Company Town Film Profit Report

This report is based on projections of total U.S. box-office gross from a consensus of industry sources and studio financial models. The U.S. returns represent only 20% of a film’s final revenue, which includes income from video, TV and overseas theatrical. Typical industry marketing costs are factored into this profit analysis, as is the relative strength of specific film genres in foreign markets. Results for the weekend of Dec. 17-19:

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Sony’s “Stuart Little” should be able to cross over into profitability with a major contribution from family home video and television sales. Neither “Anna and the King” nor “Bicentennial Man” seem likely to make it into the black.

$$ Mega-Moneymakers

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Box- Estimated office cost, in Movie title Studio rank millions The World Is Not Enough MGM 7 $110 Toy Story 2 Buena Vista 3 80 The Green Mile Warner Bros/Univ. 2 64

Projected U.S. box-office receipts, Movie title in millions The World Is Not Enough $130 Toy Story 2 250 The Green Mile 125

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$ Moneymakers

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions The Bone Collector Universal/Sony 10 48 65 Sleepy Hollow Paramount 9 70 95 Dogma Lion’s Gate 12 11 30 Stuart Little Sony 1 103 100 Deuce Bigalow Buena Vista 4 18 45

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? Tossups

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions End of Days Universal 8 85 75 Being John Malkovich USA 11 13 20

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Money Losers

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions Anna and the King Fox 6 70 40 Bicentennial Man Buena Vista/Sony 5 95 55

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Notes: Cost estimates are for production only. Only half of box-office receipts come back to the studio.

Researched by RICHARD NATALE

If you have information or comments about the chart, call (213) 237-2001 or send e-mail to company.town@latimes.com. Send faxes to (213) 237-7837.

For weekly box-office listings, see Calendar section Tuesdays.