SATURDAY AM: What a shocker! I'm told 20th Century Fox's official Friday estimate shows The Simpsons Movie made $30 million Friday -- or what the studio hoped its toon would make all weekend -- and could have an $80 million weekend. 
That's more than Transformers made on its opening day and best single day this summer, and good enough for The Simpsons to slot into the Hollywood's Top 17 opening days of all time (right behind the $30.1 mil of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones). But the well reviewed (a score of 88% positive critiques on Rotten Tomatoes) and wide release (playing in 3,922 North American theaters) pic managed an outstanding per screen average of 7,649 Friday. It's also playing huge overseas. (See below.) Some naysayers didn't believe the movie could pack a punch, given that The Simpsons is all over television on network and in syndication. Hah! The analysts I'm talking to attribute the film's success to Fox's omnipresent marketing (including Homer opening this week's Tonight Show and earlier American Idol as well as that inspired 7-Eleven cross-promotion). 
Pic insiders have nothing but praise for the year-long marketing and distribution campaign which Fox orchestrated throughout the News Corp empire. "The old saw of synergy within media companies, that was never full realized before, paid off here," a source told me. And remember: Fox says the pic cost only $75 million (without marketing) because so much animation work was done in South Korea. The Simpsons Movie opened day and date in some foreign territories, too, where it was smashing records for a toon (in Australia) and a tentpole (in Argentina). Asia and Latin America were trending huge. In England comparisons were being made to Lord Of the Rings, and in France to Transformers.
The No. 2 movie, Universal's buddy comedy with Adam Sandler and Kevin James I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry stayed strong (dropping only -51%) and made $6.2 million Friday from 3,501 venues. Its new cume is $58.7 mil because there haven't been enough laffers at the box office this summer. New Line's Hairspray slowed (-53%) to stay No. 3 and take in $5.2 mil Friday from 3,121 runs for a new cume of $48.9 mil. In 4th place, Warner's Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix raked in another $5.1 mil Friday from 4,005 dates its 3rd weekend for a hot new cume of $229.8 mil. Another Warner pic, No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, opened with $2.4 mil Friday from 2,425 runs for 4th place. That's less than analysts expected (and the experts didn't expect much). Bot battle and #6 Transformers, from DreamWorks and Paramount, boasts a big new cume of $276.2 mil after raking in another $3.2 mil Friday from 3,349 theaters on its 4th weekend out. After five weekends, Ratatouille took the 7th spot as Disney and Pixar's toon made $2.1 mil Friday from 2,934 venues for a new cume of $174.5 mil. Fox's Live Free Or Die Hard hangs in for a 5th weekend in 8th place, taking in $1.5 mil Friday from 2,271 runs for a new cume of $121.2 mil. Lindsay Lohan's horror flick I Know Who Killed Me wasn't helped by all the (negative) publicity she received this week: the Sony pic eked out only $1.3 mil Friday from 1,320 plays. I'll tell you this: I know who's killing Lohan's career. And, rounding out the Top 10, horribly reviewed laugher Who's Your Caddy? from The Weinstein Co and MGM, debuted with $950K Friday from 1,019 venues.
FRIDAY PM: "This could be much bigger than anyone thought," a 20th Century Fox source said to me this afternoon. Not just domestically but overseas, too. (See below.) Because very early reports indicate The Simpsons Movie is looking to debut around $27 million today. That's right -- in Transformers opening day territory! If this holds true, it means Homer, Bart, Marge and family on the big screen could wind up with a $70+ million opening weekend. That's more than twice what 20th Century Fox was expecting and far more than my box office gurus were projecting. (See my previous: Predictions: Homer & Bart Big!) I just went back and looked what I predicted for The Simpsons Movie back on May 1st: Kudos to Jim Brooks and Fox for keeping much of The Simpsons Movie’s plot a secret, which I predict will help it become the biggest non-sequel movie of the summer. C’mon, who’s not gonna see this pic here and overseas?
No comments:
Post a Comment