Forecast
A strictly fan boy affair, Highlander: Endgame marks a momentous occasion for the series' small but devoted following as it teams the original immortal Christopher Lambert with the one from the syndicated TV series Adrian Paul. A limited ad campaign isn't even trying to convince the uninitiated to enlist.
Always more popular overseas, the first three Highlanders grossed around $34 million domestically... combined. The last two opened to $5.3 and $5.5 million respectively.
The largest debut in Labor Day history was from the same genre, The Crow: City of Angels with $9.8 million in 1996. The Prophecy incited $7.5 million in 1995. On the other hand, another Lambert flick, Fortress did $4 million in 1993. Then, of course, this has become the traditional dumping ground for Jean-Claude Van Damme, including Knock-Off's $5.5 million in 1998. Steven Seagal's last gasp before straight-to-video-dom Fire Down Below extinguished his theatrical career with a $6 million opening three years ago.
Clanging swords at 1,543 venues, Highlander: Endgame will likely fall in line with both the franchise's and the frame's traditions of $5 million or so over the four days, landing at fifth or sixth.
Fledgling studio Destination Films opens its fifth picture Whipped, hoping to have its first hit as well. It's yet another randy relationship comedy on the indie tip, a sub-genre made chic by Swingers and Chasing Amy, though it's never been "money."
Recent offerings have been blips on the box office radar, such as last year's Love Stinks grossing $2.9 million total while Body Shots and Dog Park could not even reach $1 million. This year, Freddie Prinze, Jr. infused similar elements into his teeny-bopper flicks, Down to You and Boys and Girls, flunking out with grosses of around $20 million each.
Riding on the modest momentum of The Whole Nine Yards, Amanda Peet is being pushed as the star for the first time in her career. Few watched her similarly themed TV show Jack & Jill though, and even fewer are likely to follow her here. Besides the one-sheets are rather unflattering, with a purse-lipped pose making her look borderline skanky. The trailer mostly features cliche humor, such as one of the obnoxious male characters sucking his gut in and out repeatedly barking "married... not married."
Continuing the Destination tradition, the ad campaign has been rather aggressive, including incessant TV spots and press kits being sent out to just about every site related to movies. Though all of their pictures have bombed, this technique eked out better than expected openings for Drowning Mona and Thomas & the Magic Railroad. Those few extra dollars though could not have covered the exorbitant marketing expenses, making one wonder just how close to Chapter 11 this studio is.
Cracking at 1,561 theaters, Whipped will get whooped, likely submitting to an opening of $3 million or less.
Saving Grace continues its bid to be the next Full Monty, adding 520 runs for a total of 875. The British marijuana comedy has smoked up about $3.7 million so far in its limited release, even dipping just 8% last weekend without the aid of an expansion. With that wave of word-of-mouth and no direct competition, it could inhale another $3 million this weekend.
Last weekend, Bring It On rallied teens to the tune of $17.4 million, surprising most pundits by fending off The Art of War for first place. The cheerleader comedy reinvigorated spirit in the teeny-bopper genre, which appeared to be on the wane with such recent duds as Loser and Boys and Girls. Of all the similar flicks released this summer, it was the first to be set in high school with actual teenagers playing lead roles. The opening was even on par with American Pie's $18.7 million and She's All That's $16.1 million from last year. With a production budget of just $10 million, returns from its domestic theatrical release alone could be high enough to put it well into the black for Universal, a feat accomplished only by Scary Movie and The Original Kings of Comedy this season.
With such weak competition, Bring It On could suffer a hefty drop and still post another victory. Teen flicks of late have been notoriously lacking in legs. However, throw in the holiday, less free time on weekdays due to the start of school and generally positive sentiment towards it, and it could ease by 20% or so to around $13.5 million.
As a sidenote, the past three pictures to feature prodigious amounts of booty in their ad campaigns, Coyote Ugly, The Cell and now Bring It On, each opened in the $17 million range. To paraphrase a gangsta saying, could this be a cap for that ass?
Meanwhile, Space Cowboys should enjoy a healthy bump-up, allowing it to slug it out with the free-falling The Art of War and The Cell for spots two, three and four.
Overall business should be down from the Labor Day frame last year when The Sixth Sense saw a record $29.3 million four-day tally in its fifth outing, raising its total to $176.2 million en route to $293.5 million. Action dump Chill Factor got a reception befitting its title with $5.8 million from 2,558 venues, freezing at $11.3 million total. Outside Providence opened outside the top ten with $3.4 million, scuffling its way to $7.3 million total.
