‘Momma’s’ Mission Nearly Accomplished

Big Momma may look fat and slow, but she almost pulled off a stunning upset over the weekend when the Martin Lawrence comedy-in-drag “Big Momma’s House” grossed $25.7 million to come in a close second to the Tom Cruise blockbuster “M:I-2,” which pulled in $27 million on its second weekend.

The unexpected success of “Big Momma’s House” was pleasant news to 20th Century Fox, which had the only film opening in wide release a week after the long Memorial Day weekend.

“I think a lot of people wrote this movie off,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. “Critics panned it, but remember, in the summer, people want to escape. They are not looking for movies that critics love.”

The “Mission: Impossible” sequel dropped 53% from its opening a week earlier but has already taken in $130.7 million. Disney’s animated feature, “Dinosaur,” now in its third week, has grossed $96.8 million.

* “Running Free” grossed $55,451 and “Grass” $21,578 in limited release.

Weekend Box Office

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Three-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “M:I-2” $27.0 3,653 2 (Paramount) $130.7 $7,396 2. “Big Momma’s House” $25.7 2,802 1 (Fox) $25.7 $9,158 3. “Dinosaur” $12.0 3,319 3 (Disney) $96.8 $3,626 4. “Shanghai Noon” $9.0 2,745 2 (Disney/Touchstone) $32.2 $3,266 5. “Gladiator” $8.4 3,056 5 (DreamWorks) $139.0 $2,741 6. “Road Trip” $6.7 2,654 3 (DreamWorks) $45.5 $2,537 7. “Frequency” $2.0 1,605 6 (New Line) $37.8 $1,261 8. “Small Time Crooks” $1.7 874 3 (DreamWorks) $11.2 $1,914 9. “U-571” $1.5 1,602 7 (Universal) $71.1 $960 10. “Center Stage” $1.1 1,362 4 (Sony/Columbia) $14.4 $774 * “Running Free” $55,451 100 1 (Sony/Columbia) $55,451 $555 *’Grass” $21,578 2 1 (Unapix) $21,578 $10,789

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SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.