Kiddies line up to feed this kitty

“Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat” survived nine lives’ worth of mostly negative reviews to open as the weekend’s No. 1 movie, drawing about $40.1 million at the box office, according to Universal Pictures estimates.

The film, a sometimes risque expansion of Theodor Geisel’s beloved children’s tale, counted on an audience that does not read reviews -- kids under 12, said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. Starring Mike Myers in a naughty interpretation of the Cat, the movie drew mostly kids, with 23% of the audience made up of children under 8, and 19% from ages 9 to12, Rocco said.

The heavy under-12 contingent, and its lower ticket prices, may explain why “Cat” opened in the shadow of Universal’s previous live action film based on a Dr. Seuss classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” which opened with $55 million on the comparable weekend three years ago. That movie, which starred Jim Carrey, went on to gross $260 million domestically.

But Rocco said “Grinch” skewed to an older audience and had broader appeal mainly because of the subject matter. Even if parents did read the “Cat” reviews and did not feel like seeing the film, they were dragged by their children to the movie theater, she said. “Parents will decide not to take their kids if they feel the movie is not safe,” Rocco said. “That was not the case here. The critics might not have liked the way it was translated from the book, but it was not offensive.” The movie, which cost at least $109 million to make, has raised eyebrows and drawn critical fire for Myers’ use of Austin Powers-like sexual humor. Some, including the film’s director, Bo Welch, have expressed surprise that the film received a PG rating.

As for other movies that opened this weekend, the suspense thriller “Gothika,” starring Halle Berry, scared up a decent $19.6 million, the best for the Warner Bros. release’s production company Dark Castle, the horror-thriller label of director Robert Zemeckis and producer Joel Silver. Warner Bros.’ “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” skidded 55% to No. 8 in its second week with an estimated $4.1 million for a total of $14.8 million.

New Line Cinema’s Will Ferrell-Jon Favreau collaboration “Elf,” meanwhile, rode its sugar high to an estimated $19.1 million for an overall gross of $95.1 million since its release three weeks ago. With the horror hit “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and the upcoming “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” New Line is positioned for one of its best years.

Among limited-release openings, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s dark drama “21 Grams” grossed an impressive $256,434 in eight theaters, an average of $32,054 per venue. In addition, Denys Arcand’s Canadian drama “The Barbarian Invasions” grossed an estimated $75,480 in six bicoastal theaters for an average of $12,580.

Adult-oriented movies continued to fare well overall, as Russell Crowe’s high-seas adventure drama “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” dropped an acceptable 39%; the Peter Weir film grossed an estimated $15.2 million for a total of $47.3 million in its first 10 days. Universal’s romantic ensemble comedy “Love Actually” also held up well, increasing by 513 locations to 1,690. The movie’s weekend tally of $9 million expanded its take to $30.8 million so far.

With “Cat” out of the bag, the only family movies left with the potential for broad appeal are Disney’s Eddie Murphy comedy “The Haunted Mansion,” which opens this week, and Fox’s “Cheaper by the Dozen” and Universal/Sony/Revolution’s “Peter Pan,” both of which open on Christmas.

Because adult-themed material and arty Oscar hopefuls dominate the rest of the year, the conclusion of the popular “Lord of the Rings” trilogy looks like the industry’s best hope for the year to keep pace with or surpass last year’s record of $9.5 billion. The total for all films this year currently is about $8 billion.

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Box Office

Preliminary results based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total (millions)

*--*

*--* Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat $40.1 $40.1

Gothika $19.6 $19.6

Elf $19.1 $95.1

Master and Commander $15.2 $47.3

Love Actually $9 $30.8

The Matrix Revolutions $6.7 $125.1

Brother Bear $5.5 $70.4

Looney Tunes: Back in Action $4.1 $14.8

Scary Movie 3 $3.3 $106.6

Radio $2.6 $47.1

*--*

Source: Nielsen EDI, Inc.

Los Angeles Times