Trinity of Wins

March 15, 2004

It was the third weekend in a row with week-to-week drop-offs, this time it was 18.8%, which is huge for non-post holiday weekend. And only the weakness experienced this time last year is keeping 2004 above 2003's pace. This weekend it was up 10% helping the year-to-date gain increase to nearly 4%. Still not higher than inflation, but it's much better than earlier in the year.

The Passion of the Christ won the box office race for the third weekend in a row taking in another $32.1 million. It also became the highest grossing independent movie of all time with $264.5 million, although calling a movie with a total budget estimated between $40 and $60 million an independent movie is not really accurate. And by the end of next weekend it will be the highest grossing R-Rated movie as well. But as for the comparison's to Titanic's box office, I think those can official end. Passion's third weekend box office was lower than Titanic's by more than $1 million and Titanic didn't hit a peak box office till its fifth weekend of release. And while Easter weekend will boost the box office take, it will come too late to have a large enough impact.

The previous best opening for a Stephen King movie was just $18.0 million for The Green Mile. And while Secret Window didn't smash that record, it did perform just well enough to beat it with $18.2 million. But don't expect this film to have the same legs, the reviews just aren't there. However, it should have enough legs to match its total budget before its domestic run is ends.

Starsky & Hutch didn't drop as much as predicted, earning $16.0 million. However, it did drop too much for the film to have a realistic shot at $100 million.

For the second week in a row Hidalgo beat expectations, albeit by a narrow margin. But a take of $11.9 million and a two-week total of just $35.6 million isn't acceptable for a $100 million movie.

Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London opened with barely more than half of what the original opened with last year. In fact, its $8.0 million was less than the original's second weekend score. Add in the sequel effect, weak reviews and Agent Cody Banks is looking at a total box office of just over $20 million. It may be time to put the Kid Spy Genre to bed.

Opening with the narrowest release hurt Spartan and even the best reviews of the weekend couldn't help it place any better than $2.0 million and 10th place this weekend. It will be out of the theatres by the end of the month, and into video stores a month after that.


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Filed under: The Passion of the Christ, Starsky & Hutch, Hidalgo, Secret Window, Agent Cody Banks, Spartan, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London