‘Sith’ Can’t Halt Slump
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of The Sith officially entered the record books Monday as the final tally for its four-day opening came in at $158,449,700, demolishing the previous four-day record of $134.3 million, set by The Matrix Reloaded in 2003.
Nevertheless, to the surprise of many analysts, the movie did not lift the overall box office out of its slump.
Total receipts were 3.5 percent below those for the same weekend a year ago. It marked the 13th consecutive week that the box office recorded total receipts below last year’s.
“It’s shocking,” Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian told the Associated Press. “We really thought this would end the slump.” Part of the problem was related to the fact that Sith had its best day on Thursday, drawing away business for the weekend.
And although its $108.4-million weekend gross was the second-biggest of all time (behind only Spider-Man’s $114.8 million), other movies on theater marquees did not represent the kind of draw that last year’s comparable lineup, which included Troy and Shrek 2, did.
Next weekend — the Memorial Day holiday — will see some flashy additions to the list, including the animated Madagascar and the remake of The Longest Yard. But analysts suggest that even that array may not be enough to give the box office the boost it needs.
Here are the top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of The Sith, 20th Century Fox, $108,435,841, 1 Wk. ($158,449,700 — From Thursday);
2. Monster-in-Law, New Line, $14,350,134, 2 Wks. ($44,174,005);
3. Kicking & Screaming, Universal, $10,721,715, 2 Wks. ($34,196,720);
4. Crash, Lions Gate, $5,546,006, 3 Wks. ($27,648,811);
5. Unleashed, Focus Features, $4,123,556, 2 Wks. ($17,850,310);
6. Kingdom of Heaven, 20th Century Fox, $3,537,201, 3 Wks. ($41,218,408);
7. House of Wax, Warner Bros., $3,288,419, 3 Wks. ($26,912,839);
8. The Interpreter, Universal, $2,910,580, 5 Wks. ($65,403,045);
9. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Disney, $2,054,904, 4 Wks. ($46,902,653);
10. Mindhunters, Miramax/Dimension, $1,005,839, 2 Wks. ($3,562,161).
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