Friday Box Office Analysis
By Kim Hollis
May 1, 2004
As April 2004 becomes just another memory and the blockbusters of summer loom on the horizon, the teens take over the theater to make Lindsay Lohan the big star du jour. Her reign should last at least, oh, say one week.
Mean Girls
The Tina Fey-scripted production from Paramount made an estimated $9.1 million on Friday. While many forecasters believed that this flick was just another teen movie, its wicked dark humor and outstanding critical reviews gave it an air of freshness amongst the other stinky stuff that hit theaters this weekend. A normal 2.6 multiplier for this demographic will land this Heathers for the 21st century at a weekend total of around $23.7 million.
Godsend
One of the most critically reviled films ever to be seen on RottenTomatoes, this Lions Gate horror/thriller about the perils of cloning managed a Friday total of $2.4 million. It’s also looking at a typical-for-the-genre Friday-to-Sunday multiplier of 2.6, which indicates a less-than-remarkable weekend gross of $6.2 million.
Laws of Attraction
Things only get worse as we move on down the line. New Line’s Laws of Attraction, a screwball romantic comedy starring Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan, finished Friday with $2.3 million. Since this particular genre skews more adult and has less of an audience rush, a 3.25 Friday-to-Sunday multiplier will give this forgettable flick $7.5 million for the weekend.
Envy
Audiences were definitely wise to the stink of failure all over this horrid-looking film from Ben Stiller, Jack Black and DreamWorks. Despite their typical drawing power, it was painfully evident that a movie centering around dog poo is simply not appealing in any possible way. The comedy’s $2.2 million means that the film is looking at a weekend number right around $6 million before it fades into thankful obscurity.
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius
Despite a competent grass roots marketing campaign, this little film about one of golf’s favorite sons couldn’t pull in more than $366,000 on its opening day. Look for a weekend total in the area of $1.2 million and a return to normalcy for Jim Caviezel.
Notable Holdovers
Both Man on Fire and 13 Going on 30 held fairly predictably, and should finish in the 2-3 slot by the time it's all said and done.
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Projected Estimates for the Top Ten (Three-Day)
|
Projected
Rank |
Film |
Estimated Gross |
|
1
|
Mean Girls
|
23.7
|
|
2
|
Man on Fire
|
14.8
|
|
3
|
13 Going on 30
|
10.5
|
|
4
|
Laws of Attraction
|
7.5
|
|
5
|
Godsend
|
6.2
|
|
6
|
Envy
|
6.0
|
|
7
|
Kill Bill Vol. 2
|
5.2
|
|
8
|
The Punisher
|
3.1
|
|
9
|
Johnson Family Vacation
|
1.9
|
|
10
|
Hellboy
|
1.7
|
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