Audiences Return to Movies

The question “Are people ready to go back to the movies and, if so, what do they want to see?” was partially answered over the weekend as attendance figures rebounded and audiences responded to a variety of subject matter.

Ticket sales for the top 12 films were up a sharp 25% from the same weekend last year. The three new releases that debuted Friday ranked win, place and show, with the gritty, R-rated thriller “Don’t Say a Word,” starring Michael Douglas, pulling in front of Ben Stiller’s comedic spoof “Zoolander” and the Stephen King adaptation “Hearts of Atlantis,” starring Anthony Hopkins.

Several major releases planned for the fall, including Tim Allen’s comedy “Big Trouble” and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s suspense thriller “Collateral Damage,” are now in limbo as the film industry tries to assess the psychological impact of current events on the moviegoing public.

It’s being felt on every level, including the test marketing of upcoming films.

At a recent, recruited screening of the CIA thriller “Spy Game,” starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, one of the questions asked of the test viewers was whether they saw anything offensive in the movie, given the recent World Trade Center/Pentagon tragedy (there is a bombing in Beirut in the film).

But according to Universal distribution president Nikki Rocco, the audience accepted the incident as “a piece of history” and were generally pleased with the film, which is holding fast to its November release date.

MGM, however, has announced the postponement of one of the major films for the holiday season, John Woo’s epic war tale “Windtalkers,” starring Nicolas Cage. Originally set to debut in November, the movie has now been moved to June.

With the possibility of expensive pre-release TV advertising being preempted by news in the coming months, the major studios are trying to second-guess which films can cut it without the customary blitz campaign as well as gauge the national mood for entertainment.

In addition, Hollywood is on an unofficial production hiatus. The number of new films scheduled to go into production before the end of the year is sharply down from last year, though most of that is a result of speeded-up production in the early months of this year in anticipation of the now-averted Writers Guild strike deadline.

Nonetheless, many scripts are being rewritten or scuttled in response to the crisis, and the location of particular movies is being reassessed with the emphasis on locally shot productions.

All these factors could have far-reaching effects as studios juggle their current release schedules and try to fill in the inevitable gaps.

A disruption of the normal revenue stream--from theatrical release (both domestic and international) through to home video/DVD and television--could impact the general health of an industry that is not only one of Southern California’s major employers but one of the country’s major exports.

Thus far, however, little impact is being felt at the box office. With the exception of the third weekend in September, when the only major release was the poorly received “Glitter,” starring Mariah Carey, ticket sales have been running ahead of last year, and grosses recently passed the $6-billion mark.

Over the past weekend, the top 12 movies brought in an estimated $66 million, according to the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The 25% increase over last September may not be a good comparison, however, since that period in 2000 was a particularly weak time for film attendance. A better comparison is the comparable weekend in 1999.

Even without adjusting for inflation, ticket sales were behind that period. So, at best, the industry is running in place.

Despite its New York setting, mixed reviews and R-rated violence, “Don’t Say a Word” vaulted to the top of the charts with $18 million expected in 2,802 theaters. Twentieth Century Fox distribution head Bruce Snyder had not been anticipating such a strong showing, especially in Middle America and small towns, which are more ratings-sensitive.

Surprisingly, attendance was driven by females and the film pulled in a younger-than-expected crowd (25% of the audience was younger women).

Snyder admitted that he was following the movie’s performance carefully to test audience response to harder-edged material. If “Word” hadn’t done well, he said, there would have been a great deal of Monday-morning quarterbacking about all the upcoming films, save comedies or romances.

Second place fell to “Zoolander,” Stiller’s zany take on the fashion world, which he also directed and co-wrote. Paramount Pictures predicted a $15.7-million start in 2,507 theaters for the comedy’s first three days, mostly from patrons under 25 in bigger cities.

“Hearts in Atlantis,” which is in 1,751 theaters, also got off to a promising start with an estimated $9.5 million. The sentimental drama’s attendees were overwhelmingly over 25.

The fall’s first hit, the urban drama “Hardball,” starring the ever-reliable Keanu Reeves, spent two weeks in first and dropped to fourth place this weekend with an acceptable 35% decline and an estimated $5.2 million in 2,218 theaters. After three weeks, “Hardball” has grossed about $26 million.

Dimension’s “The Others,” a ghost story starring Nicole Kidman, has been an outstanding performer throughout September. Eighth-weekend grosses were up 1%, to an estimated $5.1 million in 2,724 theaters. With $87 million to date, “The Others” now has a chance to make it to $100 million.

The relative dearth of new films has also kept business for “Rush Hour 2” fairly steady, with ninth-weekend grosses down only 24%, to $2.7 million in 2,086 theaters. The biggest-grossing movie in New Line Cinema’s history, “Rush Hour 2,” is also the second-biggest-grossing film of the year, with $219 million to date. “Shrek,” with about $265 million so far, is the 2001 leader.