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Miracle (2004)

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12 articles from 2004

9 March 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

For the second week in a row, Sunday ticket sales for The Passion of the Christ proved to be bigger than originally expected. The final weekend tally totaled $53.2 million, some $1.8 million more than Newmarket Films, its distributor, had predicted. Its total domestic gross now stands at $213.9 million, with some analysts now predicting that the film could surpass $350 million and total more than $1 billion worldwide, even before sales of DVDs and other ancillary items are taken into account. Starsky & Hutch, a movie versions of the 1970s TV series, starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, debuted in second place with $28.1 million, about $1 million less than what was forecast.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Passion of the Christ, Newmarket, $53,246,801, 2 Wks. ($213,888,740); 2. Starsky & Hutch, Warner Bros., $28,103,367, (New); 3. Hidalgo, Disney, $18,829,435, (New); 4. 50 First Dates, Sony, $7,637,128, 4 Wks. ($99,348,370); 5. Twisted, Paramount, $5,126,387, 2 Wks. ($16,483,793); 6. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Disney, $4,045,006, 3 Wks. ($21,803,186); 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, New Line, $3,037,822, 12 Wks. ($368,210,170); 8. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Lions Gate, $2,962,008, 2 Wks. ($10,149,976); 9. Miracle, Disney, $2,543,422, 5 Wks. ($59,822,969); 10. Monster, Newmarket, $2,123,915, 11 Wks. ($29,954,254).

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8 March 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Moviegoers' passion for Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ diminished only slightly over the weekend -- 39 percent to be precise, a small drop by box-office standards -- as the film took in an estimated $51.4 million to bring its 12-day gross to $212 million. Only two other films, Spider-Man and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King have reached the $200-million mark faster. Moreover, it seemed clear that much of the business for Passion was produced by ticket-buyers who don't ordinarily go to the movies, as Warner's Starsky & Hutch opened with a better-than-predicted $29.1 million and Disney's Hidalgo took in $19.6 million. In an interview with the Associated Press, Disney distribution chief Chuck Viane remarked. "I've never seen anything quite like The Passion. ... To have two other movies come in and open as strongly as they did in the face of a steamroller, you can't complain." The total box office was up an astounding 44 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago, partly the result of post-Oscar bumps for the big winners. New Line added 791 theaters to the 1112 that were still showing Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and wound up with the movie placing seventh among the top ten with $3.2 million, after dropping out of the top ten a week ago.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. The Passion of the Christ, $51.4 million; 2. Starsky & Hutch, $29.05 million; 3. Hidalgo, $19.6 million; 4. 50 First Dates, $7.7 million; 5. Twisted, $5 million; 6. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, $4 million; 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $3.2 million; 8. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, $2.85 million; 9. Miracle, $2.6 million; 10. Monster, $2.25 million.

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2 March 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

As several analysts had forecast, Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ far exceeded industry estimates at the box office over the weekend, taking in an astounding $125.2 million, including ticket sales on Wednesday and Thursday. The fact that the audience for the movie expanded on Sunday (it took in $5 million more on Sunday than it did on Friday) led box office mavens to speculate that the film will draw even bigger crowds over the Good Friday and Easter holidays. Although it had been expected to play well in the Bible Belt and in inner-city areas where Christian churches represent a forceful presence, analysts reported Monday that the film played well in all regions and with all demographics. Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, the independent distributor that Gibson hired when the major studios rejected the film, told the Associated Press Monday that he believes the film could take in $350 million in North America alone. Three other films that opened wide over the weekend performed poorly. Paramount's Twisted landed in third place with just $8.9 million. Lions Gate's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights debuted with only $5.8 million, and Fox Searchlight's Club Dread was dead at $3 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Passion of the Christ, Newmarket, $83,848,082, 1 Wk. $125,185,971 -- From Wednesday); 2. 50 First Dates, Sony, $12,565,729, 3 Wks. ($88,683,963); 3. Twisted, Paramount, $8,904,299, (New); 4. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Disney, $6,346,941, 2 Wks. ($16,905,932); 5. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Lions Gate, $5,811,325, (New); 6. Miracle, Disney, $4,469,617, 4 Wks. ($56,328,330); 7. Eurotrip, DreamWorks, $4,051,428, 2 Wks. ($12,758,176); 8. Welcome to Mooseport, 20th Century Fox, $3,279,764, 2 Wks. ($11,539,863); 9. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, MGM, $3,125,536, 4 Wks. ($57,575,543); 10. Broken Lizard's Club Dread, Fox Searchlight, $3,035,688, (New).

