Little still Large while Get Rich Dies Trying
November 14, 2005
It was another soft weekend at the box office, with nearly every film in the top five missing expectations.
That pushed the overall box office down 7% from last weekend and 14% from the same weekend last year.
Year-to-date, 2005 is now 7% behind last year's pace, while the fall box office season is down 3%.
Incredibly, Chicken Little had a better sophomore stint drop-off than The Incredibles did, although to be fair Veterans' Day did fall on a Friday and that undoubtedly helped the film out. Over the past three days the film made $31.7 million and it now has a 10-day total of $80.4 million and could double that by the time its run is over.
While Zathura was able to open in second place, it wasn't able to earn nearly as much as expected, finishing the weekend with $13.4 million.
Strong competition from Chicken Little was a deciding factor, even though the film earned stellar reviews.
And with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire coming out next weekend, things won't look any better for the film then.
Derailed surprised analysts by scoring a third place, $12.2 million opening, which is a great start for Weinstein Co..
On the other hand, critics were less kind, and this will likely have a negative impact on the film's legs.
It looks like Wednesday's soft opening for Get Rich or Die Tryin' was a indicator of weakness and not just further proof that I overestimated Wednesday's prediction.
Over the weekend, the film added $12.0 million to its $17.7 million 5-day total.
Add in reviews that won't impress many people and it becomes clear that 50 Cent should stick with rapping.
Jarhead's chances at becoming a major player during award season took another major hit this weekend with a nearly 58% drop-off and a drop to fifth place with just $11.7 million.
At this pace, it will be long gone and forgotten by the time the Osacr ballots are handed out.
This was an expensive film to make and it will need a lot of help internationally and on the home market to show a profit.
Lastly, Pride and Prejudice was able to grab the final spot in the top ten with $2.9 million in just 215 theatres.
Add in critical acclaim and this film should not only be a box office success, but could win an Oscar or two.
Filed under: Chicken Little, Jarhead, Pride & Prejudice, Derailed, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Zathura