Weekend Box Office
The Mexican corralled $20.1 million from 2,951 theaters to top the charts this weekend. The much anticipated pairing of Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt generated sparks, though not quite at the wattage their respective toothy and dimpled grins would suggest. The opening is shy of the unadjusted $24 million average that Roberts has enjoyed since her 1997 resurgence, though it's a career best for Pitt as a headliner.
Bow-wow-ing at 2,656 houses, See Spot Run fetched $9.7 million. Warner Bros.' second bid at making David Arquette the next Pauly Shore was significantly more successful than their first (the $12.4 grossing Ready to Rumble), especially given its bare bones budget of $15 million.
Meanwhile, Hannibal lingered in second with $10.1 million, down 36% from last weekend. All told, everyone's favorite epicurean of human flesh has now consumed $142.8 million, surpassing The Silence of the Lambs' $130.7 million. Though adjusted for inflation, the original's total would be about $166 million, a number the sequel could have a tough time matching.
Down to Earth spirited away with $7.8 million, descending just 30%. The remake-of-Heaven Can Wait-which-itself-was-a-remake-of-Here Comes Mr. Jordan's total ascended to $43.9 million after 17 days. Not too shabby for Chris Rock's first true starring role.
3,000 Miles to Graceland was returned to sender, success unknown. The bloated actioner collapsed 57% to $3.1 million, flushing the careers of Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell further down the drain. Cume for the $62 million caper reached just $12.3 million after 10 days. Fortunately for the distributor Warner Bros., their only exposure on this fiasco was prints and advertising and they receive first dollar until they recoup. None other than Franchise Pictures bears the brunt of the production cost. They're the fiscally irresponsible company whose business model seems to be to cater to the whims of dubious stars, most notoriously on Battlefield Earth and Get Carter.
Bow-wow-ing at 2,656 houses, See Spot Run fetched $9.7 million. Warner Bros.' second bid at making David Arquette the next Pauly Shore was significantly more successful than their first (the $12.4 grossing Ready to Rumble), especially given its bare bones budget of $15 million.
Meanwhile, Hannibal lingered in second with $10.1 million, down 36% from last weekend. All told, everyone's favorite epicurean of human flesh has now consumed $142.8 million, surpassing The Silence of the Lambs' $130.7 million. Though adjusted for inflation, the original's total would be about $166 million, a number the sequel could have a tough time matching.
Down to Earth spirited away with $7.8 million, descending just 30%. The remake-of-Heaven Can Wait-which-itself-was-a-remake-of-Here Comes Mr. Jordan's total ascended to $43.9 million after 17 days. Not too shabby for Chris Rock's first true starring role.
3,000 Miles to Graceland was returned to sender, success unknown. The bloated actioner collapsed 57% to $3.1 million, flushing the careers of Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell further down the drain. Cume for the $62 million caper reached just $12.3 million after 10 days. Fortunately for the distributor Warner Bros., their only exposure on this fiasco was prints and advertising and they receive first dollar until they recoup. None other than Franchise Pictures bears the brunt of the production cost. They're the fiscally irresponsible company whose business model seems to be to cater to the whims of dubious stars, most notoriously on Battlefield Earth and Get Carter.