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1 March 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Millions of moviegoers defied what they must have regarded as anti-Christ reviewers and packed theaters over the weekend to see Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. The film earned an estimated $76.2 million, making it the ninth-biggest debut in history. Since its official opening on Wednesday, it has taken in $114.5 million, plus an additional $3 mullion during private screenings earlier in the week. (Some analysts suggested that the actual gross for the movie could soar well above the estimated figure, given the fact that the unknown factor is the box-office take for Sunday, usually a relatively light day for filmgoers. Given the religious nature of Passion, however, Sunday could conceivably turn out to be the busiest day of the weekend for it.) Falling to second place was Sony's 50 First Dates, which counted up an estimated $12.6 million in its third weekend. But a slew of new films performed poorly. Paramount's Twisted opened in third place with just $9.1 million. Lions Gate's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights debuted with only $5.9 million to place fifth. And Fox Searchlight's horror spoof Club Dread opened with a dreadful $3 million to place 10th.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. The Passion of the Christ, $76.2 million; 2. 50 First Dates, $12.6 million; 3. Twisted, $9.1 million; 4. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, $6.1 million; 5. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, $5.9 million; 6. Miracle, $4.4 million; 7. Eurotrip, $4.1 million; 8. Welcome to Mooseport, $3.35 million; 9. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, $3.1 million; 10. Broken Lizard's Club Dread, $3 million.

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24 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has become the second film in history to earn more than $1 billion worldwide, reaching that level during its tenth week of release, one week faster than Titanic (which went on to earn $1.8 billion). According to its distributor, New Line Cinema, the film's total stood at $1,005,380,412 through Sunday. The results were announced even as the domestic box office experienced a deep swoon, falling 21 percent behind results for the comparable week a year ago. Although four new films made their debuts, not one earned so much as $10 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. 50 First Dates, Sony, $20,427,325, 2 Wks. ($71,738,493); 2. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Disney, $9,350,572, (New); 3. Miracle, Disney, $7,803,352, 3 Wks. ($50,352,253); 4. Welcome to Mooseport, 20th Century Fox, $6,775,132, (New); 5. Eurotrip, DreamWorks, $6,711,384, (New); 6. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, MGM, $6,287,008, 3 Wks. ($53,223,440); 7. Mystic River, Warner Bros., $3,094,569, 20 Wks. ($79,206,839); 8. Against the Ropes, Paramount, $3,038,546, (New); 9. The Butterfly Effect, New Line, $2,975,882, 5 Wks. ($53,208,211); 10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, New Line, $2,850,455, 10 Wks. ($361,118,934).

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23 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Four new movies opened wide at the box office over the weekend, and none of them earned $10 million or more. "The audience stayed away this weekend," Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian told Bloomberg News. "Many of what I thought would be pretty big opening films fell flat." Ticket sales for the top 12 films amounted to only $75.1 million, a figure 21 percent lower than the comparable weekend a year ago. "We've had four down weekends in a row," Dergarabedian told Bloomberg. "We're really in a slump." The top film at the box office -- for the second week -- was the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy 50 First Dates with $21.0 million. Among the newcomers Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen took in $9.2 million, good enough for second place. Other new films died at birth. The Ray Romano/Gene Hackman comedy Welcome to Mooseport opened in fourth place with $7 million. The raunchy teen movie Eurotrip took fifth place with $6.6 million, and Paramount's Against the Ropes, starring Meg Ryan as a boxing manager, opened in eighth with $3 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. 50 First Dates, $21 million; 2. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, $9.2 million; 3. Miracle, $8 million; 4. Welcome to Mooseport, $7 million; 5. Eurotrip, $6.6 million; 6. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, $6.3 million; 7. Mystic River, $3.1 million; 8. Against the Ropes, $3 million; 9. The Butterfly Effect, $2.9 million; 10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $2.8 million.

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18 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Adam Sandler appeared to justify his $20-million-per-movie going price as his latest movie, Sony's 50 First Dates, pulled in $45.1 million dollars over the four-day Presidents Day weekend ($39.9 million between Friday and Sunday). The film set a February record for a romantic comedy. The previous weekend's top film, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, slipped to second place with ticket sales of $16.5 million ($14.5 million between Friday and Sunday). Disney's Miracle remained fairly firm, actually moving ahead of Barbershop 2 into second place on Monday with $17 million for the four days ($14 million between Friday and Sunday). The rest of the top ten bunched together well behind the leaders.

The top ten films over the three-day weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. 50 First Dates, Sony, $39,852,237, 1 Wks. ($45,107,871); 2. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, MGM, $14,467,567, 2 Wks. ($44,974,742); 3. Miracle, Disney, $14,031,960, 2 Wks. ($40,050,545); 4. You Got Served, Screen Gems, $5,111,778, 3 Wks. ($33,006,206); 5. The Butterfly Effect, New Line, $5,254,335, 4 Wks. ($49,179,651); 6. Catch That Kid, 20th Century Fox, $4,465,460, 2 Wks. ($12,379,409); 7. Along Came Polly, Universal, $4,831,820, 5 Wks. ($82,011,840); 8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, New Line, $4,187,000, 9 Wks. ($357,367,856); 9. Mystic River, Warner Bros., $3,687,667, 19 Wks. ($75,269,389); 10. Cold Mountain, Miramax, $3,460,854, 8 Wks. ($87,758,959).

