Larred
01-10-2005, 10:52 PM
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/09/box.office.reut/index.html
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- "Meet the Fockers" ruled the North American box office for a third consecutive weekend, speeding past the $200 million mark, while the first wide release of 2005 opened strongly at No. 2.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the Ben Stiller-Robert De Niro comedy sold $28.5 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning on Friday, taking its total to $204.3 million. It ranks as the sixth-highest-grossing film released in 2004, according to box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
"Fockers" should end up with more than $250 million, said Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures, which released the film in December. Its 2000 predecessor, "Meet the Parents," finished with $166 million.
Universal also distributed the No. 2 movie, "White Noise," which opened with $24 million despite bad reviews and modest expectations. The studio had hoped for an opening in the high teens, Rocco said.
The paranormal thriller stars Michael Keaton as an architect who communicates with his dead wife. It marks the feature directing debut of British TV veteran Geoffrey Sax.
The film played strongest to moviegoers aged under 25 (67 percent) and women (58 percent), according to exit data provided by Universal.
Universal distributed "White Noise" for a fee on behalf of its producer, Gold Circle Films, one of the firms behind the box office smash "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
With its two films, Universal said it accounted for about half of all ticket sales, helping to lift overall business at a traditionally quiet time of the year.
Exhibitor Relations said the top 12 films grossed $98.3 million, up 8 percent from the same year-ago period. Sales should improve next weekend with the launch of three wide new releases: the sports drama "Coach Carter," the superheroine saga "Elektra" and the cartoon "Racing Stripes."
Director Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" (Miramax Films) held steady at No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its total to $42.9 million after three weekends in wide release.
Paramount Pictures' "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" followed at No. 4, down two places, with $7.4 million. Its total rose to $105.5 million after four weekends. The children's picture becomes the ninth Jim Carrey movie to hit the $100 million mark, Exhibitor Relations said.
"Fat Albert" slipped one place to No. 5 with $6 million. After three weeks, Twentieth Century Fox's live-action adaptation of Bill Cosby's venerable TV cartoon has earned $41.3 million.
The top 10 was rounded out by "Ocean's Twelve" with $5.4 million for the weekend, "National Treasure" ($4.5 million), "Spanglish" ($4.4 million), "Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera" ($3.4 million), and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" ($2.7 million).
Universal Pictures is a unit of General Electric Co. -controlled NBC Universal. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc.
Miramax Films is a unit of Walt Disney Co., whose Walt Disney Pictures unit released "National Treasure" and Touchstone Pictures unit released "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou."
Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
"Spanglish" was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp. "Ocean's Twelve" and "Andrew Lloyd's Webber The Phantom of the Opera" were released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc. CNN is also a unit of Time Warner Inc.
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- "Meet the Fockers" ruled the North American box office for a third consecutive weekend, speeding past the $200 million mark, while the first wide release of 2005 opened strongly at No. 2.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the Ben Stiller-Robert De Niro comedy sold $28.5 million worth of tickets in the three days beginning on Friday, taking its total to $204.3 million. It ranks as the sixth-highest-grossing film released in 2004, according to box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
"Fockers" should end up with more than $250 million, said Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures, which released the film in December. Its 2000 predecessor, "Meet the Parents," finished with $166 million.
Universal also distributed the No. 2 movie, "White Noise," which opened with $24 million despite bad reviews and modest expectations. The studio had hoped for an opening in the high teens, Rocco said.
The paranormal thriller stars Michael Keaton as an architect who communicates with his dead wife. It marks the feature directing debut of British TV veteran Geoffrey Sax.
The film played strongest to moviegoers aged under 25 (67 percent) and women (58 percent), according to exit data provided by Universal.
Universal distributed "White Noise" for a fee on behalf of its producer, Gold Circle Films, one of the firms behind the box office smash "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."
With its two films, Universal said it accounted for about half of all ticket sales, helping to lift overall business at a traditionally quiet time of the year.
Exhibitor Relations said the top 12 films grossed $98.3 million, up 8 percent from the same year-ago period. Sales should improve next weekend with the launch of three wide new releases: the sports drama "Coach Carter," the superheroine saga "Elektra" and the cartoon "Racing Stripes."
Director Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator" (Miramax Films) held steady at No. 3 with $7.6 million, taking its total to $42.9 million after three weekends in wide release.
Paramount Pictures' "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" followed at No. 4, down two places, with $7.4 million. Its total rose to $105.5 million after four weekends. The children's picture becomes the ninth Jim Carrey movie to hit the $100 million mark, Exhibitor Relations said.
"Fat Albert" slipped one place to No. 5 with $6 million. After three weeks, Twentieth Century Fox's live-action adaptation of Bill Cosby's venerable TV cartoon has earned $41.3 million.
The top 10 was rounded out by "Ocean's Twelve" with $5.4 million for the weekend, "National Treasure" ($4.5 million), "Spanglish" ($4.4 million), "Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera" ($3.4 million), and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" ($2.7 million).
Universal Pictures is a unit of General Electric Co. -controlled NBC Universal. Paramount Pictures is a unit of Viacom Inc.
Miramax Films is a unit of Walt Disney Co., whose Walt Disney Pictures unit released "National Treasure" and Touchstone Pictures unit released "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou."
Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
"Spanglish" was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp. "Ocean's Twelve" and "Andrew Lloyd's Webber The Phantom of the Opera" were released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Time Warner Inc. CNN is also a unit of Time Warner Inc.