‘Bringing Down the House’ brings in viewers

Exhibiting broad demographic appeal, Disney’s Steve Martin/Queen Latifah comedy “Bringing Down the House” rang up an estimated $31.7 million over the weekend to debut at No. 1. Weathering mixed reviews that generally praised its stars but challenged the propriety of some of its racially themed humor, the film attracted a large cross-section of moviegoers, with 90% of its audience ranging from ages 12 to 50. In addition, nearly 20% of its audience on Friday and Saturday nights were teenagers, said Chuck Viane, head of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. The film, rated PG-13 for adult language and jokes, skewed slightly higher female, with 53% of the audience female and 47% male.

It was the highest opening weekend for both stars, with Martin’s last big film, “Bowfinger,” opening at $18.9 million in 1999. “Bringing Down the House’s” box office performance represented more good news for Queen Latifah, a former rap star who has transitioned successfully into movies, particularly with her Oscar-nominated performance as Mama in “Chicago.” Latifah has been able to transform her public persona from that of an aggressive rap star to a likable movie actor with a strong sense of humor.

Despite racial humor that some critics found demeaning to African Americans, Viane said the movie did well in predominantly African American theaters such as the Magic Johnson Theaters and other movie houses in urban centers like Philadelphia and Detroit. The film, directed by Adam Shankman, cost in the low- to mid-30s to produce.

Coming in at second was the Revolution/Sony Pictures war movie “Tears of the Sun.” The Bruce Willis movie, which cost about $75 million to make, opened with an estimated $17.2 million on 2,973 screens nationwide. The audience for the movie, which chronicles a harrowing rescue by Navy Seals in Africa, may have been limited by its R rating, but its opening was consistent with other R movies that have opened in the high teens. It remains to be seen if “Tears” has the holding power to make up the nearly $100 million it took to make and market the movie.

In addition to the two major studio releases, several smaller films opened this weekend. Sony Pictures Classics’ “Laurel Canyon” performed well on 10 screens in New York and Los Angeles, grossing $161,341. The movie, which stars Frances McDormand, was the second picture for director Lisa Cholodenko, whose last film was the disturbing lesbian-heroin addict movie “High Art.” New York-based Zeitgeist Films debuted the German film “Nowhere in Africa” in two locations for a total of $14,697. The movie, which is nominated for an Oscar in the foreign language film category, was also nominated for a Golden Globe.

Lions Gate Films’ controversial “Irreversible” brought in $63,000 in seven theaters, and the company plans to open the film in 10 more markets by next weekend. The movie, which was released unrated, received mixed to negative reviews for extreme violence that detractors found gratuitous.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Box Office

Preliminary results based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total (millions) Bringing Down the House $31.7 $31.7

Tears of the Sun 17.2 17.2

Old School 9.2 50.8

Chicago 6.9 114.5

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 6.8 86.9

Cradle 2 the Grave 6.6 26.9

Daredevil 5.2 91.5

The Jungle Book 2 4.2 39.5

Shanghai Knights 2.7 54.7

The Life of David Gale 2.1 17.1 Source: Nielsen EDI, Inc Los Angeles Times

*--*