Top 10 for January 26-28, 2007 Summary: Final numbers are in.
Despite the buzz over last weeks' Oscar nominations Fox's spoof comedy Epic Movie stole the spotlight, beating out three debuts and several Oscar nominees with expanded release slates, earning an estimated $19.2 million in 2,801 theaters in its opening weekend. Averaging an impressive $6,855 per theater Epic debuted nearly identical to last year's Date Movie (which shares the same writers and some of the same cast). That film opened with $19.07 million -- despite equally bad reviews -- on its way to $48.5 million domestically, so expect a similar finish to Epic Movie.
Universal's low budget hitman thriller Smokin' Aces finished a strong second with an estimated $14.3 million, averaging a solid $6,430 in just 2,218 theaters. Though its demographic skewed heavily male, the $17 million budgeted R-rated pic was helped by an effective marketing campaign and an interesting ensemble cast including stars Jeremy Piven, Andy Garcia, and singer Alicia Keys.
Despite three new wide release debuts and the loss of 242 theaters Night of the Museum, by far the most successful film of the Holiday season, fell another slight 21% to an estimated $9.4 million, bringing its phenomenal six week total to $216.7 million.
Jennifer Garner's latest film Catch and Release debuted in fourth with an estimated $8 million, averaging $4,932 from 1,622 theaters. Budgeted at $25 million the Sony release suffered from poor reviews, and will have trouble gaining a foothold in the marketplace in the weeks to come. Rounding out the top five was Sony's surprise hit Stomp the Yard, which fell another decent 37% to an estimated $7.8 million. In just three weeks, the urban dance drama has grossed an impressive $50.7 million.
Oscar nominations helped a handful of films, including Paramount/DreamWorks' Dreamgirls, which led all Oscar hopefuls with an estimated $6.6 million in a wide 2,785 theaters. In seven weeks, the acclaimed musical (which garnered eight nominations but failed to receive a Best Picture nod) has grossed $86.6 million, and is a surefire bet to surpass $100 million before the Academy Awards
on February 25th. Best Foreign Film nominee Pan's Labyrinth added 214 theaters to its release slate, grossing an estimated $4.5 million in sixth. Budgeted at $19 million the Guillermo Del Toro directed picture, released by Picture House, has grossed $16.2 million.
Best Picture nominee's The Queen and The Departed also got a big boost, earning $4 million and $3 million respectively. Miramax's The Queen, which also received a Best Actress nomination for star Helen Mirren, has grossed an impressive $41.2 million in 18 weeks, while Warner Bros.' acclaimed The Departed now stands at $124.9 million, the highest grossing film of director Martin Scorsese's illustrious career. Also getting a boost was fellow Best Picture nominee Babel, which took in $2.4 million this weekend pushing its 14 week take to $27.2 million.
The top ten films grossed an estimated $82.4 million, down a hefty 12% from last year's comparable frame when Big Momma's House 2 opened at No. 1 with $27.7 million.
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