Posted on 12/01/2002 4:17:30 PM PST by Sparta
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" led the nation's box office as it edged James Bond's "Die Another Day" over the post-Thanksgiving weekend with an estimated $32.2 million at 3,682 theaters during the Friday-Sunday period, studio sources said Sunday.
MGM's "Die Another Day" finished a close second with $31 million but it eked out a victory over the five-day Wednesday-Sunday period with $46.3 million, about $500,000 ahead of Warner Bros.' "The Chamber of Secrets" over the same five days.
Both holdover hits dominated Thanksgiving holiday movie going, as expected. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" became the 45th film to cross the $200 million milestone on Sunday, its 17th day of release, and "Die" has become the 267th film to top $100 million as it reached $101.6 million on Sunday after just 10 days in release.
"It's no surprise that these two films did so well because they are by far the most attractive films in the marketplace," said analyst Arthur Rockwell of Rockwell Capital Management. "They are going to continue doing well for several more weeks."
Also continuing to draw significant numbers in third was Disney's fifth weekend of "The Santa Clause 2" with $12.3 million at 2,526 theaters to lift its 31-day total to $113.9 million. That leaves the sequel at 193rd on the all-time list and about $30 million behind the total taken in by the 1994 original.
By contrast, none of the five new films that opened Wednesday fared well. Disney's animated "Treasure Planet," an outer space version of "Treasure Island," led the pack in fourth with $11.9 million at 3,227 sites but that was somewhat downbeat given the strong past performance by the studio's animated movies and its reported $100 million cost.
Sony's opening of its animated "Eight Crazy Nights," starring Adam Sandler in a comedy set during the Hanukkah holiday, followed in fifth with $10.1 million at 2,503 theaters. "I don't think the idea of 'Treasure Planet' or 'Eight Crazy Nights' struck moviegoers as being especially intriguing," Rockwell noted.
New Line's second weekend of "Friday After Next" came in sixth with $7.8 million at 1,621 theaters, followed by 20th Century Fox's opening of science-fiction adventure-romance "Solaris" with $6.8 million at 2,406. Reviews were mixed for "Solaris," which stars George Clooney as an astronaut who makes contact with his deceased wife.
"I think the number for 'Solaris' was at the low end of expectations, given Clooney's star power," Rockwell added.
Universal's fourth weekend of "8 Mile" came in eighth with $5.9 million at 2,498 theaters to boost its total to $107.6 million. Miramax's opening of horror-thriller "Wes Craven Presents: They" followed with $5.7 million at 1,615 theaters.
Rounding out the top 10 was DreamWorks' seventh weekend of "The Ring" with $5.5 million at 1,912 sites as it pushed its 45-day total to $120 million. It edged out the 33rd weekend of IFC's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" with $4.1 million at 1,257 theaters, boosting that film's cumulative take to $210.7 million -- the 38th highest all-time ahead of "Back to the Future."
Universal's second weekend of "The Emperor's Club" followed in 12th with $3.7 million at 811 theaters and Paramount's opening of action-adventure "Extreme Ops" generated little interest with $2.3 million at 1,800 locations.
The top 10 took in $129 million, or nearly $50 million better than the same weekend a year ago when the third weekend of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" led with $23.6 million during a weekend that was a full week after Thanksgiving. For the year, grosses have topped $8.1 billion, about 11 percent ahead of the same point last year.
On the art-house circuit, Miramax's opening of Australian drama "Rabbit-Proof Fence" grossed $92,000 at nine theaters during the three days. Focus Features' "Far From Heaven" grossed $2 million at 284 screens during the five days to push its total to $5.5 million.
Artisan's "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" grossed $288,000 at 58 sites to lift its three-week total to $638,000. United Artists' second weekend of drama "Personal Velocity" took in $58,000 at five theaters.
"Chamber of Secrets" and "Die Another Day" will face competition next weekend when Warner Bros. opens "Analyze That," its sequel to the 1999 comedy "Analyze This," with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal. "Analyze This" grossed over $106 million domestically.
I can't imagine why some knuckleheads (like Bo Dietel) have dissed it.
If that is their competition, I wouldn't be too worried.
The movie was good except for Madonna...she is endeavoring to prove that her acting abilities exceed her musical talent, and that is not to be construed as a compliment. The Bond theme song was so painful that I would have preferred to listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.
Just out of curiosity, why?
Y'mean like Drax, the guy who wanted to restart the human race out on a space station (by sending specially-selected couples to live there and then killing everyone on Earth)? ;)
Which, of course, explains how you know that a movie like Harry Potter (which came out just a month or two ago) is "boring".
Oh wait, no it doesn't.
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