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Weekend Box Office
Eyes Wide Shut opened with a solid $21.7 million from 2,411 theaters, $1.1 million less than Warner Bros.' $22.8 million estimate. It was below Tom Cruise's average, and it didn't match the hype. It was even less than The General's Daughter's $22.3 million, which had much less hype and lower star power. Mixed word-of-mouth and an increasingly crowded marketplace will likely keep it from reaching the $100 million mark.
Forecast: Box Office Wide Open
Baby did a bad, bad thing… Baby did a bad, bad thing. Who else finds themselves singing these lines from the raspy Chris Isaak song? It's certainly catchy… Speaking of which, anyone see that Eyes Wide Shut clip with Tom Cruise surrounded by the secret sex society? The grand pubaa decked out in that freaky red cloak and mask utters this line to Cruise from his throne: "Remove your clothes." I find myself repeating that line quite often. It's hilarious the way that guy says it. It has catch phrase of the summer potential.
Weekend Box Office
Grossing $18.7 million, American Pie shot to the top spot this past weekend. Pretty damn good, especially for a picture that cost just $11 million to make. It turns out that the picture could have made more. Unfortunately, theaters were enforcing the R rating, forcing many kids to pay for tickets for other movies, and then sneak into Pie. As a result, pictures like Big Daddy, Austin Powers, and even Wild Wild West held up better then they would normally have. I remember back when I was a teenager, I went to see the NC-17 rated Bad Lieutenant, and I was not carded. Just recently, I went to see an R rated picture, and I was carded. The whole situation is ridiculous.
Daily Box Office: Mild Mild West
Playing at 3,304 theaters, Wild Wild West managed to open with just $7.07 million on Wednesday. This means that the picture might not even match my $37.5 million weekend prediction. By comparison, Will Smith's previous July extravaganzas, Men in Black and Independence Day opened with $14.04 and $17.41 million respectively, and that was after having Tuesday night previews. The same time last year, Armageddon opened with $9.67 million and went on to make $36.1 million Friday-to-Sunday (though this was muted due to the Fourth of July falling on a Saturday).
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