Rated ‘R,’ for Reaping in the Money

“Hannibal” showed no sign that its box-office appetite was sated as the stylistic horror film grossed $33.5 million over the long Presidents Day holiday weekend.

The Ridley Scott-directed film starring Anthony Hopkins as the refined cannibal, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, reached the magic $100-million mark in box office on Saturday, only 10 days after its debut--the quickest ascent to that figure of any R-rated movie in history.

“Usually, horror films drop off significantly in their second weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co. “But this movie is sort of immune to the typical pitfalls that more horror films have. Even with a restricted rating, it’s able to pull in a large audience.”

The Chris Rock comedy, “Down to Earth,” opened in second place with $20 million in ticket sales, followed by Disney’s G-rated animated film, “Recess: School’s Out,” which made $13.5 million, and the syrupy date movie, “Sweet November,” which grossed $11 million.

Overall, the performance of movies over the Presidents Day weekend was shaping up as the best ever. Last year, the same holiday saw the top 50 films gross a total of $132.7 million and this weekend will top that, Dergarabedian said, climbing well above $140 million when all the numbers are counted.

Weekend Box Office

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Four-day gross/ Screens/ Weeks in Movie (Studio) Total (millions) Average Release 1. “Hannibal” $33.5 3,238 2 (MGM) $107.4 $10,346 2. “Down to Earth” $20.0 2,521 1 (Paramount) $20.0 $7,944 3. “Recess: School’s Out” $13.5 2,624 1 (Disney) $13.5 $5,128 4. “Sweet November” $11.0 2,268 1 (Warner Bros.) $11.0 $4,857 5. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” $8.8* 1,651 11 (Sony Classics) $71.5 $5,315 6. “Traffic” $7.5 1,742 8 (USA Films) $80.0 $4,305 7. “The Wedding Planner” $6.7 2,354 4 (Sony/Columbia) $47.0 $2,850 8.”Chocolat” $5.7 1,481 10 (Miramax) $34.1 $3,828 9. “Cast Away” $5.4 2,243 9 (Fox) $216.9 $2,408 10. “Saving Silverman” $4.8 2,467 2 (Sony/Columbia) $14.2 $1,951

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* Three-day figure

SOURCE: Exhibitor Relations Co.