Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Asia Pacific
World
Search
Search:
Carrey's 'Yes Man' earns aye vote with $18M debut
By DAVID GERMAIN,AP Movie Writer AP - Monday, December 22
LOS ANGELES - Movie audiences greeted Jim Carrey and Will Smith with a lukewarm "yes' as snowstorms undermined weekend debuts from both stars.
Carrey's comedy "Yes Man" opened at No. 1 with $18.2 million in ticket sales, while Smith's drama "Seven Pounds" came in second with $16 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Debuting at No. 3 with $10.5 million was Matthew Broderick's animated family flick "The Tale of Despereaux."
The new movies arrived in theaters Friday just as storms pounded the Northeast.
"Those markets back east just got hammered," said Chris Aronson, distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, whose sci-fi saga "The Day the Earth Stood Still" slipped from No. 1 to No. 4 with $10.2 million. The movie starring Keanu Reeves raised its 10-day total to $48.6 million.
"Yes Man," released by Warner Bros., stars Carrey as a loser who turns his life around by subscribing to a philosophy of saying "yes" to everything. Sony's "Seven Pounds" casts Smith as a mysterious IRS agent doing good deeds for strangers, and Universal's "Tale of Despereaux" features Broderick as the mouthpiece for a tiny mouse on a heroic mission.
In limited release, Mickey Rourke's acclaimed drama "The Wrestler" had a heavyweight debut, taking in $209,474 in just four theaters for a whopping average of $52,369.
By comparison, "Yes Man" played in 3,434 theaters and averaged $5,288 per theater, while "Seven Pounds" opened in 2,758 and averaged $5,801 per theater. The No. 3 film "The Tale of Despereaux" played in 3,104 theaters and grabbed $3,385 per venue.
The film released by Fox Searchlight stars Rourke as a former wrestling champion struggling for one last taste of past glory. The comeback theme of "The Wrestler" parallels Rourke's real life, with the actor in the running for an Academy Award nomination after his bad boy behavior virtually ruined his career in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
While winter came in with a bang, Hollywood's solid year was going out with a whimper. The overall box office plunged for the second straight weekend as this season's pre-holiday offerings continued to lag far behind the strong finish provided by such 2007 hits as Smith's "I Am Legend" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks."
The top 12 movies took in $82.8 million, down 44 percent from the same weekend last year, when "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" led with $44.8 million.
The last two ho-hum weekends have hindered Hollywood's shot at breaking the domestic revenue record of $9.7 billion set last year. Revenues through Sunday were at $9.24 billion, virtually even with 2007 through the same date, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
Given the sour economy, studio executives generally are satisfied with this year's results. Hollywood tends to ride out recessions with solid business, since movies are relatively inexpensive compared to entertainment options such as concerts or sports events.
"The movie business may be recession-proof, but this weekend, it's not weather-proof," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Yes Man," $18.2 million.
2. "Seven Pounds," $16 million.
3. "The Tale of Despereaux," $10.5 million.
4. "The Day the Earth Stood Still," $10.2 million.
5. "Four Christmases," $7.7 million.
6. "Twilight," $5.2 million.
7. "Bolt," $4.3 million.
8. "Slumdog Millionaire," $3.2 million.
9. "Australia," $2.3 million.
10. "Quantum of Solace," $2.2 million.
___
On the Net:
http://www.mediabynumbers.com
___
Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle
Martin McDonagh celebrates Irish eccentricitiesAP - 1 hour 2 minutes ago
Moviegoers say 'Yes Man' to Jim Carrey comedyAFP - 2 hours 36 minutes ago
Warner Music videos taken off YouTube: reportsAFP - Monday, December 22
Saudi religious police says some movies possibly OKAFP - Monday, December 22
Hallelujah! Cohen classic dominates British music chartsAFP - Monday, December 22
Most Popular – Entertainment
Viewed
Global economy seen sinking into 'severe' 2009 recession: report
Let poor eat caviar: Milan authorities
New Year's hangover? Take two eels and call me in the morning
Actress Jennifer Aniston appears naked in GQ magazine
Putin warns against any attempt to destabilize Russia
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular