Top 10 for February 16-19, 2007 Summary: Sunday estimates are in.
Faced with an early slump at the box office, Hollywood threw five new wide releases at the extended Presidents' Day weekend, pushing the holiday frame to its highest total in history. Lead by Sony's comic adaptation Ghost Rider and Buena Vista's children's book adaptation Bridge to Terabithia, the top ten films pulled in a record $165.5 million over the four-day frame.
Nicolas Cage set a career high with his Marvel Comic actioner Ghost Rider, which also took in a Presidents' Day record $51.5 million over the four-day weekend (and $45 million from Friday-Sunday). Released in an ultra-wide 3,619 theaters, the big-budget vfx pic more than doubled its next closest competitor, averaging an incredible $12,434 for the three-day portion of the weekend. The previous record had been held by the 2004 romantic comedy 50 First Dates with $45.1 million. The opening was also comparable to another Marvel character Daredevil, which took in a then-record $45 million over the same period back in 2003. Budgeted at a hefty $110 million, the Sony release debuted at a perfect time, entering a marketplace desperately in need of a high profile action picture. Men answered the call, with 62% of the film's opening weekend audience being male. That helped the poorly-reviewed Sony release open with the biggest three-day total in the past six months. Unless Ghost Rider can conjure up some strong word of mouth, expect heavy declines in the coming weeks and a domestic total somewhere in the range of 2003's Daredevil, which took in $102 million.
Finishing in second was Disney's well-reviewed children's book adaptation Bridge to Terabithia, which took in an estimated $29 million over the holiday frame, and $22.5 million from Friday to Sunday. Averaging a strong $7,167 from 3,139 theaters over the three-day portion of the weekend, the PG-rated picture was easily the best reviewed film among debuts, receiving a "fresh" 85% recommendation rating from critics polled by Rottentomatoes.com. With no direct competitor in the marketplace for at least another month, look for strong word of mouth to carry the film to a strong domestic total by the end of its run.
Last week's champ Norbit slipped two spots to third, taking in an estimated $20.7 million over four days and pushing its 11-day cume to a solid $62.8 million. Budgeted at $60 million, the Eddie Murphy starrer should finish with $80-85 million domestically.
Opening in fourth with an estimated $16 million was the Hugh Grant-Drew Barrymore romantic comedy Music and Lyrics. Released by Warner Bros., the Valentine's Day release average a moderate $4,649 in 2,955 theaters over three-days, bringing its total to $21.6 million since debuting on Wednesday. Hurt somewhat by largely mixed reviews, the film opened similarly to Grant's 2002
romantic comedy sleeper hit Two Weeks Notice, which opened to $14.3 million on its way to $ million domestically.
Lionsgate's romantic comedy Daddy's Little Girls rounded out the top five, finishing with an estimated $14.3 million over the four-day weekend. Written and directed by Tyler Perry,Daddy's Little Girls opened well below his last two films Madea's Family Reunion and Diary of a Mad Black Woman, both of which starred Perry came out of nowhere to strike box office gold. Madea's took in $30 million on its way to $63.3 million, while last year's Diary opened with $21.9 million on its way to $50.4 million total. Perry stayed strictly behind the camera for his latest low-budget foray, which should finish with around $40 million domestically.
Universal's FBI thriller Breach debuted with an estimated $12.3 million from just 1,489 theaters over the four-day frame, averaging a very impressive $7,100 per theater over the three-day portion. Starring Ryan Phillippe and Chris Cooper, the film enjoyed solid reviews across the board.
Fox's blockbuster comedy Night at the Museum grossed an estimated $4.7 million over the weekend, pushing its total to an impressive $238.3 million. Already the third highest grossing film released in 2006, it also became the first film to spend nine consecutive weekends in the top ten since last year's mega-hit
Thanks to an influx of wide release debuts, the top ten films grossed a record $165.5 million over the four-day holiday frame, up 29% from last year's comparable frame when Disney's Eight Below topped with $25 million.
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