Yard Stays On Top; Museum Still Second

Weekend Box Office Wrap-Up for January 19-21, 2007

By John Hamann

January 21, 2007

I do. I do blame it on the rain.

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Stomp the Yard did this weekend what most urban dance films do not - it repeated at number one. Yes, the percentage drop for Stomp was still ugly; however, it opened last weekend over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so a precipitous drop was to be expected. New releases included a lonely Hitcher and a triumphant Queen, as the Helen Mirren Golden Globe Winner tripled last weekend's gross and was finally released to more than 1,500 venues.

The number one film of the weekend is Stomp the Yard, Sony's urban dance movie that debuted last weekend to over $20 million, and to over $25 million when last weekend's holiday Monday is included. Stomp the Yard held somewhat strongly; it grossed $13.3 million from 2,051 venues. It had a venue average of $6,485 and a percentage drop compared to last weekend of 39%. Its decrease is actually much better than many of its compatriots. Take for example last summer's Step Up - that dance movie didn't open on a holiday, yet still fell 51% over its second weekend. Films that open over a weekend with a holiday Monday are more apt to have large percentage drops, as that key teen audience can go to the movies later on Sunday night that they could on a non-holiday weekend. Other urban films that opened in January and suffered over their respective second frames include You Got Served (53% second weekend drop), Next Friday (53%), and Big Momma's House 2 (51%). This is an excellent hold for this small picture, as it has now exceeded its $30 million budget and sits with $41.6 million.




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Second spot goes to Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller's leggy, family-friendly flick. Now in its fifth weekend, Night at the Museum earned another $13.0 million from a still powerful 3,483 venues. It dropped 24% compared to the previous frame. The Fox flick crossed the $200 million mark on Saturday, its 30th day of release. That's faster than films like King Kong, The Da Vinci Code and X2: X-Men United. Made for about $100 million, this one has now earned $205.8 million domestically, and over $150 million overseas. Its domestic total should have no problem reaching $240 million.

Up one spot to third is Dreamgirls, which has found some new momentum since winning three Golden Globe awards last Monday night, including acting wins for Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy, as well as a Best Picture win in the Musical/Comedy category. That success, along with about 300 more venues, made for a very good hold for Dreamgirls as the musical grossed $8.7 million, and increased over last week's total by 4%. This is a perfect example of how awards season helps movies, as Dreamgirls needed a bit of a lift and got it from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The Paramount/DreamWorks co-production has now earned an impressive $78.1 million, and with Oscar nominations (and potential wins) still to come, the sky is the limit for Dreamgirls.


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