Bond, Ichabod Crane Gallop to a Record

It’s beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving, thanks to James Bond and Ichabod Crane as admissions soared and box office totals were lifted to record highs for the pre-holiday weekend. Both “The World Is Not Enough” and “Sleepy Hollow” are estimated to debut at more than $30 million each, the first time two films have opened that high on the same weekend.

Though the Bond film franchise will be turning 40 in a couple of years, the 19th entry in the series was behaving like the new kid on the block in its first weekend. The $37.2 million estimated debut on 3,163 screens was far and away the fastest start for any Bond film. The previous high was $26.2 million for “GoldenEye” in 1995. It’s also a personal best for MGM. Studio distribution chief Larry Gleason credits the high-octane launch to the film’s marketing outreach to younger viewers via such vehicles as MTV. About the only segment of the audience that didn’t bite in big numbers was younger females.

That audience segment was occupied by Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane as he tried to fathom a series of decapitations in “Sleepy Hollow.” Tim Burton’s phantasmagoric adaptation of Washington Irving’s colonial tale sliced off a sizable chunk of the weekend business with an estimated $30.5 million in 3,064 theaters. About the only roadblock for “Sleepy Hollow” is its R-rating, limiting its reach to kids under 17. Otherwise, according to Paramount Pictures, which released the film, 57% of all ticket buyers were men and women under the age of 25, who should continue to be the film’s engine in the weeks to come.

The Bond/Crane double punch accounted for more than 50% of the totals for the top 12 movies, knocking every other film in that group for a loop, with most dropping, on average, 40% or more from the previous weekend.

In particular, “Pokemon: The First Movie,” plunged a sizable 57% in its second weekend from what was an admittedly high start. In 3,043 theaters, the Japanese animated movie captured an estimated $13.3 million. With more than $68 million in less than two weeks, however, the low-budget “Pokemon” is still an extremely profitable proposition and should reach $100 million by early- to mid-December.

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But “Pokemon” faces increased competition starting Wednesday when Disney/Pixar’s anticipated blockbuster sequel “Toy Story 2” breaks nationally. And if the opening weekend at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theatre is any indication, the computer animated sequel’s debut will be powerful indeed. In its first three days, “Toy Story 2” grossed $302,000, breaking the Saturday record at the Hollywood house and, possibly, the Sunday record as well.

The thriller “The Bone Collector” held up better against its new competitors, dropping 46% to an estimated $6.5 million in 2,620 theaters for a very good three-week total of $45 million.

Boosted by the top two films, the top 12 movies went over $100 million in ticket sales, the first time admissions have reached that lofty perch since August. If the weekend estimates hold up, the pre-Thanksgiving weekend will bring in close to $108 million, a record for the three-day period. According to Exhibitor Relations, weekend business was a dandy 18% ahead of last year’s $93 million and 22% better than last weekend, when “Pokemon” brought the box office back to life.

Industry insiders predict a record holiday weekend when, in addition to “Toy Story 2,” there will be action from Arnold Schwarzenegger in “End of Days,” as well as a moderately wide release of Robert De Niro’s dramedy “Flawless.”

Dropping into fifth position, the religious comedy “Dogma,” starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, may have drawn out the curious in its opening weekend, but dropped 53% in its second weekend on 1,330 screens to a still-respectable $4.1 million and almost $16 million to date. The mother/daughter drama “Anywhere but Here,” starring Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman, got off to a less than cordial start, and fell off 41% to an estimated $3.3 million in its second weekend in 1,681 theaters for a two-week total of a little more than $10 million.

One of the more surprising disappointments of the season has been “The Insider,” starring Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. Neither good reviews nor a strong marketing push from Disney has been able to attract a sizable crowd to this reality-based tale, which is only playing well in the top urban markets. Third weekend was down to $2.9 million in 1,844 theaters and a wan $18.4 million so far.

Copping eighth place is “The Bachelor,” which is also dropping off. Third weekend totals were down to an estimated $2.4 million in 2,337 theaters and just under $18 million in three weeks. “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” lost a shattering 61% of its first-weekend audience, plummeting to an estimated $2.5 million in 2,147 theaters. Its 10-day total is $10.8 million.

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Jumping into 10th place is the offbeat comedy “Being John Malkovich” starring John Cusack and Cameron Diaz (and, of course, John Malkovich). On only 590 screens, “Malkovich” took in almost $1.9 million and, like “The Insider,” is playing best in big cities to sophisticated audiences. The modestly budgeted film has grossed almost $9 million to date.

Barry Levinson’s “Liberty Heights” got off to a hearty start at between $95,000 and $100,000 in only four theaters in three cities. The controversial Jane Austen adaptation, “Mansfield Park,” drew in fans for an opening weekend debut of $87,000 on only seven screens. “Boys Don’t Cry” went up this weekend on 37 screens, earning $157,000 and $1.8 million to date, while David Lynch’s “The Straight Story” also has its fans on 153 screens, taking in $306,000 and $2.6 million so far.