Top 10 for July 21-23, 2006 Summary: Final numbers are in.
Despite four major newcomers entering the fray this weekend Johnny Depp and his motley crew of pirates pillaged the box office for the third straight weekend, leading all films with $35 million (down a modest 44%), sailing past $300 million in just its third week of release. Pushing its 17 day take to a gargantuan $321.7 million, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest became the fastest film to break $300 million, surpassing the barrier in just 16 days (beating previous record holder Star Wars: Episode III's 17 day total).
Budgeted at $225 million, Disney's blockbuster adventure epic has now climbed to #16 on the all-time list, ahead of such notables as 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ($317.5m), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ($313.8m), and 2002's Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones ($310.6m). With word of mouth apparently strong for such a big summer pic, Dead Man's Chest seems headed towards the $400 million mark, a barrier which only six films in history have ever crossed. Disney estimates that 10% of audiences for Pirates are repeat customers, a phenomenal number given the exorbitant price of tickets these days.
Worldwide Pirates has been equally successful, with record openings in several countries. The Gore Verbinski-helmed release has grossed an estimated $217 million overseas, pushing its global treasure trove to a massive $539 million.
Sony's computer-animated family film Monster House opened about on-target with industry estimates, placing a strong second with an estimated $23 million. Budgeted at $75 million, the PG-rated pic averaged a solid $6,473 in 3,553 theaters. Using motion-capture technology instead of key-frame animation techniques used by studios like Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, the Robert Zemeckis-produced release fared well in IMAX 3-D, earning $2.6 million in 163 theaters. The opening was identical to Zemeckis's 2004 holiday release The Polar Express (also a hit on IMAX 3-D), which debuted with $23 million on its way to $173 million domestically.
In his worst wide-release debut as a director, M. Night Shyamalan's poorly reviewed Lady in the Water finished a disappointing third, opening with an estimated $18.2 million. Budgeted at a modest $55 million, the Warner release earned a solid $5,629 average in 3,235 theaters, but fell far short of his past two hits The Village ($50.7 million) and and Signs ($60.1 million). Receiving the worst reviews of his career, Shyamalan may be witnessing the first major box office disappointment in an otherwise stunning turn as writer/director. Only his 1998 independent film Wide Awake and 2000's Unbreakable have failed to break $100 million, the latter finishing with $95 million domestically. Look for Lady in the Water to finish far short of that total.
Director Kevin Smith's well-received comedy sequel Clerks II debuted in sixth with an estimated $9.6 million, averaging a decent $4,477 from 2,150 theaters. The follow-up to his indie-sensation Clerks, which made $3.1 million at the box office on a meager $50,000 budget, the debut was Smith's second biggest, following the $11 million bow of 2001's critically-mauled Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Released by MGM and the Weinstein Co., the $5 million budgeted comedy fell a sizeable 18% in ticket sales from Friday to Saturday, which could indicate a tough road ahead despite receiving the best reviews of the weekend.
Fox's superhero romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend debuted with an estimated $8.7 million, averaging a disappointing $3,220 in 2,702 theaters. Starring Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson, the film received mixed reviews from critics, and could have a tough time in the marketplace in the weeks to come.
Among holdovers, Warner's Superman Returns and Fox's The Devil Wears Prada had strong fourth weekends, falling 39% and 28% respectively. For Superman, the weekend helped push its domestic take to $178.4 million, and the film seems headed to $195-205 million. Prada neared the $100 million mark, pushings its four week cume to a fantastic $97.5 million.
Pixar/Disney's Cars slipped 37% to tenth place, earning an estimated $4.9 million. In seven weeks, the John Lassetter-helmed animated film has grossed $229.4 million and seems headed towards $250 million domestically. By next weekend the film should become the second highest grossing film of 2006, surpassing the $232 million take of Fox's X-Men: The Last Stand .
Thanks to a strong third frame and four newcomers, the top ten films grossed an estimated $138.2 million, up a healthy 12% from last year's comparable frame when Johnny Depp's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory held on to the top spot with $28.3 million.
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