‘Save the Last Dance’ Has Best Moves on Holiday Weekend

The secret ingredient for a record Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend proved to be a movie aimed at women under age 21. The MTV-produced “Save the Last Dance” boogied to a studio-estimated gross of $27.2 million in 2,230 theaters over the four-day period. No other movie has opened to more than $20 million for the January holiday weekend, the previous high being the guy flick “Varsity Blues,” which grossed $17.5 million in 1999. Only the reissue of “Star Wars” in 1997 performed better in January.

As expected, patronage for “Dance” was almost 80% female, a majority of them under 21, and almost a third of them African American. According to Rob Friedman, vice chairman of the motion picture group at Paramount Pictures, the film’s successful launch points to the “synergy” between the studio and MTV (both part of the Viacom conglomerate). Exit-poll responses were especially favorable, he says, indicating that “Dance” could have legs.

Even without “Save the Last Dance,” it would have been quite a weekend. Seven other films were expected to sell $10 million or more in tickets over the past four days, which has never happened on any weekend before. The top 12 movies--none of which grossed less than $5 million--added up to almost $145 million for the four days, more than 40% above the comparable weekend last year. By comparison, ticket sales were higher than this past Christmas weekend and slightly below the four-day New Year’s weekend.

Two other new movies opened, both of them aimed at a mostly male youth audience. The urban comedy “Double Take” found a niche at No. 5 with an $11.5-million debut for the four days in 1,631 theaters. Disney distribution executive Chuck Viane says the film scored in urban areas and its Canadian engagements. However, the suspense drama “Antitrust,” starring Ryan Phillippe, didn’t go over as well, opening at the bottom of the top 12 with an unofficial estimate of about $5.3 million in 2,433 theaters.

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With the exception of “The Emperor’s New Groove” (in 10th place with $7.5 million expected over the weekend on 2,237 screens and more than $70 million so far), the majority of other films in the top 10 were aimed at grown-ups. The biggest hit continues to be “Cast Away,” which in second place took in an estimated $19.2 million for the four days on 3,048 screens and a total of $167 million. In third, Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic” proved to have as solid an audience base as its first national-release weekend suggested, taking in an estimated $13.3 million on only 1,527 screens for $35.3 million to date.

Both women and men have taken to “What Women Want” in a big way, with the film taking in about $11.8 million in its fifth weekend on 3,092 screens and $154 million so far. In fourth place for the weekend, “Women” has become Mel Gibson’s biggest-grossing film in the U.S. Both it and “Cast Away” are on track to be the best December releases ever except for “Titanic.” The only other film in their orbit was “Tootsie, “ which grossed $177 million when it was released in 1982 and ticket prices were lower.

The first national release weekend for the Cuban missile-crisis drama “Thirteen Days” tallied $11.3 million in 2,029 theaters, attracting a largely older audience and some families. And “Finding Forrester” jumped to 2,002 theaters over the weekend, adding about $11.3 million to its almost $21-million total so far. The Sean Connery drama looks to be a solid mid-range performer based on exit polls, according to Sony’s marketing and distribution head Jeff Blake.

In eighth place, “Miss Congeniality,” starring Sandra Bullock, is still in the running with $10.5 million predicted for the past four days on 2,688 screens, and just shy of $80 million in its first month. Climbing up a notch to ninth place was the subtitled epic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which fanned out to 693 theaters over the weekend and continues to perform amazingly well. The unofficial estimate for the past four days was about $9.2 million and more than $29 million so far.

Several limited-release films thrived. “O Brother Where Art Thou?,” starring George Clooney, is now on 431 screens and grossed $3 million in four days, taking its total to more than $7 million so far. “State and Main” fared somewhat less well in its expansion to 459 screens, taking in $2 million and a respectable $4.4 million so far. “Chocolat” was still on 261 screens and saw business rise to $2 million and more than $9 million to date. “Chocolat” increases to about 750 screens this coming weekend. “Quills” over the weekend ran its total past $5 million by adding $473,000 on 177 screens. “Before Night Falls” is now on 18 screens, taking in $159,000 over the weekend and more than $500,000 to date. And Miramax’s Italian comedy “Malena,” on 33 screens, is holding steady with $210,000 and more than $1 million so far.