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17 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

50 First Dates earned its first $46 million over the four-day Presidents Day weekend, according to studio estimates. The figure represented the best February opening ever for a romantic comedy and was second only behind 2001's Hannibal, which debuted with $58 million, for overall honors for the month. Last weekend's leader, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and Miracle each reported an estimated gross of $16.3 million. Remaining films fell far behind the leaders. The Butterfly Effect placed fourth with $6.2 million, just above You Got Served, which landed in fifth place with $6.0 million. Because of the holiday, final results will not be announced until later today (Tuesday).

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16 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Proving itself to be the Valentine's Day (and Presidents' Day) weekend's ultimate date movie, the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy 50 First Dates became the second-biggest February opening ever as it took in $41 million, according to studio estimates. Only 2001's Hannibal, which debuted with $58 million, performed better in February, a traditionally sluggish month at the box office. Last week's top film, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, moved down a notch to second place with $15.6 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. 50 First Dates, $41 million; 2. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, $15.6 million; 3. Miracle, $14 million; 4. The Butterfly Effect, $5.7 million; 5. You Got Served, $5.1 million; 6. Along Came Polly, $5.08 million; 7. Catch That Kid, $4.35 million; 8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $4.15 million; 9. Cold Mountain, $3.7 million; 10. Mystic River, $3.55 million.

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10 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Barbershop 2: Back in Business debuted strongly at the box office over the weekend, taking in $24.2 million, the fourth-biggest February opening in history. The figure compared with $20.6 million for the original Barbershop in 2004. Disney's Miracle also had a strong opening, netting $19.4 million for the second spot. But results quickly sank from there, putting the overall box office 7 percent behind the comparable weekend a year ago. A significant disappointment was 20th Century Fox's Catch That Kid, which couldn't catch enough kids' interest. The film collected only $5.8 million, putting it in sixth place.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, MGM, $24,241,612, (New); 2. Miracle, Disney, $19,377,577, (New); 3. You Got Served, Sony, $7,518,860, 2 Wks. ($25,865,203); 4. Along Came Polly, Universal, $6,846,305, 4 Wks. ($75,046,055); 5. The Butterfly Effect, New Line, $6,512,743, 3 Wks. ($41,312,767); 6. Catch That Kid, 20th Century Fox, $5,824,860, (New); 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, New Line, $4,293,671, 8 Wks. ($351,133,343); 8. Mystic River, Warner Bros., $3,638,203, 18 Wks. ($69,880,053); 9. Monster, New Market, $3,513,456, 7 Wks. ($15,291,762); 10. Cold Mountain, Miramax, $3,242,434, 7 Wks. ($82,869,814).

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9 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

MGM's Barbershop 2: Back in Business got the biggest cut of the box-office over the weekend, taking in estimated $25.1 million, about what analysts had expected. The figure compared with $20.6 million for the original Barbershop's opening two years ago. Disney's Miracle, starring Kurt Russell as the coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, also performed well, pulling in about $19.4 million in second place. 20th Century Fox's Catch That Kid performed well below expectations opening in sixth place with just $6 million. Sony's You Got Served, which debuted in first place last weekend, dropped to third with an estimated $7.7 million, less than half what it took in at its opening. The top 12 films grossed $92.7 million, down 9 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago. In limited release, the opening of the NC-17-rated The Dreamers from Bernardo Bertolucci, earned an estimated $150,078 at five theaters in New York and Los Angeles -- or an average of $30,016 per theater, the best per-theater average of any film released so far this year. A spokesman for Fox Searchlight, which is distributing the film, said that the company had had no difficulty buying advertising to promote it, despite the policy of several newspapers to refuse ads for NC-17-rated movies.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Barbershop 2: Back in Business, $25.1 million; 2. Miracle, $19.4 million; 3. You Got Served, $7.7 million; 4. Along Came Polly, $7 million; 5. The Butterfly Effect, $6.7 million; 6. Catch That Kid, $6 million; 7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, $4.4 million; 8. Monster, $3.51 million; 9. Mystic River, $3.5 million; 10. Cold Mountain, $3.2 million.

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6 February 2004 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Miracle, in which Kurt Russell plays hockey coach Herb Brooks, who assembled the victorious American hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics, is receiving cheers from most critics. The script, they agree, is mostly by-the-numbers for a sports film. Russell's performance, they suggest, is something else. Michael Sragow in the Baltimore Sun writes that it is "so robust and true, so acute in its depiction of a complex, brilliant character and so immense in its understated sympathy that it brings new meaning to the overused word 'inspirational.'" Carrie Rickey in the Philadelphia Inquirer says it's the role of Russell's career. "Russell's stunning performance, his most memorable star turn since he played Elvis in the 1979 telefilm, is one of poetry in motivation and understatement in overdrive," she writes. Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Daily News observes: "Russell is turning into a true exception, a performer who is improving in a major way as he gets older and seems to relax more into his own skin." And Glenn Whipp in the Los Angeles Daily News concludes that "Russell is the small miracle in Miracle."

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12 articles from 2004