Oscar-free top 10 led by ‘Family’
Who needs critics? Not Tyler Perry, for one.
The self-made entertainer’s second feature, “Madea’s Family Reunion,” delivered the year’s best opening weekend with an estimated $30.3 million -- without being screened in advance for critics, which means most reviews were not published or broadcast until after the film opened Friday.
Of the year’s top 10 openings, five have been for films not previewed, and of those five, “Family Reunion,” which stars Perry in drag as the matron of an extended family, was the strongest. The other four were “Underworld: Evolution” (at $26.9 million) and “When a Stranger Calls” ($21.6 million), “Final Destination 3” ($19.2 million) and “Date Movie” ($19.1 million), according to Boxofficemojo.com. Before “Madea” came along, “Big Momma’s House 2” had the year’s top opening ($27.7 million).
The last time there were no Oscar-nominated films in the top 10 the weekend before the Oscars was in 1999 (“Shakespeare in Love” was in 11th place). This weekend, “Brokeback Mountain” was the highest-ranked Oscar nominee at 14th, according to tracking service Nielsen EDI.
Although Perry’s first film, “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” was screened for critics and opened a year ago with $21.9 million, the spiritually oriented Perry has relied heavily on grass-roots marketing and word-of-mouth not only for his movies but also for the traveling stage shows that made him famous among his core African American fan base.
Audiences for “Madea” were an estimated 52% African American women 35 and older, Lionsgate executive Steve Rothenberg said Sunday, compared with 58% for “Diary.” Rothenberg said 84% of those who saw “Madea” had seen “Diary.” In 2,194 locations, “Madea” posted a healthy per-theater average of $13,787.
The adventure story “Eight Below” slid to second place this weekend with $15.7 million.
Among movies in limited release, Miramax’s nominee for best foreign language film, “Tsotsi,” took in about $78,000 in six locations.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Box Office
Preliminary results (in millions) based on studio projections.
*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Madea’s Family Reunion $30.3 $30.3
Eight Below 15.7 45.1
The Pink Panther 11.3 61
Date Movie 9.2 33.9
Curious George 7 43.1
Firewall 6.3 36.9
Final Destination 3 5.4 44.8
Doogal 3.6 3.6
Running Scared 3.1 3.1
Freedomland 2.9 10.8
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Source: Nielsen EDI Inc.
Los Angeles Times
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