Spidey still No. 1, but battle with ogre nears
In “Spider-Man 3,” Peter Parker’s alter ego battles Sandman, Venom and his own inner demons.
But the superhero hasn’t faced much of anybody at the box office yet. And that’s a big reason the Sony Pictures sequel has zoomed to $622 million in worldwide ticket sales through 10 days.
In a few days, however, the web slinger may have to play second fiddle to the next big player in Hollywood’s early summer season: a green ogre.
DreamWorks Animation SKG’s “Shrek the Third,” opening Friday at more than 4,000 theaters, looks sure to lead the U.S. box office this weekend.
If it becomes a monster hit, the computer-animated sequel could help lift the movie industry’s domestic grosses this summer above $4 billion for the first time ever. And it would also raise expectations for the third and final mega-sequel of the month, Memorial Day weekend’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
Executives at Paramount Pictures, distributor of the DreamWorks Animation slate, downplay any chance of “Shrek the Third” nearing the record opening-weekend gross of $151 million that “Spider-Man 3” snared in the U.S. and Canada. But they expect a robust launch of $90 million to $100 million.
“We always wish we had the month to ourselves, but there’s room in the marketplace for all of these films,” said Jim Tharp, Paramount’s president of domestic distribution.
Still, “Spider-Man 3” will be a factor at the box office. Even if Spidey drops an additional 60% in its third weekend, it is likely to gross about $25 million domestically over the three days -- a sizable chunk of business.
The PG-rated “Shrek the Third” plays to a younger crowd than “Spider Man 3,” which has a PG-13 rating. That could be both a help and a hindrance.
The PG rating may increase ticket sales for young children, but at cheaper prices. “Spider-Man 3” got a jump-start on opening weekend with midnight showings, but no late screenings are scheduled for “Shrek.”
Working in favor of “Shrek,” however, is the relatively brisk 1 1/2 -hour running time, enabling more screenings at theaters throughout the day. That helped the first two “Shrek” films, which took in a combined $1.4 billion worldwide.
The new movie’s results will be crucial for Glendale-based DreamWorks Animation.
The studio is seen as a 1 1/2 -trick pony whose best results have come from the “Shrek” movies and 2005’s “Madagascar.” Last year’s flop “Flushed Away” led to a $109-million write-down.
Analysts have high hopes for this fall’s “Bee Movie,” with the voice of Jerry Seinfeld, and for next year’s “Madagascar” sequel and “Kung Fu Panda,” with the voice of Jack Black, but the studio’s investors will want to see its key franchise stay healthy.
Even if “Shrek the Third” opens strong at theaters, Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg and his team will need to tread carefully. Two years ago, the studio saw its stock plunge when it overestimated DVD sales of its holiday hit “Shrek 2.”
That’s one trick it won’t want to repeat.
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Superhero wins again
“Spider-Man 3” dominated ticket sales once again in its second weekend, leaping past the $200-million mark in the U.S. and Canada in 10 days.
The superhero sequel helped Hollywood’s early summer season stay ahead of last year’s pace, although the new releases “28 Weeks Later,” “Georgia Rule” and “Delta Farce” had little box-office impact.
Outside the top 10, Fox Searchlight’s romantic comedy “Waitress,” starring Keri Russell, expanded to 65 theaters in its second weekend on the art-house circuit, averaging a solid $9,800 per location. But in wide release, the romantic comedy “The Ex,” starring Zach Braff, managed only about $1,300 per theater.
*--* Movie 3-day gross Total (studio) (millions) (millions) Weeks
1 Spider-Man 3 (Sony) $60.0 $242.1 2
2 28 Weeks Later (Fox Atomic) 10.0 10.0 1
3 Georgia Rule (Universal) 5.9 5.9 1
4 Disturbia (Paramount) 4.8 66.3 5
5 Delta Farce (Lions Gate) 3.5 3.5 1
6 Fracture (New Line) 2.9 30.1 4
7 The Invisible (Disney) 2.2 15.5 3
8 Hot Fuzz (Focus/Rogue) 1.7 18.9 4
9 Next (Paramount) 1.6 14.6 3
10 Meet the Robinsons (Disney) 1.6 94.1 7
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Industry totals
*--* 3-day gross Change Year-to-date gross Change (in millions) from 2006 (in billions) from 2006 $111.0 +11.6% $3.08 +6.6%
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Note: A movie may be shown on more than one screen at each venue.
Source: Media by Numbers
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