Company Town Film Profit Report

The 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. The industry marketing average of $30 million per film is factored into these profit equations, as is the relative strength of specific film genres in foreign markets. Results for the weekend of May 14-16:

With no production costs and marketing expenses of $8 million, Artisan should make a small profit on “Black Mask.” MGM’s G2 classics division will do even better having paid only $2 million (and spent about $4 million on marketing) for the U.S. rights to “Tea With Mussolini.” October’s “Trippin”’ and Fox Searchlight’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” also look likely to edge into the black after all ancillaries and foreign income are counted.

$$ Mega-Moneymakers

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions Matrix Warner Bros. 3 $62 $160 Analyze This Warner Bros. 11 45 105

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$ Minor Moneymakers

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Projected Box- Estimated U.S. box-office office cost, in receipts, Movie title Studio rank millions in millions 10 Things I Hate ... Buena Vista 12 13 36 Never Been Kissed Fox 8 22 48 The Mummy Universal 1 78 130

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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 Life Universal 6 55 60 Entrapment Fox 2 66 65 Election Paramount 9 9 11 Trippin’ October 7 8 7 Tea With Mussolini MGM (G2) 10 14 10 Midsummer Night’s ... Searchlight 5 15 15

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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 on Tuesdays.