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15 YEARS AGO  (weeks 5 & 6)

Slackers - February 1, 2002
Jason Schwartzman’s next role after his debut in Rushmore was this college comedy, in which he competes for Jaime King’s affections against Devon Sawa.  Jason Segel plays a supporting role, having concluded his role on Freaks and Geeks, and Laura Prepon appears in one of her early film roles while starring in That ‘70s Show.  To date, this is the only directorial effort by photographer Dewey Nicks.  Slackers had little audience support in theaters, opening at #11 with $2.7 million and leaving theaters after just two weeks with barely $5 million.

Birthday Girl - February 1, 2002
Nicole Kidman makes a rare appearance as a dark brunette in this crime drama, playing the perfect Russian mail order bride for an English banker (Ben Chaplin).  Vincent Cassel co-stars as the bride’s apparent cousin, who forces the unwitting husband to rob a bank.  The Miramax film debuted at only 1,000 theaters, dropped to limited release, and left theaters in mid February with just $5 million.

Collateral Damage - February 8, 2002
In this thriller from director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive and Under Siege), Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a firefighter (sans secret military background) who loses his family to a terrorist bombing in Los Angeles.  Both working with and against the CIA and FBI, he travels to Colombia in a solo attempt to get revenge against “The Wolf” (Cliff Curtis).  Francesca Neri plays The Wolf’s wife, and an apparent ally to Schwarzenegger.  The film was initially scheduled for release the previous October, but moved back due to sensitivity to the attacks on 9/11 and scenes in Washington, DC.  Collateral Damage opened at #1 with $15 million from 2,824 theaters but failed to make back its budget with only $40 million from the domestic box office. That’s somewhat understandable given that this was his first career release outside the May-November frame, but it was also the third sub-$100 million release in a row for Schwarzenegger, following The 6th Day ($34 million) and End of Days ($66 million).

Big Fat Liar - February 8, 2002
Malcolm in the Middle’s Frankie Muniz and Nickelodeon Channel star Amanda Bynes play friends who torment a Hollywood producer, played by Paul Giamatti, who has made an unauthorized movie out of one of their school essays.  This teen comedy was the film debut for both Bynes (who won a Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress) and director Shawn Levy.  Big Fat Liar opened at #2 with $11.5 million, had decent legs at the box office, and eventually earned $48.3 million.

Rollerball - February 8, 2002
A remake of the 1975 film based on the short story, this thriller features Chris Klein and LL Cool J as teammates in a violent sport rigged by their coach, played by Jean Reno.  Geared toward teens not even old enough for its R-rating, the film received poor reviews and a Razzie nomination for co-star Rebecca Romijn.  To top it off, director John McTiernan later spent a year in federal prison for wiretapping one of the film’s producers over a dispute about the project.   Rollerball opened at #3 with $9 million and saw steep drops at the box office, ultimately earning just under $19 million.

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