‘You Got Served’ Dances to Box Office Win
LOS ANGELES – Recently split teen R&B band B2K put the moves on the box office as its dance flick “You Got Served” debuted at No. 1 with $16 million.
The other new wide releases debuted weakly over Super Bowl weekend, typically a slow time at theaters as movie-goers stay home Sunday for the big game.
“The Perfect Score,” featuring Scarlett Johansson and Erika Christensen as part of a group of teens swiping the SAT exam, was No. 5 with $5 million, averaging an anemic $2,264 in 2,208 theaters.
Owen Wilson’s comic crime caper “The Big Bounce” bombed with $3.3 million, finishing at No. 12 and averaging just $1,439 in 2,304 cinemas.
All three movies received harsh reviews, yet “You Got Served” managed to pull in the teen crowd on the strength of B2K’s popularity. Playing in 1,933 theaters, “You Got Served” averaged a healthy $8,277.
The movie exceeded the box-office expectations of Sony, whose Screen Gems banner released “You Got Served.”
“It’s one of those movies that flies beneath the radar, then suddenly, it’s at No. 1,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. “It just shows when you go after that teen audience, it’s an audience that definitely has power.”
The movie stars Omari “Omarion” Grandberry ó who left for a solo career a month ago ó and B2K members Jarell “J-Boog” Houston, DeMario “Raz-B” Thornton and Dreux “Lil’ Fizz” Frederic as part of a Los Angeles street-dance crew.
Many of last week’s key Academy Awards nominees got a boost at the box office as audiences began catching up with contenders before the Feb. 29 Oscar ceremony.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the leader with 11 nominations and the front-runner for best picture, held up strongly with $5.3 million, raising its domestic total to $345.3 million.
That makes it the top-grossing installment of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, lifting it past the $341.7 million domestic haul of 2002’s “The Two Towers.” “Return of the King” also has passed “Finding Nemo” ($339.7 million) to become the highest-grossing movie released in 2003.
Best-picture nominee “Mystic River,” which went back into wide release the previous weekend, added a few dozen more theaters and took in $4.4 million, pushing its total to $64.9 million.
Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager for “Mystic River” distributor Warner Bros., said the movie has padded its take by $9.5 million since it widened to more theaters in anticipation of the Oscars. The studio figures the awards run could boost the film’s take by as much as $20 million, he said.
“It’s been out there for 17 weeks with all the critical acclaim, but now with the Oscars, people feel they’ve missed something, so rather than waiting for it on home video, they’re going out to see it now,” Goldstein said.
Two other best-picture nominees, “Lost in Translation” and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” expanded back into wider release.
“Lost in Translation,” which comes out on video Tuesday, took in $2.2 million, raising its gross to $37.5 million. “Master and Commander” added $2.3 million to push its total to $87.8 million.
The fifth best-picture contender, “Seabiscuit,” already is out on video.
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“Monster,” which scored a best-actress nomination for Charlize Theron, went into its widest release yet, doubling its theater count to 668 and collecting $3.1 million to lift its total to $10.6 million.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. “You Got Served,” $16 million.
2. “Along Came Polly,” $10.1 million.
3. “The Butterfly Effect,” $9.95 million.
4. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” $5.3 million.
5. “The Perfect Score,” $5 million.
6. “Big Fish,” $4.6 million.
7. “Cold Mountain,” $4.53 million.
8. “Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!”, $4.5 million
9. “Mystic River,” $4.4 million.
10. “Cheaper by the Dozen,” $4.1 million.
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