Lakers Help Cast a June Gloom Over Movie Theaters

Although the current summer box office season is still running ahead of last year, except for DreamWorks’ “Shrek” and Universal’s “The Mummy Returns,” the major studios don’t have much to smile about at present, since ticket sales are barely outpacing expenditures.

The Lakers-76ers test of wills took its toll on movie receipts Friday night and was expected to take a bite out of Sunday evening’s as well. In addition, temperate temperatures and prom/graduation rituals also undercut attendance.

With costly first weekend advertising budgets, the studios have secured lofty debuts for films like “Pearl Harbor” and “The Animal,” which then rapidly lose altitude. This weekend’s two new entries, the action thriller “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, and the comedy “Evolution,” opened to respectable business, nothing more.

Neither cracked the $20-million mark, a necessary starting point in summer to ensure that a film can hang on to theaters during the ensuing weeks.

“Swordfish” took the No. 1 spot, with a 56% male audience, to gross an estimated $18.4 million in 2,678 theaters. It is Travolta’s third-biggest debut, after “Face/Off” and “The General’s Daughter.” It’s also the seventh film for producer Joel Silver to open in the No. 1 slot. “It came in over expectations, and exit polls are very good, so we think we have a shot,” says Silver.

However, this fish will need legs to stay in the race in the coming weeks, with “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” opening Friday. Despite its heroine, “Tomb Raider” ads have been emphasizing star Angelina Jolie’s skin-tight apparel, which should appeal to the guys as well.

DreamWorks’ other big summer movie, the sci-fi comedy “Evolution,” starring David Duchovny and Orlando Jones, had a pale opening of $13.2 million on 2,611 screens, drawing on an audience that was largely boys under age 14. With only a confined segment of the audience, “Evolution’s” chances of survival are dim.

But the big hits of summer are very big, and nothing is bigger than “Shrek,” DreamWorks’ animated blockbuster, which remained in the No. 2 position. As the only movie in the top 10 to decline less than 40%, “Shrek” held on to $17.1 million in its fourth weekend in a record number (3,715) of engagements, for a month-long total of almost $177 million.

With schools letting out and its midweek attendance solid, “Shrek” should pull ahead of “The Mummy Returns,” the summer’s other blockbuster title, in the next week or so. After eight weeks, “Mummy” is in eighth place, with an expected $4.2 million on 2,579 screens and a 2001 best of $188 million so far. The difference is that “Mummy” will probably dribble toward $200 million, while “Shrek” will power-glide past that benchmark. Still, the sequel handily outperformed the original and is acquitting itself overseas.

Dropping to third place, with its second substantial decline in a row--49%--”Pearl Harbor,” which looked to be the blockbuster of the summer, has now fallen to $14.9 million in its third weekend in 3,255 theaters. While a $144-million three-week total isn’t chicken feed, the expensive three-hour epic is now faced with a struggle to reach $200 million. Disappointing word-of-mouth and a daunting running time seem to have caught up with the wartime romance. Based on its initial engagements outside the U.S., the usually dependable action audience can’t be counted on to make up for the shortfall. While it sounds a bit churlish to quibble about a gross anywhere near $200 million, given the high cost of making and selling “Pearl Harbor”--about $200 million--the movie has to be seen as not living up to its full potential.

Disney’s other major summer release, the $100-million animated adventure “Atlantis,” got off to a good start in two theaters, one in New York and one in Los Angeles, grossing approximately $341,588. Even “Shrek” enthusiasts may be looking for an alternative when “Atlantis” goes national on Friday, which could help the film against “Tomb Raider,” which will play to a slightly older audience.

In its second weekend, “The Animal” saw a precipitous drop of 50% in its 2,788 engagements to a still nice $9.8 million and almost $36 million in 10 days. But the decline raises doubts as to whether it is animal enough to be a big hit or just a mid-range one.

“Moulin Rouge” dropped 44% to about $7.6 million and $27.5 million in 10 days, indicating that it’s not breaking much beyond its core young female audience. The Martin Lawrence comedy “What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” is fulfilling its title, dropping 59% in its second weekend in 2,675 theaters to a poor $5.4 million and just $22.2 million in 10 days.

The top 12 films should gross somewhere in the neighborhood of $94.8 million, a scant 3% ahead of last year, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. But it’s more than 22% behind last weekend. And the month of June last summer was disappointing at best, marking the beginning of a lull in movie attendance that lasted until the holiday season.

Ninth and 10th place are occupied by “A Knight’s Tale” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” both of which are at the tail end of profitable runs. “Tale” declined 50% in its fifth weekend to about $1.7 million in 1,850 theaters and has grossed almost $53 million so far--more than adequate. After nine weeks, Miramax’s “Bridget” is the longest-lived inhabitant in the top 10 and is now over $67 million, having snared another $1.2 million or thereabouts over the weekend on 975 screens. The $26-million British comedy should end up with a healthy $70 million and has scored almost as much in England.

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Box Office

In its opening weekend, “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, grabbed the No. 1 spot. But other activities took precedence over movie-going.

Estimated weekend grosses (in millions):

1. “Swordfish”: $18.4

2. “Shrek”: $17.1

3. “Pearl Harbor”: $14.9

4. “Evolution”: $13.2

5. “The Animal”: $9.8

See story, F5