drew solid crowds across-the-board, with movie-goers equally split between men and women and the core of the audience ranging from 18 to 45.
The publicity over Gibson's problems and his contriteness since last summer may have stoked interested in "Apocalypto," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
"Whenever I tell people I saw the movie, they'd be like, `You saw it? How was it?' There was a huge curiosity factor," Dergarabedian said. "A movie about Mayan civilization was never destined to be a big hit, let alone a No. 1 movie. But through Disney's marketing, which highlights Mel Gibson — I believe they associated him very closely with the movie — I think that strategy paid off."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Apocalypto," $14.2 million.
2. "The Holiday," $13.5 million.
3. "Happy Feet," $12.7 million.
4. "Casino Royale," $8.8 million.
5. "Blood Diamond," $8.5 million.
6. "Unaccompanied Minors," $6.2 million.
7. "Deja Vu," $6.1 million.
8. "The Nativity Story," $5.6 million.
9. "Deck the Halls," $3.9 million.
10. "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," $3.3 million.
___
Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Classics are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.
Good luck, Mel.
Also saw it last night, excellent movie. Someone finally had the guts to show what the Mayan and Aztec empires were really based on: mass slaughter and bloodthirsty sadism. Cortez had no trouble finding allies in the new world. Now Mel should make an epic about the life of Cortez.
Just saw a Nativity Story ... it wasn't too bad. The acting could have been better. It lacked the "gore" warned about. I'm neutral on it. All SIX of us filled the theatre.
On the subject of movies, I rented Pirates of the Carib (2) very violent, not like the first. Lets hope they do better and have some fun in the 3rd.
Gibson is one of the best film makers of our generation. I saw Braveheart last night for the first time (big screen, powerful surround sound). Wow, what a cinematic feat! Gibson is the master of gore. (Braveheart, Patriot, Passion, Apocalypto..) I suppose he buys fake blood and tissue at wholesale prices.
Variety's take...
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117955442.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117955442&categoryid=13
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Posted: Sun., Dec. 10, 2006, 9:15am PT
'Apocalypto' kicks 'Holiday,' 'Diamond'
Gibson's epic takes in $14.2 million
By IAN MOHR, IAN MOHR
"Apocalypto" turned out to be one hell of a date movie.
Helped by couples who made up 82% of the pic's Saturday audience -- a number that surprised even tracking experts -- Mel Gibson's subtitled Mayan movie rose above the director's recent off-set controversy to top the weekend's domestic box office among plenty of competition.
Pic took in $14.1 million in 2,465 engagements for a per-screen average of $5,747.
That was enough to edge out Sony's traditional romantic comedy "The Holiday," from director Nancy Meyers, which opened at No. 2 with $13.5 million from 2,610 playdates. Starring Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black, pic scored a per-screen average of $5,172.
In other new openers, Warner Bros. -- which has been on a roll with its CG-animated "Happy Feet" -- opened political adventure "Blood Diamond" in 1,910 engagements for a take of $8.5 million. Per-engagement average for the pic, about the mining of conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone, stood at $4,458.
Studio also sent out family pic "Unaccompanied Minors" in 2,775 playdates to bring in $6.2 million.
"Apocalypto" dug into "Diamond's" shimmer as both pics aimed to draw primarily male auds. But Disney won the weekend by also bringing in more females than the studio had been anticipating. Before the weekend, a Mouse House rep had described "Apocalypto's" demographic as "all male," in part because of pic's violent content.
"We see this as the blog conversation or water-cooler conversation of the week," said Disney distribution head Chuck Viane of the pic's crossover appeal. "This film is so creative, so fresh and different. There's so much competition that in this marketplace you have to delineate yourself."
Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" bowed to $83 million-plus in 2004, after major studios snubbed the pic and Gibson went with an indie release. Project wound up grossing more than $370 million domestically.
"Apocalypto's" appeal left "Diamond" flawed, and Warners' domestic distribution head Dan Fellman said the tally for the pic -- starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connolly and Djimon Hounsou -- was slightly less than the studio had been hoping.
But he added that Warners had purposely released the pic in a more limited run to start, and that biz would build through the holidays as awards nominations and critics' best-of lists are unveiled.
"Holiday," meantime, played to a primarily female aud, with 65% of its ticket sales from the fairer sex. Women over 25 made up most of that group, comprising 57% of "Holiday's" biz. Meyers' last pic, "Something's Gotta Give," opened to $16 million and a No. 1 ranking in December 2003; it went on to cume $124 million by April.
Traditionally that can be a tough demo to grab over the frame, as women over 25 tend to be prepping for the holidays. Sony feels the pic will have legs as its core aud continues to show up.
