Sunday, June 01, 2008

Paying For "Sex"

The Sex and the City movie used its femine charms to take the top spot at the multiplex over the weekend...



Pamela McClintock of Variety:

In an unprecedented box office takeover by women, Warner Bros. and New Line’s chick flick “Sex and the City” grossed a boffo $55.7 million in its debut to become the highest opening ever for an R-rated comedy and beating holdover “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

Film’s performance took Hollywood by utter surprise, shattering the decades-old thinking that females, particularly those over 25, can’t fuel a big opening or go up against a male-driven summer tentpole.

“Sex and the City,” playing in 3,285 theaters and coming four years after the HBO series went off the air, did that and more, winning the weekend crown away from Paramount’s “Crystal Skull.”

It wasn’t a matter of “Crystal Skull” underperforming. Tentpole, jumping the $200 million mark at the domestic box office, declined a respectable 54% in its second frame to $46 million from 4,264 runs for a cume of $216.9 million.

“Sex and the City” broke several other records. It scored the best opening ever for a live-action adaptation of a TV series. Previous record-holder was “Mission Impossible,” which opened to roughly $45 million.

Overall, “Sex and the City,” directed by Michael Patrick King, nabbed the fifth best opening for any R-rated movie.

“Sex and the City” marks New Line’s best box office showing in recent times, although New Line is no longer a standalone studio, but a label within the Warner Bros. fold. Warners is distributing all New Line titles.

Film wasn’t the only title that overperformed at the domestic box office.

Rogue Pictures and Universal’s horror title “The Strangers” grossed an estimated $20.7 million from 2,467 runs in its debut, far exceeding expectations. Film placed No. 3 for the weekend after “Sex and the City” and “Crystal Skull.”

Coming in No. 4 for the weekend was Paramount’s summer blockbuster “Iron Man,” which declined a slim 32% in its fifth frame to $14 million from 3,650 for a cume of $276.6million.

Placing fifth, Disney and Walden Media's “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” declined 43% to $13 million from 3,801 locations for a cume of $115.7 million in its fifth week...


Joshua Rich of EW:

With a stunning $55.7 opening, Sarah Jessica Parker's movie knocked ''Indiana Jones 4'' out of the No. 1 spot at the box office

Read More...

Yeah, "Sex" did extremely well-which probably means a couple of more sequels...As for me I was happy to contribute to Indy's 2nd place finish-taking him past $200 million.

I'll try to have my "Skull" review posted ASAP....

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