‘Underworld’: The monsters take the lead

“Underworld: Evolution,” the second installment of Sony/Screen Gems’ vampires-versus-werewolves saga, led the weekend box office with about $27.6 million, according to studio estimates.

With Kate Beckinsale returning as the vampire warrior Selene, “Evolution” took in nearly $6 million more than the original “Underworld” did on its opening weekend in September 2004. The R-rated sequel attracted an audience that skewed male and under 25, Sony reported.

Golden Globes winners, including “Brokeback Mountain” and “Walk the Line,” appeared to have received significant boosts after their showings at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.’s award show.

Immediately after the movie’s Golden Globe win for best picture in the drama category, “Brokeback” rose to No. 1 in daily box office business on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, according to Boxofficemojo.com -- in just 683 theaters.

With more than 500 venues added Friday, “Brokeback’s” methodical expansion tallied an estimated $7.8 million in 1,196 locations, its biggest weekend in both gross figures and number of locations. It also posted its highest weekend rank yet, No. 5, if Sunday estimates hold up.

The total for the movie about cowboys in love now stands at about $42.1 million, according to Focus Features.

In its 10th weekend, “Walk the Line” added 261 theaters to take advantage of its Golden Globes honors -- best picture, actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and actress (Reese Witherspoon) in the musical or comedy category. With a weekend take of about $3.1 million, the Johnny Cash biopic strode to a total of $102.1 million.

“Capote,” which netted a Globe for best actor in a drama for Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role, also tried to seize the momentum, expanding into an extra 348 theaters and taking in an estimated $925,264, Sony Pictures Classics reported, bringing the movie’s total after 17 weekends to roughly $14.2 million.

Another late-2005 release that made it across the $100-million threshold over the weekend, “Fun With Dick and Jane,” grossed an estimated $6.1 million, bringing its total to $101.7 million, Sony reported.

“The New World,” returning to theaters after a limited Oscar-qualifying run in December, landed in 10th place with about $4.3 million, New Line reported.

The only other new movie in the top 10 was “End of the Spear,” an independently produced film promoted by Christian grass-roots organizations, which concerned the murder of a group of missionaries by an indigenous tribe in Ecuador. The tracking service Nielsen EDI reported the movie took in an estimated $4.7 million in the No. 8 position.

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Box Office

Preliminary results (in millions) based on studio projections.

*--* Movie 3-day gross Total Underworld: Evolution $27.6 $27.6

Hoodwinked 11.1 29.3

Glory Road 9.1 28.1

Last Holiday 9.1 26.4

Brokeback Mountain 7.8 42.1

Fun With Dick and Jane 6.1 101.7

The Chronicles of Narnia 6.1 271.7

End of the Spear 4.7 4.7

Hostel 4.3 42.7

The New World 4.3 4.3

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Source: Nielsen EDI Inc.

Los Angeles Times