Families cast Presidents Day vote for "Eight"
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Buena Vista Pictures' "Eight Below" was easily the top dog at the boxoffice during the weekend, pulling $25 million through the boxoffice turnstiles during the four-day Presidents Day holiday.
The debut of the PG-rated family film, directed by Frank Marshall and starring Paul Walker and Jason Biggs, proved to be the fourth biggest recorded during the holiday session.
20th Century Fox's "Date Movie" kindled a heated $21.8 million to park in the second spot in its opening session. The spoof on romantic comedies, produced by Regency Enterprises, carried a PG-13 and attracted a large teen audience.
The distributor's "Freedomland" was the weekend's other new wide release. The Revolution Studios production, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore, arrived in the seventh slot with a disappointing $6.7 million. Revolution topper Joe Roth directed the R-rated film, which centers on a black detective who tries to help a white woman find her missing child.
With six films grossing more than $10 million each, the past weekend was the fourth-highest-grossing Presidents Day weekend on record. The combined boxoffice for the 110 films tracked by The Hollywood Reporter came to $156.9 million. The boxoffice total for the holiday frame was down a slim $700,000, or fewer than 1 percent, from Presidents Day weekend 2005, which was the third-best session.
KID STUFF
Films appealing to family audiences dominated the top rankings for the weekend, with teen-targeted pictures the next most popular. The four films that targeted families -- "Eight Below," "Pink Panther," Universal's "Curious George" (fourth place with $15.4 million) and "Nanny McPhee" (10th place with $5.1 million) -- generated half the boxoffice among the weekend's top 12 films.
"Date Movie," New Line Cinema's "Final Destination 3" (fifth spot with $11.5 million) and Screen Gems' "When a Stranger Calls" (eighth place with $5.8 million) drew largely teen crowds.
If exit polls are any indication, "Eight Below" should have a long run. The fact-based drama secured a sterling 98 percent positive grade from moviegoers, according to CinemaScore, which lends itself to favorable word-of-mouth. The film skewed female, with 60 percent of the audience checking off that box, while 34 percent of patrons were under 18.
More adults bought tickets for "Eight Below" than Buena Vista anticipated, one of the reasons the distributor cited for the film's better-than-expected numbers. That is evident in the demographic spread: 60 percent of those attending were in the 25-and-up category. The story -- Antarctic explorers trying to rescue their beloved team of sled dogs -- proved to be the most compelling draw of the film, cited by 64 percent of those polled.
Despite its strong opening, "Date Movie" might not have as long a run. The Aaron Seltzer-helmed comedy scored a weak 71 percent favorable grade from moviegoers, according to CinemaScore. The comedy leaned slightly female, with 54 percent comprising that group, and younger, with a solid 61 percent in the under-25 demographic. The "spoof" genre proved to be the biggest draw for the film, as noted by 65 percent of those attending.
"Freedomland" also might have a difficult time holding on to an audience in the weeks ahead as the drama garnered a pallid 70 percent positive grade. The film played female (57 percent) and older, with a substantial 91 percent in the 25-and-older age group.
The second weekend for Warner Bros. Pictures' "Firewall" generated $10.4 million and claimed the sixth slot. The Harrison Ford starrer has collected $28.7 million in 11 days of release.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
