Reeves wins box office pennant as Carey flops
Keanu Reeves remained Most Valuable Player at North American box offices as his baseball drama "Hardball" hit $8.2 million in its second weekend, while pop singer Mariah Carey's bid for big screen stardom got off to a dismal start. According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, Carey's musical drama "Glitter" debuted at No. 11 with an off-key $2.5 million for the three-day period beginning Friday.
The figure was "a bit disappointing," said Bruce Snyder, president of distribution at Twentieth Century Fox, which paid $8.5 million for North American distribution rights. He had hoped for a bow of about $4 million. Fox is a unit of Rupert Murdoch's Fox Entertainment Group Inc.
"Glitter" was developed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a unit of Sony Corp . It was originally set for an Aug. 31 release, tying in with Carey's new soundtrack album of the same name, but both projects were pushed back when the 31-year-old diva suffered a mental breakdown.
Critics hooted at the story of a singer (Carey) who teams up with a club DJ (Max Beesley) to achieve her goal of playing Madison Square Garden. The Wall Street Journal said it was "too dopey to deserve scorn." Carey's emergence from seclusion to perform at Friday night's nationally televised telethon for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the East Coast did little to boost Saturday business, Snyder added.
If it was any consolation, overall business was the weakest since the Sept. 15-17, 2000, weekend when Reeves' own "The Watcher" was tops with $5.8 million. The three-day tally for "Hardball" was the lowest for a No. 1 movie since that weekend. According to box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, the top 12 films grossed $44.2 million, down 15 percent from last weekend and down seven percent from the year-ago period when "Urban Legends: Final Cut" opened at No. 1 with $8.5 million.
Studio executives blamed the downturn on a seasonal paucity of new releases - the industry is in a neverland between summer and fall - rather than on distractions from the attacks. Two other films scheduled for this weekend were delayed because of the attacks. "Training Day", starring Denzel Washington as a corrupt L.A. cop, will now open on Oct. 5. "Big Trouble", an ensemble comedy starring Tim Allen and featuring a bomb in its storyline, has been put on hold indefinitely.
Observers expect business to pick up next weekend when some A-list stars release new films. Among the offerings: the Michael Douglas thriller "Don't Say A Word" (Fox), the Ben Stiller comedy "Zoolander" (Paramount) and the Anthony Hopkins supernatural drama "Hearts in Atlantis" (Warner Bros.) The latter film, based on a Stephen King coming-of-age story, played in sneak previews and received the best feedback in the studio's history, said Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman. Some 94 percent of the older-skewing audience rated it "very good" or "excellent", he said. Warner Bros. is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.
Because moviegoers were faced with so few options, most films enjoyed good holds from last week. "Hardball", in which Reeves plays an inner-city baseball coach, lost just 13 percent of its audience. By contrast, the summer blockbusters usually slid more than 50 percent in their second weekends. "Hardball" has grossed $19.4 million after 10 days. It was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.
The Nicole Kidman thriller "The Others" (Dimension) jumped three places to a new high of No. 2 in its seventh weekend. Its three-day tally of $5.2 million represented a 14 percent jump from last weekend. Its 45-day total stands at $80.2 million. Dimension Films is a unit of Walt Disney Co.
"The Glass House", a thriller targeting teen girls, slipped one place to No. 3 in its second weekend with $4.4 million, taking its 10-day haul to $11.7 million. It was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp. "Rush Hour 2" (New Line) rose two places to No. 4 with $3.7 million in its eighth weekend. The 52-day total for the Chris Tucker-Jackie Chan comedy stands at $215.8 million. New Line is a unit of AOL Time Warner Inc.
"The Musketeer" (Universal) fell two spots to No. 5, with $3.5 million in its third weekend. The adventure film has pulled in $22.6 million after 17 days. Universal Pictures is a unit of Vivendi Universal. "Megiddo: The Omega Code 2", a Christian thriller distributed independently in limited release, opened at No. 13 with $1.5 million. (Reuters)
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