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Gibson Delivers Another Box Office Win (APOCALYPTO)
Breitbart ^ | 12/10/2006 | DAVID GERMAIN

Posted on 12/11/2006 3:06:39 PM PST by SirLinksalot

Gibson Delivers Another Box Office Win

Dec 10 10:36 PM US/Eastern

By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES

Mel Gibson's bloody epic "Apocalypto" debuted as the No. 1 weekend movie, proving the filmmaker still can deliver a winner despite his drunken-driving arrest and anti-Semitic rant last summer.

"Apocalypto," a Disney release set in the Mayan civilization and told in an obscure Mayan language, opened with $14.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was a modest haul compared to the $83.8 million opening weekend of Gibson's last movie, the 2004 religious blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ," which went on to do $370 million domestically.

But "Apocalypto" overcame the baggage of Gibson's personal troubles as well as its difficult subject matter, which features a no-name cast in a hyper-violent tale that includes beheadings and images of hearts ripped from people's chests.

"The movie obviously succeeds on its own level. I think people probably are a bit on the surprised side around town that it's No. 1," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "Two months ago, nobody would have bet on that."

Sony's romance "The Holiday" debuted at No. 2 with $13.5 million. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law in the story of American and British women who swap homes for the holidays and find love in the process.

The Warner Bros. thriller "Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou, opened at No. 5 with $8.5 million. Set against Sierra Leone's civil war in the 1990s, the film follows a mercenary pursuing a rare diamond.

Also from Warner Bros., the holiday comedy "Unaccompanied Minors," about a group of kids run amok while stranded at an airport Christmas Eve, premiered at No. 6 with $6.2 million.

The Warner Bros. animated hit "Happy Feet" and Sony's James Bond adventure "Casino Royale," which had been the top-two movies for three-straight weekends, slipped to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

"Happy Feet" took in $12.7 million, raising its total to $137.7 million. "Casino Royale" grossed $8.8 million, lifting its total to $128.9 million.

The overall box office fell sharply, with the top-12 movies grossing $86.8 million, down 25 percent from the same weekend last year, when the blockbuster "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" opened with $65.6 million.

Disney reported that Gibson's "Apocalypto" drew solid crowds across- the-board, with movie-goers equally split between men and women and the core of the audience ranging from 18 to 45.

The publicity over Gibson's problems and his contriteness since last summer may have stoked interested in "Apocalypto," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

"Whenever I tell people I saw the movie, they'd be like, `You saw it? How was it?' There was a huge curiosity factor," Dergarabedian said. "A movie about Mayan civilization was never destined to be a big hit, let alone a No. 1 movie. But through Disney's marketing, which highlights Mel Gibson _ I believe they associated him very closely with the movie _ I think that strategy paid off."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Apocalypto," $14.2 million.

2. "The Holiday," $13.5 million.

3. "Happy Feet," $12.7 million.

4. "Casino Royale," $8.8 million.

5. "Blood Diamond," $8.5 million.

6. "Unaccompanied Minors," $6.2 million.

7. "Deja Vu," $6.1 million.

8. "The Nativity Story," $5.6 million.

9. "Deck the Halls," $3.9 million.

10. "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," $3.3 million.


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: apocalypto; boxoffice; gibson
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1 posted on 12/11/2006 3:06:41 PM PST by SirLinksalot
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To: SirLinksalot
"The movie obviously succeeds on its own level. I think people probably are a bit on the surprised side around town that it's No. 1," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "Two months ago, nobody would have bet on that."

It was always obvious to me that it'd be a hit, and I'm nobody, It's because it's DIFFERENT. Hollywood will never get it.

2 posted on 12/11/2006 3:13:05 PM PST by Argus
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To: SirLinksalot

And dropping fast, it is too bloody and mainstream will not go for it.


3 posted on 12/11/2006 3:13:16 PM PST by SF Republican
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To: SirLinksalot

I hate the 'win' aspect of Box Office reporting. It's not a contest.


4 posted on 12/11/2006 3:13:17 PM PST by Borges
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To: SirLinksalot

I would think this movie would be of much interest to the peoples of Mexico, Guatemala and Belice


5 posted on 12/11/2006 3:13:31 PM PST by rovenstinez (,)
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To: SirLinksalot

I knowe he's got baggage but I love this guy. I suspect others are really frightened by him because he conveys the Christian message so powerfully. He's a dangerous man to some folks for sure. You know it's true when his films are being mocked as ultra violent and shallow by people who have always fought tooth and nail for artistic freedom - liberals. Mel Gibson's done a lot with his life. It's stark realism. It's the real deal. It's the way the story needs to be told.

For every showing of Dances with Wolves (which curiously enough was ultra violent too), there should be a showing of Apocalypto immediately afterwards.


