'Austin Powers' Has the Box Office Mojo
Austin Powers' box office mojo is still at peak potency.
Austin Powers in Goldmember glittered with $73,071,188 at 3,613 theaters—$76,624,907 including previews—$1,620,000 more than New Line's estimate. That marks the fourth biggest opening weekend of all time from the fourth widest debut. Not only that, it's the most prodigious the month of July has ever seen, and it eclipses New Line stable mate Rush Hour 2's' $67,408,222 as the all time top opening for a comedy and for the studio.
Poised to become one of the most successful second sequels ever, Goldmember's debut was 33% higher than the $54,917,604 start that its predecessor The Spy Who Shagged Me posted three years ago on its way to $206,040,086. By the end of Saturday, it had even topped the $53,883,989 that the original made in its entire run.
On Friday, Goldmember grabbed $26,452,000, the fifth highest opening day ever. It then dipped 3.1% to $25,644,000 on Saturday and 18.2% to $20,974,000 on Sunday. By comparison, the first movie made $3,110,000 on its first day, while The Spy Who Shagged Me did $17,981,900. The production budgets have seen a similar rise, growing from $17 million for the first picture to $33 million for Spy to $63 million for Goldmember. Star and co-writer Mike Myers saw his salary climb to a reported $25 million plus 21% of revenue.
Thursday night previews hinted at the weekend windfall to come as Goldmember pulled in $3,553,719 at 2,416 venues. The Spy Who Shagged Me bagged $2,525,078 at 2,700 for its sneaks.
Whether Goldmember can top Spy's final tally remains to be seen. On the same weekend last year, Planet of the Apes conquered $68,532,960, but ended up with $180,011,740—just 2.6 times its debut. Two years ago, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps blasted off with $42,347,760 but ran out of gas at $123,307,945, shy of its predecessor's $128,814,019 total despite a 67% better opening. Among second sequels, Lethal Weapon 3 nabbed $33,243,086 out of the gate—63% more than Lethal Weapon 2—but ultimately brought in less green, $144,731,527 to $147,253,986.
New Line may not release that many movies—Goldmember is their first of the summer—but they've proven to be the masters at nurturing franchises. After all, it was the Nightmare on Elm Street pictures that put the studio on the map. Since then, their franchises have ranged from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Lord of the Rings. Sequels either in the can or in the works at New Line include Friday After Next, Final Destination 2, Blade III and Rush Hour 3.
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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE CHART
Austin Powers' third outing was so potent that it single-handedly brought the marketplace back to life after last weekend's lull. Business was up 31.2% as the top 12 pictures grossed $135.1 million. However, that was still down 5.8% from the same frame last year when Planet of the Apes ruled.
Austin Powers in Goldmember glittered with $73,071,188 at 3,613 theaters—$76,624,907 including previews—$1,620,000 more than New Line's estimate. That marks the fourth biggest opening weekend of all time from the fourth widest debut. Not only that, it's the most prodigious the month of July has ever seen, and it eclipses New Line stable mate Rush Hour 2's' $67,408,222 as the all time top opening for a comedy and for the studio.
Poised to become one of the most successful second sequels ever, Goldmember's debut was 33% higher than the $54,917,604 start that its predecessor The Spy Who Shagged Me posted three years ago on its way to $206,040,086. By the end of Saturday, it had even topped the $53,883,989 that the original made in its entire run.
On Friday, Goldmember grabbed $26,452,000, the fifth highest opening day ever. It then dipped 3.1% to $25,644,000 on Saturday and 18.2% to $20,974,000 on Sunday. By comparison, the first movie made $3,110,000 on its first day, while The Spy Who Shagged Me did $17,981,900. The production budgets have seen a similar rise, growing from $17 million for the first picture to $33 million for Spy to $63 million for Goldmember. Star and co-writer Mike Myers saw his salary climb to a reported $25 million plus 21% of revenue.
Thursday night previews hinted at the weekend windfall to come as Goldmember pulled in $3,553,719 at 2,416 venues. The Spy Who Shagged Me bagged $2,525,078 at 2,700 for its sneaks.
Whether Goldmember can top Spy's final tally remains to be seen. On the same weekend last year, Planet of the Apes conquered $68,532,960, but ended up with $180,011,740—just 2.6 times its debut. Two years ago, The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps blasted off with $42,347,760 but ran out of gas at $123,307,945, shy of its predecessor's $128,814,019 total despite a 67% better opening. Among second sequels, Lethal Weapon 3 nabbed $33,243,086 out of the gate—63% more than Lethal Weapon 2—but ultimately brought in less green, $144,731,527 to $147,253,986.
New Line may not release that many movies—Goldmember is their first of the summer—but they've proven to be the masters at nurturing franchises. After all, it was the Nightmare on Elm Street pictures that put the studio on the map. Since then, their franchises have ranged from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Lord of the Rings. Sequels either in the can or in the works at New Line include Friday After Next, Final Destination 2, Blade III and Rush Hour 3.
click here to view the
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE CHART
Austin Powers' third outing was so potent that it single-handedly brought the marketplace back to life after last weekend's lull. Business was up 31.2% as the top 12 pictures grossed $135.1 million. However, that was still down 5.8% from the same frame last year when Planet of the Apes ruled.
