'Holes': Not just for kids

By R. Kinsey Lowe

April 21, 2003 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

Easter weekend saw “Anger Management” retain control of the box office in its second weekend, grossing an estimated $25.6 million. Business for Sony Pictures/Revolution Studios’ Jack Nicholson-Adam Sandler comedy held up better than some observers expected, with a decline of 39%.

Walt Disney Pictures’ “Holes” came in at No. 2 with an estimated $17.1 million. The well-reviewed picture, adapted for the screen by Louis Sachar from his popular novel about the adventures of boys at a Texas detention camp, averaged a healthy $7,324 per theater in 2,331 locations.

Although it may have been perceived as a kids film, and 51% of the audience was younger than 17, Disney president of distribution Chuck Viane reported that 49% was between 18 and 60. Interestingly, Viane added, couples ages 25 to 35 and 35 to 45 each made up about 16% of the audience.

“Malibu’s Most Wanted,” a multiracial comedy about a white kid who aspires to be a rapper, came in at No. 3 with an estimated $13.1 million. The ethnically mixed audience for the film was mostly younger than 18 and slightly more male than female, according to Warner Bros. president of distribution Dan Fellman. MGM’s “Bulletproof Monk” which paired Hong Kong star Chow Yun-Fat with youth-comedy stalwart Seann William Scott, debuted at No. 4 with a so-so $8.6 million for the weekend and $11.7 million since Wednesday.

A handful of films in limited released turned in impressive numbers. Castle Rock Entertainment’s new Christopher Guest comedy “A Mighty Wind” stirred up a solid $16,541-per-theater average in 133 locations for an estimated weekend tally of $2.2 million. The Wednesday opener has a five-day total of $2.8 million, Warner Bros. reported, and its five-day, per-theater average is $21,052, which bodes well for the satire about graying folk singers assembling for a memorial concert.

Warner Bros.’ Fellman said the studio will expand the film gradually to about 600 theaters, and he predicted the film would mark a career best for Guest, whose keenly constructed ensemble satires have developed a loyal following. His heavy metal sendup “This Is Spinal Tap, originally released in 1984, took in a total of about $4.5 million and gained fans on cable TV and in home video. “Waiting for Guffman,” a wry observation of small-town theatrics, grossed $2.9 million in 1997, and 2000’s “Best in Show,” which offered a show dog’s-eye view of their owners, took in $18.6 million.

The Latino-themed comedy “Chasing Papi” earned $2.2 million over the weekend and just less than $3 million since its Wednesday opening. Rick Myerson of 20th Century Fox reported positive exit polls for the heavily marketed film that averaged $3,778 per theater in 585 venues.

Paramount Classics reported the Asian-American teens-behaving-badly movie “Better Luck Tomorrow” did brisk business of $12,262 per theater in 42 locations, an expansion of 29 venues from last week’s debut. The MTV Films acquisition grossed an estimated $515,000, bringing its 10-day total to just over $1 million.

Fox Searchlight’s soccer-themed “Bend It Like Beckham” took in $1.9 million in its sixth weekend. Averaging $4,847 per theater in 392 venues, by adding 176 theaters the film boosted its numbers 38% and brought its total to $6.7 million.

The total for the top 10 films this year was estimated at $85.6 million, about 6% ahead of last week. Dan Marks of Nielsen EDI said the total for all films in the current weekend was about $106 million, roughly even with the same calendar weekend last year. It was significantly lower than the $132 million taken in by all films last Easter, however, when the holiday fell on the last Sunday in March. The top movies that weekend were “Panic Room,” “Ice Age” and “The Rookie,” in that order. Although the year’s tally is behind 2002, “Anger Management” put the brakes on the slump that began in March. No arrivals in the coming weekend look strong enough to lift business to last year’s levels. May 2 will see the arrival of the eagerly anticipated “X2: X-Men United” to kick off the summer blockbuster season, but even if that film grosses as much as $75 million, it will still fall $40 million shy of last year’s comic book phenomenon, “Spider-Man.” “X2” will be followed in rapid succession by the Eddie Murphy comedy “Daddy Day Care,” the sci-fi sequel “The Matrix Reloaded,” the Jim Carrey comedy “Bruce Almighty,” the caper remake “The Italian Job” and the Disney-Pixar animated adventure “Finding Nemo.”

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Box office

Preliminary results based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total (millions) Anger Management $25.6 $80.3

Holes 17.1 17.1

Malibu’s Most Wanted 13.1 13.1

Bulletproof Monk 8.6 11.7

Phone Booth 5.7 35.1

What a Girl Wants 4.8 27.5

Bringing Down the House 3.3 122.7

A Man Apart 2.6 22.6

Chicago 2.5 160.7