‘Bill’ and Uma Set for Killing at Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Two vengeful women will be looking to inspire moviegoers this weekend.
Uma Thurman takes on a group of deadly assassins in Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated, ultraviolent, ultrahip “Kill Bill-Vol. 1,” while Catherine Zeta-Jones sets her sights on the divorce lawyer who thwarted her plans of financial independence in “Intolerable Cruelty.”
While both fighting females are determined to come out on top, the buzz surrounding Miramax’s martial arts-fueled revenge flick is likely to propel “Kill Bill” to the top spot this Columbus Day weekend, leaving Universal Pictures/Imagine Entertainment’s “Cruelty” to fight for No. 2 against Paramount’s reigning champ “The School of Rock.”
“Kill Bill,” Tarantino’s return to the big screen after a six-year hiatus, has film geeks aflutter by what some reviewers are calling one of the most violent movies ever made. The R-rated film is tracking very well with males and is likely to generate grosses in the low-$20 million range for the three-day period.
Centering on Thurman’s character called the Bride, “Kill Bill” tracks her bloody revenge on a group of killers who shot her down on her wedding day. One by one, the martial arts-trained Thurman offs the various members of the assassin group in an over-the-top artistic rendition of an Asian action movie. Miramax plans to release the conclusion of the film — “Kill Bill-Vol. 2” — on Feb. 20 and is looking for a healthy following to validate its decision to cut the three-hour-plus movie into two parts.
“Bill” is expected to outgross Tarantino’s most recent effort, “Jackie Brown,” which generated close to $40 million at the box office in 1997, but it could have a much harder time living up to the success of “Pulp Fiction,” which earned $107 million domestically in 1994.
“Cruelty” could be the most commercial film from the writing-directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen, who scored with 1996’s “Fargo” ($24.5 million) and 2000’s “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” ($45.5 million). Starring Zeta-Jones and George Clooney, the black comedy centers on the farcical behavior surrounding divorce and the lengths people go to deceive their mates. By virtue of its star teaming, “Cruelty” is expected to reach into the mid-teens for the three-day period. Scoring well in the over-25 audience with more interest coming from females, the film is unlikely to top the box office, but it could remain in theaters for a longer period of time.
“Cruelty’s” biggest competition in terms of gross is likely to be “School of Rock,” which opened last weekend with almost $20 million. The film is likely to hold well in a weekend when many children will be out of school Monday for the Columbus Day holiday.
Also looking to take a chunk out of that audience is MGM’s talking-dog movie “Good Boy!” The family film, which combines CGI effects and live-action, is likely to earn in the $8 million-$10 million range for the three-day period. Telling the story of a canine from the dog star Sirius, the movie focuses on a group of dogs who have strayed from their original mission of colonizing and dominating Earth and must shape up for a visit from their leader, the powerful Great Dane.
Artisan Pictures will release the R-rated horror film “House of the Dead,” directed by Uwe Boll. The film, based on the Sega videogame, is looking for business from young males and is likely to be hurt by “Kill Bill.” Industry estimates put the film in the $5 million range for its opening weekend.
Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” from Warner Bros. Pictures, opened Wednesday in limited release. The all-star cast including Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney has put this critical darling into awards contention, which may drive grosses this weekend. The film, produced with Village Roadshow Pictures, is set to expand wide next week.
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