NBA Season Over, Movies Bounce Back

Propelled by a ubiquitous marketing campaign with all the subtlety of an action video game, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” starring Angelina Jolie, punched and kicked its way into 3,308 theaters with an opening three-day take estimated at a substantial $48.2 million, one of the better June debuts ever.

The film attracted slightly more male than female viewers, and half the audience was over 25, though the younger viewers predictably found the film most satisfying, according to Paramount Pictures Vice Chairman Rob Friedman, which bodes well for repeat business.

Reviews were definitely on the negative side, and the high-powered $17.4-million opening day was Lara’s finest hour. Like most pop movies, grosses dropped on Saturday and Sunday, so it remains to be seen whether “Lara Croft” has legs enough to be the kind of major hit that turns into a potential franchise for the studio.

Disney’s summer animation entry “Atlantis” got off to a good start of about $20.4 million in 3,011 theaters in its first weekend, pumped by Disney’s well-honed marketing and promotion machine, though “Tomb Raider” probably siphoned off the older male segment (i.e. teens) of its audience.

With summer vacations starting this weekend, “Atlantis” should follow the trajectory of some of Disney’s less spectacular performers like “Hercules” or “The Emperor’s New Groove” and now has to contend with “Dr. Dolittle 2” next weekend.

After putting away the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night, the Lakers obviously went to the movies, as did everyone else in the country, rebounding box-office totals from last weekend to almost $128 million, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, a heated 30% ahead of last year. But the competition will become increasingly strong throughout the rest of the month, and the declines new films suffer from week to week could be steep, unless the film happens to be “Shrek,” which was solid as a rock, dropping only 22% in the face of its first real animation competitor. In its fifth weekend, it took in about $12.9 million in 3,317 theaters.

Over the weekend, “Shrek” breezed past “The Mummy Returns” to become the year’s top-grossing film so far. With $197 million to date, “Shrek” should pass $200 million in the next couple of days.

The John Travolta action film “Swordfish” held up quite well against “Tomb Raider,” dropping only about 33% to an estimated $12.1 million in 2,688 theaters and a feisty 10-day total of about $39 million, which should help put Travolta’s career back on track after a couple of major disappointments.

The epic World War II romance “Pearl Harbor” fell to fifth place, sustaining a good 35% drop to $9.5 million in 3,140 theaters, bringing its one-month total to almost $160 million. How well it ultimately performs will depend on how long it can sustain into the second half of the summer.

In its second weekend, the sci-fi comedy “Evolution” devolved by 52% to a weak $6.5 million estimate in 2,613 theaters and a wan 10-day total of $25.4 million. “The Animal” is having a shorter shelf life than first anticipated with another 41% drop in its third weekend to an estimated $5.7 million in 2,741 theaters, though it has a perky $45.3 million so far.

“Moulin Rouge” is doing OK business after three weeks of general release, the past weekend dropping 32% to an estimated $5.2 million in 2,091 theaters and almost $37 million so far.

“What’s the Worst That Could Happen?” is on its last legs after only three weeks, dropping in half again to $2.7 million in 1,927 theaters. With only $27.3 million to date, it’s one of Martin Lawrence’s lowest-grossing films ever.

In 10th place, and winding down a sensational run, is the 7-week-old “The Mummy Returns,” which grossed approximately $2.4 million in 1,777 theaters and is now at $193.2 million.

The specialized film arena is starting to heat up with some new high-profile titles such as “Sexy Beast,” starring Ben Kingsley, which got off to a rousing $180,000 start in nine big-city screens for a five-day total of $224,919. Fox Searchlight will gradually expand the British crime drama, starting with a jump to 55 screens this coming weekend, hoping to attract the same audience that has turned “Memento” into a long-term memory, major art-house hit. On 397 screens, “Memento” was down a scant 4% to $711,000, and a total to date of $18.4 million. “The Anniversary Party” is also holding quite well with $188,000 in its second weekend in 16 theaters and a 10-day total of $426,000.

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(F1) Box Office

The girl was definitely not interrupted: Angelina Jolie’s “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” cornered the weekend action, turning up the summer heat.

Estimated weekend grosses (in millions):

1. “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”: $48.2

2. “Atlantis”: $20.4

3. “Shrek”: $12.9

4. “Swordfish”: $12.1

5. “Pearl Harbor”: $9.5

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