Opening This Weekend, February 1-3, 2008

[Plot Device]

Okay, I have just five for this weekend (there are others in limited release, but I'm focusing on just these). What film (or what two or three films) do you think you'll be deciding upon this weekend?

PG-13 - "The Eye" ....................... (Supernatural Horror) .......... Jessica Alba
PG-13 - "Over Her Dead Body" ............ (Supernatural Romantic Comedy) . Eva Longoria
R ----- "Strange Wilderness" ............ (Comedy) ....................... Steve Zahn
G ----- "Hannah Montana/Best Both Worlds" (Concert) ...................... Concert
PG ---- "Caramel" ....................... (Romantic Comedy) ...............Subititled


http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/thisweekend.html

(The poll above allows you to vote for multiple choices, not just one. The poll will close on Sunday.)


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NEW COMMENT on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2008

Well, the weekend has come and gone. And here's what the box office said happened with our five new films:


Rank . Title ...................... Weekend Gross .. PTA ...... Total Gross
.1 .... Hannah Montana............ $31,117,834.... $45,560 ... $31,117,834
.2 .... The Eye................... $12,425,776 .... $5,100 ... $12,425,776
.3 .... 27 Dresses ................ $8,529,845 .... $2,866 ... $57,245,093
.4 .... Meet the Spartans ......... $7,336,595 .... $2,775 ... $28,543,340
.5 .... Rambo ..................... $7,120,649 .... $2,576 ... $29,918,795
.6 .... Juno ...................... $7,014,579 .... $2,834 .. $109,828,029
.7 .... The Bucket List ........... $6,725,460 .... $2,307 ... $67,546,573
.8 .... Untraceable ............... $5,076,537 .... $2,143 ... $19,127,089
.9 .... Cloverfield ............... $4,842,031 .... $1,610 ... $71,915,658
10 .... There Will Be Blood ....... $4,654,162 .... $3,088 ... $21,038,955
11 .... Over Her Dead Body ........ $4,025,115 .... $2,035 .... $4,025,115
12 .... Strange Wilderness ........ $3,001,719 .... $2,484 .... $3,001,719
13 .... National Treasure ......... $2,963,552 .... $1,710 .. $209,792,593
...
...
43 .... Aliens Vs. Predator/Requiem .. $79,246 ...... $480 ... $41,564,088
44 .... Caramel ...................... $71,916 .... $6,537 ....... $71,916

[icerose]

I have not heard of any of these movies. Sheesh, not having a tv really distances me from releases.

[Plot Device]

Well, I checked off "other" and went out to FINALLY see "Cloverfield." (Got back not even five minutes ago.)

Now THAT was an awesome time at the movies!

[WerenCole]

My "other"= none.

[El Mariachi]

I would see "Strange Wilderness". There's just something about a silly comedy. You go in expecting nothing, and walk out having had a good time.

[Flu]

Release dates are different where I am, so I'm not actually voting.
If that would be my only choice for the weekend though, I think I'd just stay home. Not the hottest release-weekend, apparently.

"The Eye" is the only one of those five I'm even remotely interested in - but I'd probably still wait for the DVD.

[nielsty]

The Eye and Hannah Montana are probably the only ones reaching the Danish Cinemas, so I would probably go see a Danish film instead...

[Plot Device]

Okay, guys, I just posted the box office stats.

It's interesting to take notice of Hannah Montana.

Hannah Montana blew away the box office. Not only was it #1, it also had sell out shows all across the country (the theatre I went to this past weekend to see "Cloverfield" had two sell-outs for Hannah Montana).

Please also note the PTA (per theatre average) of over $45K. (It was in just 683 theatres). It's quite rare when ANY film hits double-digits in its PTA. Usually only a huge tent pole like Spider-Man ever hits those double-digits, or else only a very limited-release indie film being screened at just 5 or 6 theatres from coast to coast, and yet it gets sell-out shows because of huge WOM among the art-house crowd. This film was neither. It was a frigging concert for 10-year old little girls!!!

Be prepared for MORE such films in the future.

[NikeeGoddess]

G rated movies always win out - not b/c they're better but b/c they have the largest possible viewing audience. the younger the audience the more adult tickets must be sold as well. so PG always comes in 2nd to G, PG-13 is the fence sitter b/c some parents will let their kids see these flicks without having to come along.

and R rated flick has got to be excellent to compete financially against the average quality G flick. NC-17 doesn't have a chance.

the easiest financial winners are the PG flicks that appeal to adults like Babe and Shrek.

[LIVIN]

Please also note the PTA (per theatre average) of over $45K. (It was in just 683 theatres). It's quite rare when ANY film hits double-digits in its PTA. Usually only a huge tent pole like Spider-Man ever hits those double-digits, or else only a very limited-release indie film being screened at just 5 or 6 theatres from coast to coast, and yet it gets sell-out shows because of huge WOM among the art-house crowd.

Just so you know...
From the weekend of May 4-6 2007 through the weekend of August 17-19 2007 (the summer blockbuster season) the number one film had a PTA above $10K every weekend except for 2.

[Plot Device]

Just so you know...
From the weekend of May 4-6 2007 through the weekend of August 17-19 2007 (the summer blockbuster season) the number one film had a PTA above $10K every weekend except for 2.


Hey, Livin, I went and checked out your info. And you're right: summer is more typically when PTA's will hit double digits, so it was all the more extrardinary for this film to hit that zone in February.

And what's more, every last film that hit double-digits K's for the year 2007 was either a tentpole or a limited release. So my assertion still stands that it's a rare phenomenon that only ever happens to tentpoles and arthouse flicks.

And I also discovered that you are again right: in any given sampling of just the Top 10 for any given weekend, there was usually only ONE film that broke into double-digits (the number one film of the week). And only rarely did I find it was TWO films in the Top 10 that hit double-digits in the K's, and AGAIN, that second film was yet another tentpole. All other films were in single-digit K's. So hitting double-digits is a rarity indeed.

And when you expand the field to sample the Top 100 films at the box office for any given weekend, you usually had to slide yourself WAY the heck down to somewhere around Number 18 or sometimes even Number 30 before you found another double-digit. And THOSE films that fall that far down the list are usually the arthouse/limited releases. So once again, my original assertion still stands: tentpoles and limited releases are pretty much the only films that every achieve double-digits in the realm of K-dollars.

And here's the icing on the cake: MOST instances of any film hitting double-digits for its PTA typically hit $15K or maybe $18K. Very rarely a film might go as high as $25K or even $35K. But Hannah Montana hit an unbelievable $45K. I'm not saying that a PTA of $45K has never been achieved before (I think a few have hit $55K), but a figure that high indicates two things: 1) the movie theatre exhibited that movie in a very very large-capacity auditorium, and 2) most shows were probably sold out for the duration of the entire weekend. THOSE are the kinds of numbers that make the elite, upper-echelons of those mysterious yet all-powerful green-light people in Hollywood stand up and take notice. And so this movie is definitely going to rattle some cages in the industry.