Gibson pic also possibly spelled bad news for New Line's Christian-themed "The Nativity Story," which fell to the No. 8 slot , taking in $5.5 million to raise its cume to $15.7 million in two weekends of release.
Away from the new releases, a pair of tough-hanging holdovers continued to perform well in the top five.
Warners' "Happy Feet" landed in the No. 3 spot, taking in $12.7 million to bring its cume to $137.7 million in a month of release. Sony's latest James Bond pic, "Casino Royale," targeted $8.8 million off 3,161 to bring its cume to $129 million, good for the No. 4 spot.
Two holiday family pics also are holding on: Fox's "Deck the Halls" earned $3.9 million off 2,766 to stuff its stocking with $30 million to date. And Disney's "Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" wrapped up $3.3 million off 1,487 to raise its total after six weeks to $77.2 million.
Disney's Denzel Washington actioner "Deja Vu" also was still in the marketplace: Pic has taken in $53 million to date after grabbing $6 million in its most recent frame.
Top 10 pics powered just over $82.7 million at the domestic B.O., up from last frame's $77 million when the top three were all holdovers.
Read the full article at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117955442.html
and Hollywood Reporter
'Apocalypto' now: Gibson pic tops b.o. in bow
By Nicole Sperling
Dec 11, 2006
The wild card "Apocalypto" beat out the industry heavyweights during the weekend at the North American boxoffice, proving that novelty could be the biggest attraction for audiences this holiday season. The ultra-violent, R-rated film from director Mel Gibson and Buena Vista Pictures prevailed over the politically themed Leonardo DiCaprio starrer "Blood Diamond," from Warner Bros. Pictures, and director Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy "The Holiday," from Sony Pictures.
"Apocalypto" grossed an estimated $14.2 million, while "Holiday" came in a close second with an estimated $13.5 million. "Diamond" was a distant fifth with a weak $8.5 million opening as not even DiCaprio could overcome the curiosity factor surrounding Gibson's take on the downfall of the Mayan civilization.
Warners' other new wide release, the PG-rated "Unaccompanied Minors," also got off to a slow start, bowing at 2,775 theaters to an estimated $6.2 million.
Despite "Apocalpyto's" surprise No. 1 finish, the new releases fell short of last year's grosses at this time, when Buena Vista's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," opened to a staggering $65.5 million. The top 12 films for this frame were down a steep 25% compared with last year.
Warners' best news of the weekend was the strong hold of its CG-animated juggernaut "Happy Feet." From director George Miller, it fell an impressive 28% in its fourth weekend in release, good for third place overall. The dancing penguin movie has grossed close to $140 million.
Sony's "Casino Royale" also held strong in its fourth weekend, losing 42% of the previous weekend's business to earn an additional $8.8 million and finish in fourth place. The latest Bond pic is nearing $130 million in domestic grosses.
New Line Cinema's "The Nativity Story" held well in its sophomore session, with a 29% drop. But with a weak $7.8 million bow, the film required a decent hold to fend off talk that it is a bust overall. Still, with only an estimated $15.8 million after 10 days in release, that label might just stick.
Flop is an accurate title for Fox Atomic's debut release "Turistas." In its second weekend, the R-rated horror film dropped a steep 63% and earned an additional $1.3 million. After 10 days in release, the film has grossed an estimated $5.9 million.
Gibson's anti-Semitic rant during the summer after he was stopped for driving under the influence in Malibu didn't seem to bother moviegoers, and "Apocalypto's" first-place finish suggests that arresting filmmaking trumps a filmmaker's personal views. The audience breakdown also came as a surprise to industry observers, with "Apocalypto" attracting a 60%-40% ratio of men to women, with women over 30 liking the movie the most. Overall positive reviews also helped the film dominate. According to online review compiler RottenTomatoes.com, the movie earned 65% positive marks.
"I'm very pleased with the film's performance," Buena Vista distribution president Chuck Viane said. "To jump out during the matinees Friday and know that you are going to be competitive is a good thing. This film has got to end up being the water cooler film of the weekend. Whether you like it or hate, you want to talk about it."
Warners is not yet ready to write off the performance of "Diamond." Although the film -- which reportedly cost $100 million to make -- clearly disappointed in its opening weekend, the studio is hopeful it will make a comeback over the upcoming holiday frames. In 1,910 theaters, the R-rated drama generated $4,558 per theater.
"The opening was slightly less then what we had hoped for," Warners distribution president Dan Fellman said. "We had excellent exit polls, and I'm pleased with the per-screen average. Our plan was to open limited and build the audience into the holiday."
