“Superman” primed to take box office in single bound
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – It’s a given that the Man of Steel will lead this weekend’s box office as “Superman Returns” moves into 4,065 engagements on Friday.
The Warner Bros. Pictures feature flew into 3,915 venues in North America on Wednesday and racked up $21 million in gross receipts. The first-day total includes an estimated $3 million from previews — which began at 10 p.m. Tuesday in about 2,500 theaters — and a single-day record $1.2 million infusion from 76 Imax theaters.
Wednesday’s single-day opening gross of $18 million represents the 11th-biggest Wednesday debut of all time, excluding previews, just behind New Line Cinema’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” which took in $18.2 million.
“Superman” marks the first time in 19 years that the superhero has graced the silver screen. Bryan Singer directed from a script by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. Brandon Routh throws on the red cape, Kate Bosworth is Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey is Lex Luthor.
The first-day gross of “Superman Returns,” budgeted at more than $200 million, bested another caped crusader under the Warners banner: the Dark Knight. “Batman Begins” opened on a Wednesday with $15.1 million, went into the weekend with $24.2 million under its utility belt and grossed an additional $48.7 million to bring its five-day total to $72.9 million. By the time it left theaters, “Batman Begins” had picked up $205.3 million and reinvigorated the long-dormant franchise.
Sony’s “Spider-Man 2” holds the record for the biggest Wednesday opening in history with a staggering $40.4 million in June 2004.
RIDE WITH ‘THE DEVIL’
The film most likely to capture the second spot this weekend is 20th Century Fox’s “The Devil Wears Prada,” which opens in 2,847 locations, 55 of which are digital. The PG-13 comedy-drama, based on the best-selling novel by Lauren Weisberger, is about a small-town girl who takes a job working for a high-handed editor of a fictitious New York fashion magazine called Runway.
Meryl Streep toplines the cast as the editor, and Anne Hathaway is her underling. Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Emily Blunt and Adrian Grenier also appear in “Prada.” David Frankel, who has directed the HBO series “Sex and the City” and “Entourage,” which stars Grenier, helmed “Prada” from a screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna.
So far, Fox’s counterprogramming move against “Superman” seems to be working because the film has been tracking well with females, particularly the younger set, and has some interest from other quadrants as well. “Prada” has garnered mostly positive reviews — its RottenTomatoes rating Thursday was 74 percent — and the buzz has been quietly but steadily building.
Last weekend’s box-office champ, Sony Pictures’ “Click,” heads into the holiday session with close to $60 million and likely will finish in the third slot. The Adam Sandler starrer will take a hit from “Superman” as well as “Prada” because some of the audience for “Click” overlaps with those two films.
Buena Vista Pictures’ “Cars” demonstrated improved traction with audiences last weekend, falling a slim 31 percent from a week earlier. The animated Disney/Pixar film has picked up winnings of about $168 million through Thursday and is speeding toward a fourth-place finish on its fourth lap in North American theaters.
Opening in limited release is Sony Pictures Classics’ “Who Killed the Electric Car?” The Chris Paine-helmed documentary is an investigation into why the electric car, particularly General Motors’ beloved EV1, stopped being produced.
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