Top 10 for February 23-25, 2007 Summary: Final numbers are in.
On a weekend that concluded with the star-studded Academy Awards and Martin Scorsese finally getting that well-deserved Oscar, it was another Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage whose not so acclaimed Ghost Rider topped the box office for the second straight weekend, pulling in $20.06 million. Jim Carrey’s thriller The Number 23 made its debut in second, while Disney’s family film Bridge to Terabithia had the smallest drop among holdovers finishing with $13.6 million in third.
Despite four newcomers and a 56% drop in ticket sales from Presidents’ Day weekend, Sony’s $110 million budgeted comic adaptation Ghost Rider handily led all films with $20.06 million, pushing its ten-day take to an impressive $79 million. The drop was nearly identical to the 55% drop of 2004’s Presidents’ Day comic flick Daredevil, which finished with $101 million domestically. Look for a $110-115 million finish for the flamed motorcycle rider.
Jim Carrey’s much-hyped venture into the horror-thriller genre was a mixed bag, as the New Line pic debuted in second with $14.6 million, averaging $5,293 in 2,759 theaters. Universally dogged by critics, look for the Carrey pic to experience steep declines in the coming weeks.
Disney’s well-reviewed children’s book adaptation Bridge to Terabithia fell a top ten best 40% in its sophomore frame, pulling in $13.6 million in third and pushing its ten-day cume to an impressive $46.2 million. With strong word of mouth and little competition in the near-term, look for a solid $80 million domestic total for the modestly-budgeted drama.
Despite Fox giving the Reno 911 crew a 2,702 theater wide release, the Comedy Central series turned R-rated feature film Reno 911!: Miami debuted with an underwhelming $10.4 million, averaging $3,849 per theater. In fifth was Eddie Murphy’s comedy Norbit, which fell a modest 42% to $9.7 million. In three weeks, the $60 million budgeted Paramount has grossed $74.7 million.
Among other debuts, Warner Bros.’s low-budget drama The Astronaut Farmer took in a disappointing $4.5 million in ninth, averaging a languid $2,095 in 2,155 theaters. Budgeted at $13 million, look for the film to fall short even of its meager production costs.
Goldwyn IDP’s Amazing Grace solidly rounded out the top ten, pulling in $4.3 million from 791 theaters, averaging a strong $5,442. Bowing out of the top ten was Universal’s Diane Keaton comedy Because I Said So, which finished the weekend with $2.9 million, pushing its cume to $38.4 million.
In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics’ German import The Lives of Others took in $501,000 from 58 theaters, averaging $8,637 per theater. In three weeks, the Academy Award winner for Best Foreign film has grossed $1.37 million, but should see a nice expansion given its newfound win.
Thanks to Ghost Rider and a handful of new releases, the top ten films grossed an estimated $96.7 million, up 1% from last year’s comparable frame when Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion opened with $30 million.
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