‘Doom’s’ day at box office arrives; ‘Dreamer’ is No.2

Films appealing to young males and families dominated the box office on a sluggish moviegoing weekend.

“Doom,” based on the popular video game, took in an estimated $15.4 million, Universal Pictures reported, less than half the opening for “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” which holds the record for game-based movies. Exit surveys indicated the audience for “Doom” was 69% male and 61% younger than 25, Universal reported.

“Dreamer,” the story of a girl who persuades her father to trust her faith in an injured racehorse, passed the weekend finish line with an estimated $9.3 million, DreamWorks reported. The film with Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell appealed to families and females over 25, according to DreamWorks.

The top three films generated half the business in the top 10, with “Dreamer” and “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” accounting for 27% and the R-rated “Doom” 23%.

“North Country,” with Oscar winner Charlize Theron as a woman who leads a fight against harassment at an iron mine, opened at No. 5 with about $6.5 million, Warner Bros. reported, with exit surveys suggesting 62% of the audience was female and 68% older than 30. “Stay,” a thriller from New Regency released by Fox, opened at No. 13 with $2.2 million.

The total weekend haul was about 15% behind the comparable period last year, EDI reported. The top two films on the 2004 weekend, “The Grudge” and “Shark Tale,” took in more than this year’s top five combined.

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Box Office

Preliminary results (in millions) based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Doom $15.4 $15.4

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story 9.3 9.3

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 8.7 44.1

The Fog 7.3 21.5

North Country 6.5 6.5

Elizabethtown 5.7 19.0

Flightplan 4.7 77.3

In Her Shoes 3.9 26.2

A History of Violence 2.7 26.3

Two for the Money 2.4 20.7

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Source: Nielsen EDI Inc.

Los Angeles Times