"Diamond" targeted the same adult audience as "Apocalypto," and moviegoers clearly chose the Gibson film over the Edward Zwick-directed, African-set drama centering on conflict diamonds. Warners originally had "Diamond" set for release Dec. 15 but made a calculated decision to go head-to-head with "Apocalypto" in an effort to get a jump on the holiday season.
Sony also is hopeful about "Holiday." The PG-13 film, starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black, drew primarily women over 25. "We knew if we opened in the teens, we would certainly have a very solid multiple and it would play well through the holiday," Sony distribution president Rory Bruer said.
Bruer said that Meyers' last film, 2003's "Something's Gotta Give," earned eight times its opening gross. If that formula remains true for "Holiday," the romantic comedy should end its run with more than $100 million. However, "Something's" reviews were significantly more enthusiastic than those for "Holiday," which could mean a greater uphill climb for the director's latest effort.
Warners also is counting on increased free time among moviegoers for its second new release of the weekend, the Village Roadshow co-production "Minors," from director Paul Feig. The film, based on a segment from National Public Radio's "This American Life," generated $2,236 per theater.
"We're pleased with the performance," Fellman said. "We experienced a 77% increase from Friday to Saturday, the reaction to the movie was excellent, and as schools get out, we'll enjoy the holiday."
In limited release, ThinkFilm bowed "Off the Black" in Los Angeles and New York; the R-rated drama starring Nick Nolte and Sally Kirkland opened to $8,000. The indie distributor plans to expand it this weekend to San Francisco, Chicago, Washington and Minneapolis.
Fox Searchlight expanded "The History Boys" to 50 screens for its third weekend in release. The film, based on the acclaimed British play, grossed $211,000 for a per-screen average of $4,220, increasing its cume to $509,641. Searchlight intends to expand to nine more cities this weekend, with plans to be in 150 theaters by Christmas.
For the week ending Dec. 7, total boxoffice was $121.2 million, up slightly compared with the $111.5 million collected during the comparable week last year. Year-to-date, domestic boxoffice is $8.51 billion, up nearly 6% over 2005's $8.04 billion. Admissions continue to run more than 3% higher.
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I caught both films as well. Nativity Story was awful - it was like watching something some high schooler put together. You'll be MUCH more moved if you go to a local church and see a live nativity. I though Apocalypto was fantastic, probably Mel's best work since Braveheart.
Fantastic film! A real resurrection for Mel.
In all ways---superb!
None of these movies pulled in very much money - and this, during a holiday period. Another sign that people aren't going to the movies and are tuning out a lot of popular culture.
The problem is we've been totally spoiled by the type of blockbuster films that make several hundred million dollars in first-run at the box office. 2007 will be a doozy when you have Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Shrek 3 and Spider-Man 3 all coming out within a month of each other.
2007 will also be the ultimate in Harry Potter mania, too. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie comes ou July 13, 2007, and there are rumors that the seventh and final Harry Potter novel could come out on July 14, 2007.
Saint Mel.
He's human. He's flawed. He's a man for our times.
Went last night. Packed with hispanics. The Catholic Church did a heck of job in the Americas. What a story. What a powerful ending. After all that insanity and carnage, Apocalypto.
Saw it on Saturday and thought it was great. Regards,
I know my comments will upset Mel Gibson fans. But IMHO, his drunken rant was staged to get publicity for the film. First there is his statement, predictably followed by media outrage, then his apology - more publicity, then reaction to the apology and how it will impact the film, and on and on. The killing of an innocent woman because she was Jewish at the Seattle Jewish center never received even half as much publicity as a celebrity's drunken rant.
How many would have paid attention to "Apocalypto" if not for this publicity even though it is an excellent and exciting film with not a single dull moment?
I say they same thing about Richards. The worst thing for a washed up comic is to be ignored. Look at the publicity he received. Many of us didn't know his name until now.
2 thumbs up for Apocalypto! This movie succeeds for a number of reasons. I have for years thought a true historic portrayal of Cortez would make a great movie. Talk about having "a pair" -- Cortez was the boldest conquerer I know of. Leading a few hundred men, Cortez set off to conquer an empire of millions, and succeeded. Pizzaro imitated Cortez and did similar in Peru.
I've been wondering the same thing. Given how embarrassing/outrageous the whole thing was, why are they promoting Apocalypto with Gibson's name so prominently featured -- unless they want to tie in to the embarrassment/outrage? And if that's the case, I have to wonder whether it was a Hollywood stunt from the get-go.
Interesting point. I saw some article that said "Seinfeld" re-run ratings are up.
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