6 posted on 12/11/2006 3:14:11 PM PST by kinghorse (calls them like I sees them)
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To: Argus

I saw it and I agree


7 posted on 12/11/2006 3:14:16 PM PST by woofie (This area deemed a failure, Something new and witty will no doubt emerge)
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To: kinghorse
I suspect others are really frightened by him because he conveys the Christian message so powerfully.

What Christian message is being conveyed powerfully in Apocalypto?

Gibson has had a vast slew of movies that he's directed or starred in that have been commercial successes. ONE of those movies conveyed a Christian message.

If anything, this suggests that Passion was a success because Gibson was attached to it, not the subject matter, though people won't want to hear that.

8 posted on 12/11/2006 3:16:37 PM PST by Strategerist
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To: kinghorse
If it had been directed by Quentin Tarantino, it would have been hailed as ultra-realistic portrayal of Mayan violence and if you didn't get that, then you were for censorship.
9 posted on 12/11/2006 3:16:41 PM PST by Lx (Do you like it, do you like it. Scott? I call it Mr. and Mrs. Tennerman chili.)
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To: rovenstinez
I would think this movie would be of much interest to the peoples of Mexico, Guatemala and Belice

Actually the movie was a hit among its target audience -- HISPANICS.
10 posted on 12/11/2006 3:17:51 PM PST by SirLinksalot
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To: SirLinksalot
Sony's romance "The Holiday" debuted at No. 2 with $13.5 million. Directed by Nancy Meyers, the movie stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law in the story of American and British women who swap homes for the holidays and find love in the process.

My wife and daughter saw The Holiday. They said it was pretty good. They also noticed that the audience was all women save one man.

11 posted on 12/11/2006 3:17:56 PM PST by RJL
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To: Argus

Being different wouldn't be enough, and isn't enough for me. This one just doesn't look like one I'd want to sit through.


12 posted on 12/11/2006 3:19:11 PM PST by MizSterious (Anonymous sources often means "the voices in my head told me.")
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To: Argus

I saw it this past weekend for the same reason - it's not the typical, cookie-cutter film.


13 posted on 12/11/2006 3:19:48 PM PST by reaganandme (Anybody but McCain.)
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To: SirLinksalot

The thing that disturbs me about Mel Gibson is he has this strange obsession with BLOOD and GORE.

It's all over the movies he starred in or made -- BRAVEHEART, THE PATRIOT, THE PASSION, and now this one APOCALYPTO.

Why does he like doing these kinds of movies ??


14 posted on 12/11/2006 3:19:55 PM PST by SirLinksalot
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To: SF Republican
I saw it yesterday with a friend and neither one of us thought it was as bloody as we expected it to be after reading in the media about it. Hey there is blood but that was the Mayan culture. I wouldn't go to a movie about the Mayan culture if they left out those parts as it was central in their beliefs. Good movie, don't be scared away by the hype.
15 posted on 12/11/2006 3:22:46 PM PST by fish hawk (.)
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To: SirLinksalot
The thing that disturbs me about Mel Gibson is he has this strange obsession with BLOOD and GORE. It's all over the movies he starred in or made -- BRAVEHEART, THE PATRIOT, THE PASSION, and now this one APOCALYPTO. Why does he like doing these kinds of movies ??

He's a wacko. I think he's filled with rage which he channels into his films. And this is nowhere near a really big box office weekend for him. He opened against rather weak competition, plus it's usually downhill from opening weekend, money-wise.

16 posted on 12/11/2006 3:22:50 PM PST by veronica (http://images20.fotki.com/v360/photos/1/106521/3848737/gladysPSCP-vi.jpg)
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To: SirLinksalot
The one we all thought he'd make next, "Warrior Queen," about Queen Boadacia in Britain, involved a local woman brutally raped by the Romans, who then starts a successful rebellion. You can imagine what he has planned for that one.

Oh, and did you see "Payback?" Great movie, but again, the gore.

17 posted on 12/11/2006 3:23:27 PM PST by LS
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To: Lx

...and still wouldn't make any money.

$14million is hardly knocking down the lobby doors to get seen. This reviewer is basically a tout.


18 posted on 12/11/2006 3:23:45 PM PST by BelegStrongbow (www.stjosephssanford.org: Ecce Pactum, id cape aut id relinque)
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To: fish hawk
don't be scared away by the hype - that's good to know
19 posted on 12/11/2006 3:24:58 PM PST by SF Republican
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To: SirLinksalot
I saw Apocalypto. It was OK, but it wasn't anything extra special. As a movie, I rate it about even with Kevin Costner's Robin Hood.
20 posted on 12/11/2006 3:26:25 PM PST by Zeroisanumber (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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