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Friendly Kids Franchise Turns Too Fierce: Darker ‘Narnia 2′ Falls $ Short Of Original

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday May 17, 2008 @ 12:53am PDTTags: Box Office, Directors, Disney/Walden Media, Iron Man Box Office, Movies, Studios, Summer Movies, The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian Box Office, What Happens in Vegas Box Office

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SUNDAY AM: Weekend estimates show that the sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian‘s 3-day opening fell far short of the original despite a No. 1 box office finish  this weekend. The 2005 first installment of the joint Disney/Walden Media fantasy, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was a surprise success with a $65 million weekend debut. But the sequel grossed only $56.6 million for FSS after earning $19.3 million Friday from 3,929 theaters. The pic managed only a modest 5% bump for Saturday, when kiddie matinees usually rule, to take in $20.3 million. With an estimated $17 million Sunday, that’s a total far less than the $80M which box office analysts expected this weekend. The main problem was the sequel’s darker content: the friendly woodland creatures gave way to murder and betrayal and political intrigue as the sequel devolved into what reviewers complained was basically a war movie. That proved bad for domestic box office. Internationally, the sequel did much better: opening day and date in 12 markets, Disney said Sunday that Prince Caspian earned $20.7 million, which represents a 27% improvement over the first Narnia. (Above, Saturday matinee for Narnia 2 at El Capitan. Photo by Jim Stevenson)

Marvel/Paramount’s blockbuster Iron Man came in #2 with $8.7M from 4,154 venues Friday and $13.5M Saturday for a new cume of $222.4M and a $31.2M weekend. Fox’s romantic comedy What Happens in Vegas placed 3rd with $13.8M f(-31%) from 3,255 plays for the weekend for a new cume of $40.3M. Warner Bros’ anime actioner Speed Racer continues as a major bomb, ending Friday No. 4 with only $7.7M (-59%). The $160M movie’s cume is just $29.8M — which means it won’t get beyond $50M in total domestic box office. Sony’s Made of Honor came in #5 with $4.6M weekend and cume of $34M. Universal’s Baby Mama placed 6th with a $4.5M weekend and new cume of $47.2M.  The No. 7 pic was Universal’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall with $2.5M for the weekend and new cume of $55M. In 8th place, Warner Bros’ Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay took in $1.8M for FSS for a new $33.9M cume. The Weinstein Co/Lionsgate’s The Forbidden Kingdom took 9th with $1M and a new cume of $50.3M. And, rounding out the Top 10, Overture Films’ The Visitor earned $687K for a new $3.4M cume. Overall, box office is way down from last year when Shrek 3 ruled the box office by opening to a gargantuan $121 mil.

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TOLDJA! ‘Speed Racer’ Finishes Only 3rd; Facts Show Warner Bros Inflated Figures

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday May 12, 2008 @ 1:38pm PDTTags: Box Office, Directors, Movies, Speed Racer, Speed Racer Box Office, Studios, Summer Movies, What Happens in Vegas, What Happens in Vegas Box Office

Shame on the trades and mainstream media for not making the big deal out of this angle of the Sunday box office story I did. (Or, is that the reason? See my previous, … Read More »

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WHAT A DISASTER! ‘Speed Racer’ $20M Weekend Half What Warner Bros Hoped; Rival Studios Accuse WB Of Inflating #s

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday May 11, 2008 @ 2:07am PDTTags: Box Office, Comic Books, Directors, Distribution, Iron Man, Iron Man Box Office, Movies, Speed Racer, Speed Racer Box Office, Studios, Summer Movies, What Happens in Vegas Box Office

SUNDAY AM: Showing just how fiercely competitive the summer box office is right now, rival Hollywood movie studios are complaining to me they don’t believe Warner Bros’ domestic gross numbers released today. Those claim its disastrous Speed Racer came in 2nd behind Marvel’s … Read More »

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