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FORGET COSTS OF STARS; STUDIOS PAY MOST FOR FX
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 Escalating special effects costs have boosted the budget of Sony's Spider-Man 3, scheduled for release on May 4, 2007, to between $250 million and $300 million, the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, citing people close to the studio. The newspaper also said that at least three other films relying heavily on special effects will see their budgets exceed $200 million. They include 20th Century Fox's X-Men sequel ($210 million), Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($225 million) and Warner Bros.' Superman Returns ($261 million). Commented the Journal: "The price tags underscore that effects, not stars, sell big movies these days. It also noted that the skyrocketing costs have result in increased tensions between the studios, trying to keep costs down, and the effects houses. |
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POSEIDON.... A DISASTER
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 Warner Bros.' Poseidon took a titanic dunking at the box office over the weekend, earning just $20.3 million. The film, which analysts estimate may have cost $150-200 million to produce, wound up in second place behind Mission: Impossible III, which also experienced a disappointing weekend, earning $25.5 million. But audiences did turn out to see Poseidon on the giant screen: although the 62 IMAX theaters playing the movie represented only 2 percent of its total number of screens, they accounted for 7 percent of the gross, or $1.4 million. Both Poseidon and Mission are expected to drop steeply next week with the arrival of The Da Vinci Code and the animated Over the Hedge. Other films premiering over the week also did poorly. The Lindsay Lohan starrer Just My Luck took in only $5.5 million, while the inspirational soccer movie Goal! barely kicked up dust as it scored just $2 million and failed even to make the top-ten list. In limited release, the comedy Keeping Up With the Steins was no Greek Wedding as it earned $621,000 in 138 theaters. Ticket sales for the weekend came to $81.7 million for the top 12 bills, 13 percent below the figure for the comparable weekend a year ago. The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Mission: Impossible III, $24.5 million; 2. Poseidon, $20.3 million; 3. RV, $9.5 million; 4. Just My Luck, $5.5 million; 5. An American Haunting, $3.7 million; 6. United 93, $3.6 million; 7. Stick It, $3.2 million; 8. Ice Age: The Meltdown, $3 million; 9. Silent Hill, $2.2 million; 10. Hoot, $2.1 million. |
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CHINA MAY BAN MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
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 There was more bad news today (Monday) for the producers of Mission: Impossible III as the Shanghai newspaper Xinmin Evening News reported that the movie may not be given an import license that would allow it to be screened in China. Although numerous scenes were shot in Shanghai, the newspaper indicated that authorities were upset at the filmmakers for "tarnishing the image" of the city by showing scenes of rags and underwear drying on side streets and depicting police as bumbling. |
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| NEW THIS WEEK |
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| Type |
Title |
Distributor |
Screens |
Average |
Weekend |
|
| Major |
POSEIDON |
WARNER BROS. |
3555 |
6,232 |
22,155,410 |
|
| Major |
JUST MY LUCK |
20TH CENTURY FOX |
2541 |
2,240 |
5,692,285 |
|
| Major |
GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS |
BUENA VISTA |
1007 |
1,909 |
1,921,838 |
|
| Indie |
KEEPING UP WITH THE STEINS |
MIRAMAX |
138 |
4,737 |
653,723 |
|
| Indie |
WAH-WAH |
GOLDWYN |
26 |
2,127 |
55,304 |
|
| Indie |
RUSSIAN DOLLS, THE (POUPEES RUSSES, LES) |
IFC FILMS |
3 |
5,504 |
16,512 |
|
| Indie |
SKETCHES OF FRANK GEHRY |
SONY CLASSICS |
2 |
8,620 |
17,239 |
|
| Indie |
YANG BAN XI: THE 8 MODELWORKS |
SHADOW |
1 |
826 |
826 |
|
| Indie |
GIULIANI TIME |
CINEMA LIBRE |
1 |
8,661 |
8,661 |
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| Indie |
DEAD MAN'S SHOES |
MAGNOLIA |
1 |
1,825 |
1,825 |
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| Weekly Top 10 for May 15, 2006 |
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| No |
Title |
Distributor |
Sites |
Wknd |
Avg |
Total |
|
| 1 |
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 - MI3 |
PARAMOUNT |
4,059 |
$ 25.01 |
6,161 |
$ 85.10 |
| 2 |
POSEIDON |
WARNER BROS. |
3,555 |
$ 22.16 |
6,232 |
$ 22.16 |
| 3 |
RV |
SONY |
3,536 |
$ 9.95 |
2,814 |
$ 43.27 |
| 4 |
JUST MY LUCK |
20TH CENTURY FOX |
2,541 |
$ 5.69 |
2,240 |
$ 5.69 |
| 5 |
AMERICAN HAUNTING, AN |
FREESTYLE RELEASING |
1,703 |
$ 3.56 |
2,093 |
$ 10.81 |
| 6 |
UNITED 93 |
UNIVERSAL |
1,871 |
$ 3.51 |
1,875 |
$ 25.56 |
| 7 |
STICK IT |
BUENA VISTA |
2,009 |
$ 3.17 |
1,576 |
$ 22.15 |
| 8 |
ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN |
20TH CENTURY FOX |
1,880 |
$ 3.15 |
1,676 |
$187.57 |
| 9 |
AKEELAH AND THE BEE |
LIONS GATE |
1,176 |
$ 2.40 |
2,044 |
$ 14.01 |
| 10 |
HOOT |
NEW LINE |
3,018 |
$ 2.29 |
760 |
$ 6.38 |
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Annual Box Office Comparison 2005 vs. 2006
| 2005: |
$8,836 million |
2006: |
$3,312 million |
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